Most of the useful Windows keyboard shortcuts on your laptop involve the Windows key. It’s labeled with the Windows logo, and it’s referred to as the Win key. Several Win key shortcuts are good to know, especially on a laptop where using the keyboard can often be faster than using the touchpad or finding an external mouse.
Here are ten handy Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts:
Win+A: Display the Action Center. If you have a Tablet PC, then swiping the touchscreen from the left edge of the screen inward is faster, but Win+A is handy if your hands are already over the keyboard.
Win+D: Display the Desktop. This keyboard shortcut doesn’t work when the laptop is in Tablet Mode.
Win+E: Open a Windows Explorer window, specifically to the Quick Access window.
Win+I: Open the Settings app.
Win+L: Lock the laptop. Any time you get up to leave the laptop, even for a short spell, lock it. This command is a vital part of laptop security.
Win+O: Turn the Auto Rotate feature off or on. When Auto Rotate is on, the Tablet PC’s screen changes orientation depending on how you’re holding the device. When Auto Rotate is locked, the screen stays in its current orientation.
Win+P: Choose how to handle an eternal monitor or projector. Four options are shown on a slide-in panel.
Win+S: Bring up a web search window, where you can view trending events or use Bing to search the Internet.
Win+U: Show the Ease of Access center, where settings can be made for more easily using the laptop.
Win+X: Summon the super-secret menu, on which you find shortcuts to common places in Windows, such as the Control Panel.