Windows 7 is definitely one of the most loved versions of Windows operating system ever. Even though Windows 7 was just a polished version of its predecessor Vista, there were numerous features and improvements that made this version of Windows most loved Windows operating system to date.
Windows 7 incorporates a number of new keyboard shortcuts to easily access all features of desktop but not many users are aware of or at least not using these time saving keyboard shortcuts. For those who’re running Windows 7, following are some of the very useful keyboard shortcuts to get your work done quickly and easily.
Ctrl + Shift + N: In Vista and previous versions of Windows, we had to right-click, click New and then click New Folder or click on the New Folder button in the Explorer toolbar to create a New Folder. In Windows 7, you can use Ctrl + Shift + N hotkey to quickly create a New Folder. This keyboard shortcut is my personal favorite.
Windows + Home: Use this keyboard shortcut when you have multiple programs and windows open, and want to quickly minimize all but the current active window. Pressing Windows + Home again will restore all those windows again.
Windows + D: Windows + D hotkey is very handy in situations when you want to see what’s there on the desktop or want to quickly revert to the desktop from an application window. This keyboard shortcut is very similar to Windows + Home but the Windows + D hotkey minimizes all windows.
Windows + B: This shortcut is useful if you want to quickly navigate to the system tray area of the taskbar without moving the mouse. Simply press Windows + B hotkey and then use arrow keys to access program icons in the tray. I use this hotkey to quickly navigate to system tray and safely remove connected USB drives.
Ctrl + Shift + Enter: In Windows 7, at times, you may need to launch a program with admin rights. For instance, you may want to open Command Prompt as administrator to enable or disable hibernation. With mouse, we need to navigate to Start menu, right-click on the program that we want to run as admin and then click Run as administrator option.
To open a program with admin rights using keyboard shortcuts, simply type in the name of the program in the Start menu search box and then simultaneously press Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys to run the program with admin rights. For example, type Command Prompt in the Start menu search box and then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys to open Command Prompt as administrator.
Windows + Down arrow: While using multiple programs, we may need to minimize a program that we aren’t going to use for a while. Instead of clicking the minimize button, simply press Windows + Down arrow to minimize the active window. Please note that if the program is running in Maximized window, you may need to press Windows + Down arrow twice.
Likewise, you can use Windows + Up arrow to maximize an active program window.
Windows + Left/Right arrow: While playing with multiple programs, you can use Windows + left/right arrow to dock the current window to the left/right of the screen. Very useful for those who work with large screen monitors.
Windows + (1-9): Those of you playing with Windows 7 for a long time, probably using this keyboard shortcut to launch programs on the taskbar. If not, you can use this keyboard shortcut to launch pinned programs on the taskbar. For instance, if you have pinned TeamViewer program immediately next to the Start button, you can launch the same by pressing Windows + 1.
Let us know which your favorite Windows 7 keyboard shortcut is by leaving a comment.
