20 insanely useful Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts I use every day

After so many years, I'm still discovering new keyboard shortcuts.

- CHRIS HOFFMAN

As a long-time Windows geek, I’ve always loved and relied on keyboard shortcuts. They’re incredible—like a collection of secret handshakes that can quickly perform useful tasks and dramatically speed up whatever you’re doing on your computer.

And yes, keyboard shortcuts are rather secret. Windows doesn’t provide a coach that guides you through the hundreds of keyboard shortcuts you might find handy. They’re just… there. In the background.

So you usually have to seek them out or find out about them the old-fashioned way: by talking with other PC geeks and reading helpful articles like this one. Let me show you the greatest and most practical keyboard shortcuts I actually use all the time.

1. LAUNCH FILE EXPLORER

If you’re like me, you use File Explorer a lot. With a keyboard shortcut, it’s always close at hand—simply press Windows key + E to launch a new File Explorer window whenever you need one.

2. GO STRAIGHT TO TASK MANAGER

You probably know the basic Ctrl + Alt + Delete keyboard shortcut, but if you’re using it to open Task Manager, there’s actually a better way: Instead, use the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keyboard shortcut.

3. OPEN THE SETTINGS APP

Want to change a setting in the operating system? You usually have to do it through the Settings app. Instead of searching the Start menu, there’s actually a keyboard shortcut you can use: Windows key + I. Then you can search directly in the Settings app for what you need.

4. DIG THROUGH CLIPBOARD HISTORY

Did you know that every time you copy an image or text to the clipboard, Windows keeps a running history of it all? The usual Ctrl + V keyboard shortcut only pastes the last thing you copied—but if you want to paste something you copied much earlier, you can!