You have to love a good keyboard shortcut. They're efficient, and training yourself to use a new one will pay dividends in the future, saving seconds of time over and over again.
Windows 11, Microsoft's latest version of the operating system, includes a handful of new keyboard shortcuts tied to new functionality.
Some of these adapt shortcuts that used to be used in PowerToys (largely for the snap zones) and it's nice to see them make their way to Windows proper.
Keyboard shortcuts new to Windows 11
There are two brand new shortcuts, combining the Windows key, alt, and the up and down arrow, which allow you to snap the focused window to the top or bottom of the screen.
Previously, you could only snap side-to-side with short cuts (using the Windows key and left and right arrow).
Many of the updated settings are around features that were upgraded, prioritized or are part of the changes to Windows 11's UI.
For instance, these focus on updating widgets, launching chat in Microsoft teams, opening Snap layouts and notifications.
Some of these have changed functionality since the Windows 10 days. For instance, Windows key + A used to open the Action Center, and now it launches Quick Settings.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Shortcut
Function
Windows key + A
Open Quick Settings
Windows key + C
Open Chat from Microsoft Teams
Windows key + H
Launch voice typing
Windows key + K
Open Cast from Quick Settings
Windows key + N
Open notification center and calendar
Windows key + W
Open Widgets
Windows key + Z
Open snap layouts
Stay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Andrew E. Freedman is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware focusing on laptops, desktops and gaming. He also keeps up with the latest news. A lover of all things gaming and tech, his previous work has shown up in Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Kotaku, PCMag and Complex, among others. Follow him on Threads @FreedmanAE and BlueSky @andrewfreedman.net.You can send him tips on Signal: andrewfreedman.01
You do not need a keyboard shortcut if you do not hide things due to your UI design.
While i agree windows doesnt have the best UI, the fact that there are keyboard shortcuts is not a signal of a bad UI design
Its actually really helpful for those that know how to use it cause it helps speed a lot of things up. Just like how ctrl +c and ctrl + v is way faster than right click -> click copy, -> right click -> click paste
While i agree windows doesnt have the best UI, the fact that there are keyboard shortcuts is not a signal of a bad UI design
Its actually really helpful for those that know how to use it cause it helps speed a lot of things up. Just like how ctrl +c and ctrl + v is way faster than right click -> click copy, -> right click -> click paste
I agree some keyboard shortcuts are good but most of the ones in the article seem to be keyboard shortcuts with little need for.
Windows key + C Open Chat from Microsoft Teams, a shortcut to open one program. They got a big fine for bundling IE with windows I do wonder if at some point they are going to get the same for bundling teams?
