Windows 8 Mouse and Keyboard Commands

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Windows 8 - Mouse And Keyboard Commands

Thank you for joining us today.  I’m Rudy Stebih and welcome to Episode 2 – Mouse and Keyboard Commands in Windows 8 Development Preview Edition here on Help Desk TV.

In the last video, we showed you a brief overview of how to move around Windows 8 and shutdown the system.  We need to show you a couple more mouse and keyboard commands before we can further our adventure into the new world of Windows 8.

Let’s start with a reminder on how to access the new ‘Charm’ menu.  You simply hover your mouse over the lower left corner of your desktop, until the ‘Charm’ menu appears.  The Windows + C combination will also bring up the ‘Charm’ menu. This is how you will always return to the new ‘Start’ Metro UI.  You can also just hit the ‘Windows’ key on your keyboard if you have it.

The Alt-Tab combination still works in Windows 8 by allowing you to switch to any open app.  As simply as repeatedly pressing the Tab key while holding down the Alt key until the app you wish to bring to the foreground is highlighted, and removing your finger from the Alt key will bring your app to the foreground.

The Windows-Tab key combination will automatically rotate amongst the open apps and bring them to the foreground.

Using the arrow keys will allow you to move around the Start screen.  As well, using the Page UP or Page DOWN keys will move the Metro UI a block at a time.

Windows + D will take you to the legacy desktop view.  While Windows + L will lock the PC,  a right-click or Windows + Z will bring up contextual menus on a full screen app.

Right-click on a tile on the ‘Start’ screen brings up options to unpin, resize and uninstall apps.

A couple more keyboard shortcuts for you.  Windows + Y makes all your open windows (and the Metro UI) transparent, so you can see the desktop beneath. Windows + E invokes Windows Explorer. And finally, Windows + R brings up the Run prompt.

I hope you enjoyed todays Help Desk TV. If you have a comment about this program, a question, or a shortcut you would like to share with me, send us an e-mail message to feedback@helpdesktv.ca.

Thanks for watching!