Windows 7 / Getting Started

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Taskbar Shortcuts

The taskbar contains many shortcuts that will make your life much easier. Here are some really helpful ones:

Ctrl-click an application icon in the taskbar
This action will cycle through all the open windows belonging to the application. For example, suppose that you have five IE windows open. Pressing the Ctrl key while you click the IE icon in the taskbar will toggle between all the opened IE windows (including tab pages).

Shift-click (or middle-click) an application icon in the taskbar
This will launch a new instance of the application.

Ctrl-Shift-Click an application icon in the taskbar
This action will launch the application in administrator mode.

Besides these taskbar shortcuts, the Windows Key has many shortcuts as well. Table below shows the various shortcuts you can use with the Windows Key.

Table below Windows Key shortcuts

Key combinations	Description
Windows Key + ↓	Minimizes/restores window
Windows Key + ←	Docks window to left of screen
Windows Key + →	Docks window to right of screen
Windows Key + ↑	Maximizes window
Windows Key + -	Zooms out when magnifier is active
Windows Key + +	Activates magnifier and zoom in
Windows Key + B	Switches focus to the notification area (use arrow keys to navigate)
Windows Key + D	Shows the desktop
Windows Key + E	Opens Windows Explorer
Windows Key + F	Opens the search Window
Windows Key + G	Cycles through the Gadgets
Windows Key + Home	Minimizes/restores all other windows
Windows Key + L	Locks the screen
Windows Key + M	Minimizes all windows
Windows Key + N	Opens or launches the application located on the corresponding position in the taskbar (starting with 1 from the left, not counting the Start menu); if the application is not running, it launches it; otherwise, it displays the window list while you hold down the key, and activates the first item in the list
Windows Key + P	Shows the display options pop up
Windows Key + R	Shows the Run dialog
Windows Key + T	Cycles through all the icons in the taskbar from left to right
Windows Key + U	Opens the Ease of Access Center
Windows Key + X	Launches Windows Mobility Center (on notebooks and mobile computers)
Windows Key + Shift + ←	Moves to left monitor
Windows Key + Shift + →	Moves to right monitor
Windows Key + Shift + T	Cycles through all the icons in the taskbar from right to left
Windows Key + Space	Peeks at the desktop

Another useful shortcut is Alt-P, which shows the File Preview Pane in Windows Explorer. The File Preview Pane displaying the preview of a selected image when you press the Alt-P shortcut.

Besides using the File Preview Pane to preview images, you can also use it to preview known file types such as Word and PowerPoint documents.

Pinning Folders to the Taskbar

If you frequently work with certain folders, you might want to pin them to the taskbar. To pin a folder to the taskbar, drag-and-drop it onto the taskbar. The folder will now appear in the Pinned section of the Windows Explorer Jump List.