My gift to Windows 11 users — here are 10 keyboard shortcuts I can't live without
And some bonus shortcuts to boot
· TechRadarFeatures By Marcus Mears III published 31 December 2025
Windows 11 shortcuts that are actually worth remembering (Image credit: Shutterstock / KUMOHD) Share Share by:
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I know, I know – keyboard shortcuts are hard to remember, and most of them are so niche they're not even worth trying to waste memory on.
But some are incredibly useful, and I've put together this list of the shortcuts I actually use day-to-day for work, browsing, and gaming.
You may already know some of them – but I'm willing to bet you'll learn at least one new trick from this article that'll save you time and Windows-fueled headaches.
I put all of them in one quick-lookup table directly below, but if you want more in-depth explanations, use cases, and bonus shortcuts, read on.
These are the 10+ Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts I can't live without…
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Windows + . | Opens the Emojis and more table |
| Windows + Shift + S | Opens the Snippet tool for screenshots and recordings |
| Windows + Alt + Arrow keys | Snaps the active window to part of the screen |
| Windows + Shift + Arrow keys | Moves the active window between multiple displays |
| Alt + Tab | Cycles through active windows |
| Windows + Alt + G | Records a 30-second clip of gameplay |
| Ctrl + arrow keys | Skips cursor through words of text |
| Ctrl + F | Opens the Find function in browsers |
| Ctrl + R | Refreshes the current browser page |
| Ctrl + Shift + T | Opens recently-closed tabs |
1. Windows + .
Windows + . is an incredibly handy little timesaver that not many users know about.
If you've ever Googled 'skull emoji,' tried to find an ASCII face like '( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°),' or realized you need the link you copied to your clipboard an hour ago, this shortcut, which opens the 'Emojis and more' table for you.
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