People use Windows keyboard shortcuts all the time but there are so many of them, it is difficult to keep track of them all. Plus, frequent updates and changes in the UI/UX introduce new shortcuts that are often buried deep. Here are some hidden but useful Windows keyboard shortcuts you may not have heard of.
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1. Switch Between Your Sound Output Devices Quickly
Use the shortcut Windows + Ctrl + V to easily switch between your output devices using this shortcut without actually going to settings and searching for that option taking too much time.
For example, if you are watching a video on YouTube and want to show one part of that video to your friend without disconnecting your headphones/earbuds. Press Windows+ Ctrl + V and it will open the menu on the right to switch to your preferred sound output device.
2. Select and Record Any Part of the Screen
You can use Windows + Shift + R keyboard shortcut to select and directly start recording any part of the screen on your Windows. Also, you get the option to mute system audio and record from your mic instead.
This is useful in situations where you want to record just the selected part of your game or any other screen and you don’t want to show everything on the screen. It could be for privacy or security reasons like you don’t want to show all open tabs, or username for example.
3. Get Live Captions of any Video Using AI
Use Windows + Ctrl + L keyboard shortcut while watching a video and your Windows system will caption it on the device using AI. No data leaves your PC.
Live captions work across Windows 11 OS, making it seamless to read captions while working in other apps. Captions can be generated for audio even when you are disconnected from the internet. Yup.
You can personalize how captions are displayed, set the position where you want the captions to appear, and include microphone audio to make in-person conversations easier in the Preferences option.
4. Set Any Image as Wallpaper Within a Second
Simply by pressing Ctrl + B, you can set any image anywhere on your Windows PC as wallpaper. It saves a lot of time in comparison to setting up a wallpaper manually. No need to save the image first and then use the right-click menu.
5. Open Emoji Keyboard and Clipboard Instantly Anywhere
Press WINDOWS + . (period) or WINDOWS + ; (semicolon) to open the emoji keyboard where you can access all different types of emojis instantly over any screen.
You can also press Windows + V to access the clipboard history (appears in the same emoji menu) instantly.
6. Enhance Productivity With Voice Typing
Press Windows + H to open dictation/voice typing anywhere on your screen so that you can instantly write what’s on your mind using just your voice. Go handsfree instantly.
This is a great feature for writing long texts and messages on your Windows computer. To save time, select the text box you want to write and use this shortcut.
7. Switch Browser Tabs Without Moving Your Cursor
You can easily switch tabs by double pressing the F6 key and navigating to different tabs using the arrow keys on your keyboard without actually moving your cursor to the desired tab. No need to touch the mouse.
This will help you quickly switch between open tabs and work more productively when multiple tabs are open on your browser.
Note: This only works on Windows (not on Mac even if you are using the same browser).
And that’s it, folks.
