This is a list of useful Shortcut Keys for Windows XP. You can use these keys to save you some time when multitasking. I know it has help me get things done a lot faster.
| Shortcut Keys | Action/Result | |
| Windows Key | Opens the Start menu | |
| Windows Key + E | Opens My Computer in Windows Explorer | |
| Windows Key + Pause/Break | Opens the System Properties dialog box | Windows Key + U | Opens the Utility Manager |
| Windows Key + R | Opens the Run… prompt | |
| Windows Key + F | Opens the Search for Files and Folder window | |
| Windows Key + Ctrl + F | Opens the search for computers on the network | |
| Windows Key + M | Minimize all windows | |
| Windows Key + Shift + M | Maximize all windows (after minimizing them) | |
| Windows Key + D | Minimize all windows to the desktop, and then restore all Windows | |
| Windows Key + L | Lock Computer | |
| Windows Key + Tab | Cycle through the open programs on the Taskbar | |
| Windows Key + B | Selects the first item in the System Tray; use the arrow keys to cycle through the items | |
| Alt + Tab | Switch between open programs | |
| Alt + F4 (in a program) | Closes the program | |
| Alt + F4 (from desktop) | Opens the Windows Shutdown/Restart dialog box | |
| Alt + Enter | Opens the Properties page of a selected item | |
| Alt + Esc | Cycle between open programs in the order that they were opened | |
| Alt + Spacebar | In the active window, this brings up the corner dialog box for Move, Size, Minimize, Maximize, or Close | |
| Shift + Insert CD/DVD | Inserts a CD/DVD without triggering Autoplay or Autorun | |
| Shift + Delete | Permanently deletes an item (rather than sending it to the Recycle Bin) | |
| Ctrl + Shift + Esc | Opens the Windows Task Manager | |
| Ctrl + drag an icon | Copies that item | |
| Ctrl + Shift + drag an icon | Creates a shortcut for the item | |
| Right-click + drag a file | Brings up a menu to copy, move, or create a shortcut | |
| PrtScn | Takes a screen shot of the entire screen | |
| Alt + PrtScn | Takes a screen shot of only the active Window; hit Paste in a photo program to edit and save the screen shot | |
| F1 | Opens the Windows XP Help | |
| F2 | Rename selected item | |
| F3 | Opens Windows search for files and folders | |
| F5 (or Ctrl + R) | Refresh Internet Explorer page, or refresh any other window | |
| F6 | Cycle through the different types of elements that can be selection on a screen or window | |
| F10 | Selects the menu bar in the active program | |
| Shift + F10 | For a selected item, this does the same thing as a right-click with the mouse | |
| Tab | Move through the different elements on a page or the fields in a form | |
| Shift + Tab | Move backward through the different elements on a page or the fields in a form>/td> | |
| Ctrl + A | Select All | |
| Ctrl + C | Copy | |
| Ctrl + X | Cut | |
| Ctrl + V | Paste | |
| Ctrl + Z | Undo | |
| Ctrl + Y | Redo | |
| Ctrl + P | ||
| Ctrl + O | Open | |
| Ctrl + Esc | Opens the Start menu | |
| Ctrl + Backspace | Deletes the entire word to the left | |
| Ctrl + Delete | Deletes the entire word to the right | |
| Ctrl + Right arrow | Moves the cursor to the beginning of the next word | |
| Ctrl + Left arrow | Moves the cursor to the beginning of the previous word | |
| Ctrl + Down arrow | Moves the cursor to the beginning of the next paragraph | |
| Ctrl + Up arrow | Moves the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph | |
| Ctrl + Shift + Arrow keys | Highlight a block of text | |
| Click Shift 5 times | Turns StickyKeys on or off | |
| Hold down the right Shift key for 8 seconds | Turns FilterKeys on or off | |
| Hold down Num Lock for 5 seconds | Turns ToggleKeys on or off | |
| Make your own custom keystroke for a program | Right-click on the icon of a program or shortcut; go to Properties; click on the Shortcut tab; enter your custom keystroke combination in the “Shortcut key” field (it will only let you assign key combos that aren’t already taken) | |