Windows 2000 Keyboard Shortcuts

Learning a few useful Keyboard shortcuts doesn't seem like a big productivity booster, but you may be surprised how fast you can perform common tasks once you break the "mouse" habit. This is especially useful when working on a rack mounted server that either doesn't have a functioning mouse, or had an ill conceived trackball. Nothing will elevate your tech status to guru faster than being able to fly through the Windows 2000 menus without ever touching your mouse! One of our LabMice actually unplugged his mouse from his PC for a week to force himself to use the shortcut keys!

Note: Some keyboard shortcuts may not work if StickyKeys is turned on in Accessibility Options. If you are connected to Windows 2000 through Microsoft Terminal Services Client, some shortcuts have changed. For more information, see the online documentation for Terminal Services Client.

Common Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut Keys	Function
	Display or hide the Start menu.
+BREAK	Display the System Properties dialog box.
+D	Minimizes all Windows and shows the Desktop
+E	Open Windows Explorer
+F	Search for a file or folder.
+F+CTRL	Search for computers.
+F1	Display Windows 2000 Help.
+L	Locks the desktop
+M	Minimize or restore all windows.
+R	Open the Run dialog box.
+TAB	Switch between open items.
+U	Open Utility Manager
ALT+- (ALT+hyphen)	Displays the Multiple Document Interface (MDI) child window's System menu.
ALT+ENTER	View properties for the selected item.
ALT+ESC	Cycle through items in the order they were opened.
ALT+F4	Close the active item, or quit the active program.
ALT+SPACEBAR	Display the System menu for the active window.
ALT+TAB	Switch between open items.
ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name	Display the corresponding menu.
BACKSPACE	View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer.
CTRL+A	Select all.
CTRL+B	Bold
CTRL+C	Copy.
CTRL+I	Italics
CTRL+O	Open an item.
CTRL+U	Underline
CTRL+V	Paste.
CTRL+X	Cut.
CTRL+Z	Undo.
CTRL+F4	Close the active document in programs that allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously.
CTRL while dragging an item	Copy selected item.
CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item	Create shortcut to selected item.
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW	Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word.
CTRL+LEFT ARROW	Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word.
CTRL+DOWN ARROW	Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph.
CTRL+UP ARROW	Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph.
CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys	Highlight a block of text.
DELETE	Delete.
SHIFT+DELETE	Delete selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin.
ESC	Cancel the current task.
F1	Displays Help
F2	Rename selected item.
F3	Search for a file or folder.
F4	Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer.
F5	Refresh the active window.
F6	Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop.
F10	Activate the menu bar in the active program.
SHIFT+F10	Display the shortcut menu for the selected item.
CTRL+ESC	Display the Start menu.
SHIFT+CTRL+ESC	Launches Task Manager
Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu	Carry out the corresponding command.
RIGHT ARROW	Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu.
LEFT ARROW	Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu.
SHIFT with any of the arrow keys	Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document.
SHIFT when you insert a CD into the CD-ROM drive	Prevent the CD from automatically playing.

Dialog box keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut Keys Function

CTRL+TAB

Move forward through tabs.

CTRL+SHIFT+TAB

Move backward through tabs.

TAB

Move forward through options.

SHIFT+TAB

Move backward through options.

ALT+Underlined letter

Carry out the corresponding command or select the corresponding option.

ENTER

Carry out the command for the active option or button.

SPACEBAR

Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box.

Arrow keys

Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons.

F1

Display Help.

F4

Display the items in the active list.

BACKSPACE

Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box.

Windows Explorer keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut Keys Function

CTRL+PLUS
on numeric keypad (+) Automatically resize the columns in the right hand pane

END

Display the bottom of the active window.

HOME

Display the top of the active window.

NUM LOCK+ASTERISK
on numeric keypad (*)

Display all subfolders under the selected folder.

NUM LOCK+PLUS SIGN
on numeric keypad (+)

Display the contents of the selected folder.

NUM LOCK+MINUS SIGN
on numeric keypad (-)

Collapse the selected folder.

LEFT ARROW

Collapse current selection if it's expanded, or select parent folder.

RIGHT ARROW

Display current selection if it's collapsed, or select first subfolder.

Natural Keyboard shortcuts
You can use the following keyboard shortcuts with a Microsoft Natural Keyboard or any other compatible keyboard that includes the Windows logo key () and the Application key ().

Shortcut Keys Function

Display or hide the Start menu.

+BREAK

Display the System Properties dialog box.

+D

Minimizes all Windows and shows the Desktop

+M

Minimize or restore all windows.

+E

Open My Computer.

+F

Search for a file or folder.

CTRL+ +F

Search for computers.

+F1

Display Windows 2000 Help.

+L Locks the desktop

+R

Open the Run dialog box.

+TAB

Switch between open items.

Display the shortcut menu for the selected item.

+U

Open Utility Manager

Accessibility Options keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut Keys Function

Right SHIFT for eight seconds

Switch FilterKeys on and off

Left ALT +left SHIFT +PRINT SCREEN

Switch High Contrast on and off

Left ALT +left SHIFT +NUM LOCK

Switch MouseKeys on and off

SHIFT five times

Switch StickyKeys on and off

NUM LOCK for five seconds

Switch ToggleKeys on and off

+U

Open Utility Manager

Help Viewer keyboard shortcuts
If your mouse is unavailable or if you prefer using your keyboard, you can use the following keyboard commands to navigate within the Help Viewer. To expand the headings below using the keyboard, press F6 to switch from the Help navigation pane to the topic pane. Press TAB to select the desired keyboard shortcut heading, and then press ENTER to expand the listing.

Shortcut Keys Function

ALT+SPACEBAR

Display the system menu.

SHIFT+F10

Display the Help Viewer shortcut menu.

ALT+TAB

Switch between the Help Viewer and other open windows.

ALT+O

Display the Options menu.

ALT+O, and then press T

Hide or show the navigation pane.

CTRL+TAB

Switch to the next tab in the navigation pane.

CTRL+SHIFT+TAB

Switch to the previous tab in the navigation pane.

UP ARROW

Move up one topic in the table of contents, index, or search results list.

DOWN ARROW

Move down one topic in the table of contents, index, or search results list.

PAGE UP

Move up one page in the table of contents, index, or search results list.

PAGE DOWN

Move down one page in the table of contents, index, or search results list.

F6

Switch focus between the navigation pane and the topic pane.

ALT+O, and then press R

Refresh the topic that appears in the topic pane.

UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW

Scroll through a topic.

CTRL+HOME

Move to the beginning of a topic.

CTRL+END

Move to the end of a topic.

CTRL+A

Highlight all text in the topic pane.

ALT+O, and then press P

Print a topic.

ALT+O, and then press B

Move back to the previously viewed topic.

ALT+O, and then press F

Move forward to the next (previously viewed) topic.

ALT+F4

Close the Help Viewer.

Contents tab keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut Keys Function

ALT+C

Display the Contents tab.

RIGHT ARROW

Open a book.

LEFT ARROW

Close a book.

BACKSPACE

Return to the previous open book.

UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW

Select a topic.

ENTER

Display the selected topic.

Index tab keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut Keys Function

ALT+N

Display the Index tab.

UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW

Select a keyword in the list.

ALT+D or ENTER

Display the associated topic.

Search tab keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut Keys Function

ALT+S

Display the Search tab.

ALT+L

Start a search.

ALT+D or ENTER

Display the selected topic.

Favorites tab keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut Keys Function

ALT+I

Display the Favorites tab.

ALT+A

Add a topic to the Topics list.

ALT+P

Select a topic in the Topics list.

ALT+R

Remove a topic from the Topics list.

ALT+D

Display a topic from the Topics list.

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