The most useful keyboard shortcuts in Windows 8

The new Redmond operating system is oriented toward tactile use, that is, with your fingers, in its Modern UI interface. But most of today's users, except a few lucky ones, use the keyboard as their main input device.

So today I bring a selection of the key shortcuts that I use the most on a day-to-day basis and that increase the speed of work in Windows in a big way. Although it is true that they are only a sample of those that exist, they are also the ones that I have found most useful and that I try not to forget.

On both Modern UI and Desktop

Windows It is the key that has the Microsoft logo drawn on it and is commonly located between the left Control and Alt keys . Pressing it repeatedly switch from the Modern UI interface to the Desktop and vice versa.

Windows + D If we are in the Modern UI interface, it takes us to the Desktop. If we are on the Desktop with an active application, it minimizes all applications and shows us a clean desktop.

If we press again, the active application is displayed.

If we had no applications active, all minimized as we could do with Windows + M, we would be shown a clean desktop.

Windows + Q This is the starting point for launching a Modern UI application. With this combination, a screen opens with the entire catalog of applications and the search bar on the right.

There is a faster way to get the same result than by clicking Windows to access the Modern UI Interface and directly typing the search criteria. The system itself performs the search among the installed applications.

Windows + W A more restricted version of the above command is this one that searches the Settings section of the system . Like, for example, to access Windows Update as seen in the image.

Another action related to this command is Windows + F, which performs a search in the files. And from here I can also perform specific searches in the applications that I have installed.

Windows + I It opens the Settings panel where I can mainly access the shutdown options. I also have access to settings for sound, brightness, notifications or keyboard language, among others.

Windows + C Through this combination we access the ">" bar

Windows + L This is a fast computer lock. No need to go through the previous step of Ctrl + Alt + Del.

Windows + P Especially for laptops, accesses the settings panel on the second screen. This is something new in Windows 8 and it mitigates the problems that we could find in Windows 7 and, above all, in Windows 2008 server when using a second monitor or projector.

Also keep in mind that some applications, such as PowerPoint 2013, behave differently if they are used on one or two display devices.

Windows + X This is the substitute for the missing start menu, but super vitaminized. Pressing this combination displays a contextual menu on the lower left of the screen, where we have access to the main administration tools.

There are more keys than Windows

To finish, I am going to point out the keyboard shortcut that I use the most and that is, for me, essential since the days of Windows 95.

Alt + Tab That opens a pop-up window where we have thumbnails of all open applications in any of the two Interfaces, and that allows us to navigate and select the one we want to select as active.

Ctrl + Mouse Scroll A very useful way to change the zoom of the main screen of ModernUi to be able, at a glance, view all application shortcut icons.

I could go on and on because there are dozens of keyboard shortcuts in Windows 8 and the applications it supports, but I think that with this small selection you can improve the speed and comfort of work.

I hope you find it useful.