Windows Vista Shortcut Keys

When you want to get somewhere fast in Windows Vista, knowing which shortcut key to use can save a lot of clicks, and time. Here’s a brief list of helpful shortcut keys to get you where you want to go today faster.

Managing Windows
Note: Win stands for Windows Logo Key.

Alt+F4 Close the active window
Alt+Tab Switch to previous active window
Alt+Esc Cycle through all open windows
Win+Tab Flip 3D
Ctrl+Win+Tab Persistent Flip 3D
Win+T Cycle through applications on taskbar (showing its live preview)
Win+M Minimize all open windows
Win+Shift+M Undo all window minimization
Win+D Toggle showing the desktop

Starting Programs

Win+1 Open the first program on your Quick Launch bar
Win+2 Open the second program on your Quick Launch bar
Win+n Open the nth program on your Quick Launch bar
Win+U Open the ease of access center
Win+F Open the search window
Win+E Open Explorer
Win+R Open the Run window
Win+B Move focus to notification tray (the right-most portion of the taskbar)
Win+Pause Open the System Properties portion from the Control Panel
Ctrl+Shift+Esc Open Windows Task Manager

Logging In And Out
While the below shortcuts seem unwieldy because of their length, they’re quite easy to remember once you try them out a few times. The symbol stands for the right arrow key. Win stands for Windows Logo Key.

Win, , , , Enter Shutdown
Win, , , , U Shutdown
Win, , , , R Restart
Win, , Enter Sleep
Win, , , , W Switch Users
Win+L Locks computer

Viewing Folders With Explorer
Alt+ Go back
Alt+ Go forward
Alt+ Go up a directory
Alt+D Move focus to address bar
Alt+D, Tab Move focus to search bar
Alt+Enter Open the Properties window of the current selection
Ctrl+Mousewheel Change the view type (extra large, small, list view, detail, etc.)

Windows Sidebar And Gadgets

Windows Sidebar provides instant access to gadgets that display a huge variety personalized information. The below shortcuts allow you to navigate between these gadgets. I suggest just using this table as a reference, since people don’t need to navigate gadgets too often.

Move focus to Sidebar Win+Space
Cycle through visible gadgets Win+G