How in the Tech

New Keyboard Shortcuts Introduced for Windows 7

By Adam Myers ⋅ January 16, 2009 ⋅

Keyboard shortcuts and efficiency go hand in hand – it’s why I’m such a huge proponent of them. Microsoft, not one to be out done here thankfully, has introduced a bevy of new shortcuts in their Windows 7 Beta. As I’ve been spending a fair bit of time in the new latest iteration of Windows, I’ve come across a few that I find useful that I’ll share with you.

• Win+Space. Now that Windows Gadgets are more likely to be on your desktop and not pinned to the sidebar, this shortcut key will make all windows transparent – allowing you to see your desktop.
• Win+Up Arrow. Maximize the current window.
• Win+Down Arrow. Minimize the current window.
• Win+Right/Left Arrow. Dock current window to the left or ride side of the monitor. Adding the Shift modifying will shift the window to a second monitor, if available.
• Win+Home. Minimize all but the current window – great for eliminating distractions!
• Shift+Click. On the taskbar, this sequence will open another iteration of the application clicked.

I particularly like the shortcuts that provide Window movement, a glaring weakness of previous Windows when compared to competing operating systems. Find anything useful in your day to day use?