Shortcuts & Modifier Key Guide

A collection of useful keyboard shortcuts that work across Windows, text editors, terminals, and file explorers . 
 Modifier keys are keys you hold while performing another action. 
Common modifier keys include: 
 
 CTRL 
 ALT 
 SHIFT 
 CMD (Mac – ignored in this guide for simplicity) 
 Fn 
 
 These shortcuts are designed to work in most text editors, terminals, browsers, and common applications . 
 
 Text Entry & Navigation 
 CTRL — Word-Level Navigation 
 Holding CTRL changes many actions from working on a single character to working on a whole word . 
 
 
 
 Shortcut 
 Function 
 
 
 
 
 CTRL + Left / Right 
 Move cursor one word at a time 
 
 
 CTRL + Backspace 
 Delete the previous word 
 
 
 CTRL + Delete 
 Delete the next word 
 
 
 CTRL + Up / Down 
 Move cursor one paragraph at a time 
 
 
 CTRL + Home 
 Move to the start of a document 
 
 
 CTRL + End 
 Move to the end of a document 
 
 
 CTRL + Space 
 Remove formatting from selected text 
 
 
 CTRL + Enter 
 Insert page break (Word and similar editors) 
 
 
 CTRL + Click 
 Highlight an entire sentence 
 
 
 
 
 SHIFT — Text Selection Modifier 
 SHIFT is commonly used to highlight text and modify existing commands. 
 
 
 
 Shortcut 
 Function 
 
 
 
 
 SHIFT + Arrow Keys 
 Highlight text 
 
 
 CTRL + SHIFT + V 
 Paste text without formatting 
 
 
 SHIFT + Enter 
 Insert a new line without submitting a form or creating extra spacing 
 
 
 
 Example: Useful in comment boxes or the Google search bar. 
 
 Fn Key Shortcuts 
 Some keyboards use the Fn key for navigation shortcuts. 
 
 
 
 Shortcut 
 Function 
 
 
 
 
 Fn + Left 
 Home 
 
 
 Fn + Right 
 End 
 
 
 Fn + Up 
 Page Up 
 
 
 Fn + Down 
 Page Down 
 
 
 
 
 Tab Key 
 
 
 
 Shortcut 
 Function 
 
 
 
 
 TAB 
 Indent bullet point 
 
 
 SHIFT + TAB 
 Remove one indent level 
 
 
 
 
 Mouse Shortcuts 
 
 
 
 Action 
 Result 
 
 
 
 
 Double-click 
 Highlight an entire word 
 
 
 Triple-click 
 Highlight an entire sentence, paragraph, or field 
 
 
 Double-click + drag 
 Highlight multiple words 
 
 
 Triple-click + drag 
 Highlight multiple paragraphs 
 
 
 CTRL + Click + drag 
 Highlight text sentence-by-sentence 
 
 
 Drag highlighted text 
 Move highlighted text 
 
 
 Drag highlighted text to another app 
 Copy text between programs 
 
 
 
 
 File Explorer Shortcuts 
 File Drag Actions 
 
 
 
 Shortcut 
 Action 
 
 
 
 
 CTRL + Drag file 
 Copy file 
 
 
 SHIFT + Drag file 
 Move file 
 
 
 ALT + Drag file 
 Create shortcut 
 
 
 CTRL + SHIFT + Drag 
 Create shortcut 
 
 
 
 
 File Selection 
 
 
 
 Shortcut 
 Action 
 
 
 
 
 CTRL + Click 
 Select or deselect individual files 
 
 
 Drag selection box 
 Select multiple files 
 
 
 CTRL + Drag selection 
 Add files to selection 
 
 
 SHIFT + Drag selection 
 Add files to selection 
 
 
 
 
 Navigation 
 
 
 
 Shortcut 
 Action 
 
 
 
 
 Arrow Keys 
 Move selection 
 
 
 CTRL + Arrow Keys 
 Move active file without losing selection 
 
 
 Space (or CTRL + Space) 
 Add file to selection 
 
 
 
 
 Browser & Tab Shortcuts 
 These shortcuts work in File Explorer, browsers, and many programs . 
 
 
 
 Shortcut 
 Action 
 
 
 
 
 CTRL + T 
 Open new tab 
 
 
 CTRL + W 
 Close tab 
 
 
 CTRL + TAB 
 Next tab 
 
 
 CTRL + SHIFT + TAB 
 Previous tab 
 
 
 CTRL + N 
 Open new window 
 
 
 
 CTRL + W also closes the current document in programs like Microsoft Word . 
 
 Process Control 
 
 
 
 Shortcut 
 Action 
 
 
 
 
 CTRL + C 
 Stop running process or script 
 
 
 
 
 Miscellaneous Windows Shortcuts 
 
 
 
 Shortcut 
 Function 
 
 
 
 
 CTRL + ALT + TAB 
 Window switcher that stays open 
 
 
 Win + SHIFT + S 
 Open Snipping Tool 
 
 
 Win + P 
 Open display projection menu 
 
 
 Win + ; 
 Emoji & clipboard panel 
 
 
 CTRL + SHIFT + V 
 Paste without formatting 
 
 
 
 
 Tips 
 These shortcuts help you: 
 
 Edit text faster 
 Navigate documents efficiently 
 Manage files quickly 
 Use terminals more effectively 
 Improve general productivity 
 
 The text navigation shortcuts (CTRL + arrows and CTRL + backspace) are some of the most powerful and widely supported shortcuts across applications.