It’d be nice to have a slate or a tablet to be able to use the Metro interface that is part of Windows 8 but at the moment, I don’t have one so I am reduced to using a mouse and keyboard.
Whilst a mouse is good, I have always been a fan of keyboard shortcuts and rely heavily on them whenever I interact with a Windows operating system. Windows 8 is no different although there are now some shiny new keyboard short cuts to play with.
So here is my list of Windows 8 keyboard shortcuts, split between the Metro and Classic interfaces:
| Key combination | Metro behaviour | Classic behaviour |
|---|---|---|
| Win | Switch to classic desktop | Open the Metro start page |
| Win + 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0 | Switch to the classic desktop then classic behaviour | Switch to or open the application in the task bar in the position corresponding with the number (starting from 1 and counting left to right) |
| Win + b | Switch to the classic desktop then classic behaviour | Focus on the tray notifications |
| Win + c | Display the charms and date/time | Display the charms and date/time |
| Win + d | Switch to classic desktop | Display the desktop |
| Win + e | Switch to the classic desktop then classic behaviour | Open Windows Explorer |
| Win + f | Open Search panel with Files selected | Switch to Metro then Metro behaviour |
| Win + h | Open Share panel | Open Share panel |
| Win + i | Open Settings panel | Open Settings panel |
| Win + k | Open the Devices panel | Open the Devices panel |
| Win + l | Lock the machine | Lock the machine |
| Win + m | Switch to the classic desktop then classic behaviour | Minimise all open applications |
| Win + n (with OneNote) | Switch to the classic desktop then classic behaviour | Open a new OneNote page |
| Win + p | Open the Second Screen panel | Open the Second Screen panel |
| Win + q | Open Search panel with Apps selected | Switch to Metro then Metro behaviour |
| Win + r | Switch to the classic desktop then classic behaviour | Open the Run dialogue |
| Win + s (with OneNote) | Activate the OneNote screen clipping tool | Activate the OneNote screen clipping tool |
| Win + t | Switch to the classic desktop then classic behaviour | Tab through the task bar (Hit space to select) |
| Win + u | Switch to the classic desktop then classic behaviour | Open the Ease of Access Centre |
| Win + w | Open Search Panel with Settings selected | Switch to Metro then Metro behaviour |
| Win + x | Launch the Start menu | Launch the Start menu |
| Win + z | Open the App bar | |
| Win + tab | Open the Metro app switcher | |
| Win + , | Switch to the classic desktop then classic behaviour | Aero view of open applications |
| Win + . | Snap the current app to the left, right, full | Snap the desktop to left, right, full |
| Win + Enter | Start the Narrator | Start the Narrator |
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