10 Windows key shortcuts for everyone

#windows #productivity #mouse #keyboard

Windows 10 is customary across most organizations. A daily users desktop is cluttered with many programs and task windows. A multi-monitor setup multiplies this clumsiness and navigating apps becomes a nightmare.

Follow these neat set of tricks and shortcuts to organize the desktop and enhance your user experience.

1. How to hide programs from your desktop

Click Task View button on Taskbar
Select New Desktop or use keyboard shortcut +Ctrl+D to add a Desktop 2
Click Task View
Drag your distracting programs like Chats📱, Email📧, Music Player🎧 from Desktop 1 to Desktop 2.
To navigate to Desktop 2 use +Ctrl+→

A small laptop screen💻 can be transformed to a powerful workstation with a single keyboard shortcut

2. How to pin apps to the Taskbar.

Launch your programs in the order you want them to be pinned
Right click the program icon on Taskbar
Select Pin to taskbar

The first pinned app can be launched using +1

3. How to display a program in all your Desktops

Click Task View button on Taskbar
Right click the program window
Check Show this window on all desktops

Prevents duplicate launch of program while using +1 in Desktop 2

4. How to display contents of a program in Taskbar

Right click Taskbar
Select Taskbar Settings
Update Combine taskbar buttons to When taskbar is full
Under Multiple Displays turn on Show taskbar on all displays.

Moving Taskbar to the top of your screen might give you the same user experience of Internet browser tabs.

5. How to launch your favorite program using keyboard shortcut

Right click on your Snipping tool program icon in desktop
Click Properties
Select Shortcut tab
Click Shortcut Key:
Hit Ctrl+Alt+S

Now every time you hit Ctrl+Alt+S snipping tool will pop up.

6. How to run apps in Split Window

Active desktop window can be snapped to right side of screen
Hit +→.
Click the desktop window you want to be snapped left.

Useful for comparing notes, dragging files, multi-tasking etc.

7. How to pin apps to your start menu for quick access

Right click your frequent program or folder icon
Select Pin to Start
Hit key to launch your Start Menu

Launch the program by clicking its icon from Start Menu.

8. How to group your programs in Start Menu

Navigate to Start Menu
Hover on top of a program
Click Name group to add custom group name like Work or Personal.
Drag and drop other apps to this group

Resize your favorite app tiles for easy access

9. How to configure your Mouse to automate shortcuts

Unleash your productivity by upgrading to a Programmable Mouse 🖱.
Map the shortcut keys to mouse buttons as shown in the cover image

10. Useful shortcuts

Shortcut Key	Action
+`D`	Show Desktop / Show Apps
+`Ctrl`+`D`	Create Desktop 2
+`Ctrl`+`→`	Switch to Desktop 2
+`Tab`	Task View
+`1`	Taskbar App 1
+`T`	Cycle Taskbar Apps
+`→`	Snap window right
+`E`	Windows Explorer
`Alt`+`Tab`	Switch Previous Window
`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`S`	Custom shortcut for Snipping tool