524 tips · new ones added continuously
Every tip is one concrete thing you will do better or faster. Filter by what you use and who you are — or just search.
Windows can reopen the apps that were running before a restart. An overnight update doesn't have to mean rebuilding your workspace in the morning.
Win+V
Clipboard history (Win+V) can sync through your Microsoft account — copy something on your work PC, paste it on your laptop.
Alt+Space
The system window menu can move a window with arrow keys — a lifesaver when a window ends up off-screen after unplugging a monitor.
Win+Z
Hover over the maximize button (or press Win+Z) and pick where the window belongs — halves, thirds, a grid.
Win+Shift+→
Win+Shift+arrow throws the active window onto the neighboring monitor — with its size and position preserved.
Win+I
Open Windows Settings with a shortcut — and the search box inside gets you to a specific option faster than clicking through menus.
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Win+A
Win+A opens quick settings (Wi-Fi, volume, focus), Win+N opens the notification center with a calendar.
Win+H
Voice typing in Windows works in your language and starts wherever the cursor is blinking. Dictate a first draft of an email in a third of the time.
Ctrl+Shift+Esc
Ctrl+Shift+Esc opens Task Manager directly — no detour through Ctrl+Alt+Delete. Kill a frozen app in a few seconds.
Win+Ctrl+→
Win+Ctrl+D creates a new desktop, Win+Ctrl+arrows switch between them. Slack on one, focused work on the other.
Win+Shift+S
Windows' most useful shortcut for screenshots — pick a region, a window, or the whole screen, and the shot lands right in your clipboard.
Win+E
A new folder, finding a file, copying — it all starts with File Explorer. Open it with a shortcut, not by hunting for an icon.
Newer macOS versions support window snapping — drag a window to the edge, or hold Option over the green button for instant layouts.
An alternative to window-switching — the active window sits center stage, the rest lined up at the edge. Helps you keep one thing in focus.
Esc
Enter confirms the blue button, Esc means Cancel — and Space checks a box. Handle dialogs without ever touching the mouse.
Set up a Work mode that lets through only colleagues and family — synced to your iPhone and Apple Watch too.
Universal Clipboard works between Apple devices automatically — text, photos, and links travel over without emailing yourself.
Cmd+Option+Shift+V
Cmd+Option+Shift+V pastes text clean — no foreign fonts, colors, or sizes. Saves the look of every document.
Ctrl+Cmd+Q
Ctrl+Cmd+Q locks the screen instantly. A two-second habit that protects your work and your data.
The Preview app can drop your signature straight into a PDF. Capture it once, then sign in two clicks from then on.
Ctrl+→
Ctrl+arrows switch between virtual desktops. One for focused work, one for mail and chat — and distractions disappear from view.
macOS can replace short shortcuts with long text system-wide — in email, browser, and chat alike. Set it up once, works everywhere.
Double-tapping the keyboard shortcut starts dictation wherever the cursor is blinking. It handles other languages surprisingly well.
Space
Select a file in Finder and press Space. PDFs, photos, video, and spreadsheets appear instantly — no waiting for an app to launch.
Cmd+Option+Esc
Cmd+Option+Esc is macOS's version of Ctrl+Alt+Delete. Quit a frozen app in three seconds.
Cmd+Space
Cmd+Space opens Spotlight — the fastest way to launch anything on a Mac. You can practically stop using the Dock.
Cmd+Space
No need to open a calculator or google an exchange rate. Spotlight calculates and converts currencies and units right in the search field.
Cmd+Tab
The app switcher can do more than it looks — quit apps, hide them, or switch between windows without ever letting go of the keys.