Windows Server,  Windows XP

Keystrokes For Windows/Windows Server Explorer

There’s nothing that makes you faster with navigating around any GUI-based OSen than keystrokes.  Navigate around the system, browse web pages and even swap between command windows at blazing speeds.  You’ll get faster but you’ll seem exponentially faster to those trying to watch you work.  I’ve done posts on Mac OS X and Safari.  Now, here’s one for navigating around Windows with the same speed with which you navigate OS X.  If I skipped something feel free to let me know and I’ll add it; there are a plethora of options and these are the ones off the top of my head…  While I was shooting for Windows Explorer, most of these are globally implemented at the application level.

Pressing the Windows key and the E key together will open Windows Explorer.  When you’re viewing a tree of files, you can use the + or right arrow keys to drill down into folders.  You can also use the – or left arrow keys to then collapse those folders.  Pressing the * key when a folder is highlighted will expand all of the folders beneath it.  The backspace key can be used to navigate up within the tree (if you’re root value isn’t listed).  The HOME and END keys will go to the top or bottom of the active selection/screen/window.  Control-A will select all of the items in the list.

While an item is highlighted, Control-C, Control-X, Control-V, Control Z and DELETE will cut, copy, paste, undo and delete items respectively.  Shift-DELETE will delete the item permanently, skipping placing items in the trash.  Pressing F2 while an item is highlighted will bring up the rename tool, so you can change the name of the highlighted item.  While in the rename dialog, pressing Control in conjunction with the up, down, right and left arrow keys will move the insertion point for typing (or deleting) to the beginning of the field, the end of the field, the next word or the previous word respectively.  Using the Shift key while pressing the arrows will actually select the text rather than just move the insertion point.  Alt-Enter can be used to bring up the properties page for an item.

You can also control how the view displays columns.  Pressing Control-+ will automatically adjust the width of each column to the longest value within the column.  While not much of a keystroke, double-clicking a divider line will go ahead and expand that single column.  F4 will fire up the address bar, which you can then use the tab key to navigate into.

Pressing just the Alt key will bring up the menus, which you can then use the arrow keys to navigate within and between.  Alt-Tab will switch to another application.  The F1 key can also be used to bring up the help dialog and the F3 key can be used to invoke a search dialog box.  Control-F4 will close an Explorer window, while Alt-F4 together will go ahead and close Explorer (not that Explorer can ever truly be closed).