There are lots of reasons why you might want to use Windows without a mouse:
With shortcut keys it's best to learn a couple at a time and use them until they become second nature.
If all of them are new to you, start with the following:
Most modern Windows PCs have a kind of keyboard called a "Microsoft Natural Keyboard". Look at the bottom row of your keyboard. Look for 2 keys with the Microsoft Windows logo on them. These are the "Windows" keys. There is also a key with a picture of a menu and a mouse pointer. This is the application key.
If you turn on MouseKeys, you can use the number pad to 'drag and drop' as well as move and click the mouse.
(Note: Some keyboards shortcuts may not work if you have StickyKeys turned on in the Accessibility options.)
Windows 2000 and XP have a setting which affects whether the menu shortcut keys are shown with underlines or not. For both, right-click on the Desktop and choose Properties. To turn the underlines on in Windows XP, choose the Appearance tab. Click the Effects button and clear the checkbox for "Hide underlined letters for keyboard navigation until I press the Alt key". To turn the underlines on in Windows 2000, choose the Effects tab. Clear the checkbox for "Hide keyboard navigation indicators until I use the Alt key".
Within particular programs there may also be an option which affects whether shortcut keys are listed next to the menu options. If they aren't, have a look under Tools > Customize... on the Options tab.
At any one time, one item in a window "has the focus" ("is active"). This is shown in a variety of ways: in a list or a dialog box the item has a dotted outline; on a menu it has a highlighted background; on the task bar it has a lighter background.
In a list of items, it is also possible to select one or more items. These are shown with a highlighted background.
In a dialog box, one of the buttons is the default button. It usually has a darker outline and shadow than the others. A form on a web page usually also has a default button although there may be no visual indication of this.
| Page up or down: | Usually move up or down the window a screen at a time |
| F6: | Cycle round different areas /panes on the screen. |
| F1: | Start Windows Help |
| Application key, Shift+F10: |
Display a shortcut (right-click) menu for the item with the focus |
| Esc: | Cancel (close) the shortcut menu |
| Ctrl+Alt+Delete when not logged on: | Bring up the log-on dialog box |
| Ctrl+Alt+Delete when logged on: | Bring up the Windows security dialog box which includes options for starting Task Manager, logging off, shutting down and changing password. |
Many shortcuts use Ctrl + a key. Some of the most useful are:
| Ctrl+A: | Select all (items or text) |
| Ctrl+X: | Cut |
| Ctrl+C: | Copy |
| Ctrl+V: | Paste |
| Ctrl+Z: | Undo |
| Alt+F4: | Quit the program /close the current window |
| Ctrl+F4: | Close the current document in programs that allow you to have multiple windows open within the window (eg Word) |
| Alt+F6: | Switch between multiple windows in the same program. (For example, when the Find dialog box is open in Notepad, it switches between the Find dialog box and the main document window.) |
| Ctrl+Tab: | Switch to the next child window in programs that allow you to have multiple windows open within the window (eg Word) |
| Alt+Space: | Display the window's system menu. (The system menu has options to restore, move, resize, minimize, maximize or close the window.) |
| Alt+Hyphen: | Display the child window's system menu in programs that allow you to have multiple windows open within the window (eg Word) |
| Arrow keys: | Move or resize a window |
| Enter: | Confirm the moving or resizing of a window |
| Up and Down arrow keys: | Move cyclically up and down through the menu items |
| Right arrow key: | Open the submenu if there is one, or move to the next menu |
| Left arrow key: | Close the submenu if there is one, or move to the previous menu |
| Home or End: | Move the focus to the first or last item on a menu |
| Enter: | Carry out /open the active option (like clicking) |
| Esc: | Close the current menu |
| Alt: | Close and deactivate menus |
| Alt, F10: |
Activate the menu bar |
Once the menu bar is activated:
| An underlined letter on a menu: | Open the menu |
| An underlined letter in a command name on an open menu: | Carry out the corresponding command |
| An underlined letter on a toolbar button: | Carry out the command |
| Ctrl+Tab or Shift+Ctrl+ Tab: | Cycle forwards or backwards through the menu bar and toolbars |
| Tab or Shift+Tab, Left or Right arrow keys: |
Move forwards or backwards through menu items or buttons on an active menu bar or toolbar |
If there is more than one menu or toolbar button with the same letter, pressing the underlined letter just cycles through giving them the focus. Press the underlined letter again to go to the next one.
Many menu items have their own shortcut key. This is shown on the menu next to the item. It's worth learning them for items you use a lot. (If they are not shown, see PC settings above.) Some of the commonest are:
| Ctrl+X: | Cut |
| Ctrl+C: | Copy |
| Ctrl+V: | Paste |
| Ctrl+N: | New document or window |
| Ctrl+O: | Open |
| Ctrl+S: | Save |
| Ctrl+P: | |
| Ctrl+W: | Usually close current document or window |
| Ctrl+Z: | Undo |
| Ctrl+Y: | Redo |
| Enter on a button, Space on a button: |
Carry out the action (like clicking) |
| Space on a checkbox or option button: | Toggle the checked or selected status |
| Arrow keys on option buttons: | May move the selected status between the buttons |
| Up and Down arrow keys on a drop-down list box: | Cycle through the options |
| A letter on a drop-down list box: | Select the next item which starts with the letter. Press the letter again to cycle through the items that start with the letter. |
| F4, Alt+Down arrow on a drop-down list box: |
Drop the list down |
| Esc on an open drop-down list box: | Close the drop-down list |
| Tab or Shift+Tab: | Move forwards or backwards through the input items in the dialog box or form |
| Ctrl+Tab or Shift+Ctrl+Tab: | Move forwards or backwards through the tabs |
From anywhere in a dialog box:
| Enter: | Carry out the command for the default button (like clicking the button) |
| Esc: | Cancel the dialog box |
| Alt+underlined letter on a button: | Carry out the corresponding command |
| Alt+underlined letter on a checkbox or option button: | Toggle the checked or selected status |
| Alt+underlined letter on a text box: | Move the focus to the corresponding control (has no effect if this control already has the focus) |
| Alt+underlined letter on a drop-down list box: | Move the focus to the corresponding control, sometimes also drops the list down |
When the current control is a button, checkbox or option button, just the underlined letter for a button, checkbox or option button does the same as the combination with Alt.
| F4 on a file selection control: | Drop the folder list down |
| A letter on a file selection control: | Select the next item which starts with the letter. Press the letter again to cycle through the items that start with the letter. |
| Alt+1 in a file selection dialog box: | Go to the previous folder |
| Alt+2 in a file selection dialog box: | Go up one level |
| Alt+5 in a file selection dialog box: | Create a new folder |
| Windows key, Ctrl+Esc: |
Display the Start menu |
| Enter: | Start the active item (like clicking) |
| F6, Tab: |
Cycle through the Start button, Quick launch bar, Task bar, System tray and Desktop |
| Left and Right arrow keys: | Move the focus through the items on the Quick launch bar or the System tray |
| Alt+Tab (released quickly): | Switch to the previous active window |
| Alt+Tab (held down): | Open the task-switching window. Keep the Alt key down and press Tab to cycle through the windows |
| Alt+Esc: | Cycle through the windows in the reverse order of being opened |
| Windows key+Tab: | Cycle through the task bar buttons |
| Ctrl+Esc then Esc: | Move the focus to the Start button |
| Windows key+M or Shift+Windows key+M: | Minimize all or undo minimize all |
| Windows key+M, followed by Application key or Shift+F10: | Open Desktop shortcut menu (like right-clicking on Desktop) |
| F3: | Search for files |
| F5: | Refresh |
| F6: | Cycle through the panes |
Note: In Windows Explorer, F6 moves the focus to the close button on the folder pane title bar. Use Tab to move from there into the folder list control.
Windows Explorer specific:
| Windows key+E: | Start Windows Explorer |
| Tab: | Cycle through the panes |
| Alt+Enter: | Open the properties for the selected item |
| Ctrl+'+' on numeric keypad: | Auto-adjust the column widths |
| F4: | If the Address bar is visible, move the focus to the folder list and drop it down |
| * on numeric keypad: | Expand everything under the current item |
| + on numeric keypad: | Expand the current item |
| - on numeric keypad: | Collapse the current item |
| Right arrow key: | Expand the current item if it is not expanded, or open the first child |
| Left arrow key: | Collapse the current item if it is expanded, or open the parent folder |
| Backspace: | Open the parent folder |
| Enter: | Carry out the default action (like double-clicking) |
| Up and Down arrow keys: | Move the focus up or down |
| Page up and down: | Move the focus to the item at the top or bottom of the screen then move up or down by one screen |
| Home or End: | Display the top or bottom of the active pane |
| Left or Right arrow keys: | Behaviour depends on the view being used |
| Shift+Arrow keys: | Select multiple adjacent items |
| Ctrl+A: | Select all items in the current window |
| Ctrl+Arrow keys: | Keep the current selection while moving the focus |
| Space: | Select the item with the focus |
| Ctrl+Space: | Deselect the item with the focus |
| Arrow keys: | Deselect the selection |
| F2: | Rename the item with the focus |
| Escape: | Cancel rename |
| Delete: | Delete the selected item |
| Shift+Delete: | Delete the selected item permanently (ie without moving it to the Recycle Bin /Deleted items folder) |
| A letter: | Move to the next item that starts with that letter. Press the letter again to cycle through the items that start with the letter. |
| Tab or Shift+Tab: | Move to the next or previous hyperlink |
| Enter: | Follow the hyperlink which has the focus |
| Backspace, Alt+Left arrow key: |
Go back one page |
| Alt+Right arrow key: | Go forward one page |
| F5: | Refresh |
| Esc: | Stop the page loading |
| Home or end: | Move to the top or bottom of the page |
| Page up or down: | Move the page up or down a screen at a time |
| Up or Down arrow keys: | Move the page up or down a line at a time |
| Left or Right arrow keys: | Move the page left or right (if there is a horizontal scroll bar) |
Note: Some of these work more generally than others.
| Left or Right arrow keys: | Move one character left or right (standard) |
| Left or Right arrow keys in a section of selected text: | Move to the beginning or end of the selected text and deselect the text (standard) |
| Ctrl+Left or Right arrow key: | Move to the previous or next beginning of a word (standard) |
| Up or Down arrow keys: | Move one line up or down (standard) |
| Ctrl+Up or Down arrow keys: | Move to the previous or next beginning of a paragraph (common) |
| Home or End: | Move to the beginning or end of a line (standard) |
| Ctrl+Home or End: | Move to the beginning or end of the document (Word) |
| Page up or down: | Move up or down by one screen (Word) |
| Ctrl+Page up or down: | Move to the top of the previous or next page (Word) |
| Ctrl+Alt+Page up or down: | Move to the top or bottom of the screen (Word) |
| Tab or Shift+Tab: | Move to the next or previous cell |
| Tab in the last cell: | Add a new row and move to the first cell in it |
| Alt+Home or End: | Move to the first or last cell in a row |
| Alt+Page up or down: | Move to the first or last cell in a column |
| Shift + keys for moving the insertion point around in text: | Select the text (eg Shift+Left arrow key selects one character to the left) |
| Ctrl+A: | Select all |
| (Mouse shortcut - Double click: | Select the current word) |
In Word:
| F8: | Turn extend mode on |
| Esc: | Turn extend mode off |
| Keys for moving the insertion point around in text: | Select the text (when extend mode is on) |
| F8: | Select text in steps (when extend mode is on): x 1 = Select the current word x 2 = Select the current sentence x 3 = Select the current paragraph x 4 = Select the document (eg F8, F8, F8, Esc will select the current sentence) |
| Shift+F8: | Undo the last step of the selection |
| (Mouse shortcut - Triple click: | Select the current paragraph) |
| Backspace: | Delete one character to the left |
| Ctrl+Backspace: | Delete one word to the left |
| Delete: | Delete one character to the right |
| Ctrl+Delete: | Delete one word to the right |
| Typing in a section of selected text: | Delete the selected text |
| Press Shift 5 times: | Toggle StickyKeys on and off |
| Press and hold the Right Shift key down for 8 seconds: | Toggle FilterKeys on and off |
| Press and hold the NumLock key down for 5 seconds: | Toggle ToggleKeys on and off |
| Left Alt+Left Shift+NumLock: | Toggle MouseKeys on and off |
| Left Alt+Left Shift+Print Screen: | Toggle high contrast on and off |
MouseKeys allows you to use the numeric keypad to control the mouse pointer. If you want to use the numeric keypad for data entry as well as for navigation, you can set the MouseKeys to be activated by pressing NumLock.
To turn Mousekeys on or off:
To change the settings for MouseKeys:
| Arrow keys on numeric keypad: | Move the mouse pointer horizontally or vertically |
| Home /End, Page up or down on numeric keypad: | Move the mouse pointer diagonally |
| Insert on numeric keypad: | Hold down the mouse button (to drag) |
| Delete on numeric keypad: | Release the mouse button (to drop) |
| 5 on numeric keypad: | Click |
| + on numeric keypad: | Double-click |
| - on numeric keypad, followed by 5 on numeric keypad: | Right-click |
| - on numeric keypad, followed by + on numeric keypad: | Right-double-click |
| * on numeric keypad, followed by 5 or + on numeric keypad: | Click both mouse buttons at once |
| / on numeric keypad | Switch back to standard clicking |
The above is intended to enable you to do as much as possible on the keyboard. However there are many other shortcuts which will give faster ways of doing specific tasks.
Note: One thing which is apparently impossible with keyboard shortcuts is to reverse the sort order on a column in Windows Explorer.
To learn about other keyboard shortcuts, look in the Windows help and in the help for applications which you use.
Websites with more information include:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q126449