Work smart, not hard - a guide to hotkeys in Windows 8
Windows 8 is an OS designed for touch screen devices and standard devices are sometimes difficult to be managed. Fortunately, there are some hot keys we can use to make it more navigatable.
It's fair to say we don't use hot keys that much. Although we often choose Ctrl+C or Ctrl+V more complex shortcuts are rarely in use. That's a big fat mistake since in Windows 8 they can make our lives a lot easier, helping to grasp the interface quite different from previous MS operating systems.
One of the most useful hot keys is Windows+C which opens Charms tab - that's the one with the most often used commands and tools. With Windows+Q we can easily search installed programs.
Accessing the settings of an active process can be done with Windows+I. It helps to quickly display all the options we need and to modify them according to our needs. To access a list of all the programs on our hard drive, just press Windows+Z.
Those among us can change between the active monitors and displays with Windows+P. Windows+D moves you to the Desktop, and you can just take a glimpse at it with Windows+, (a comma).
Just like in the case of Windows 7, Windows+Tab works like Alt+Tab, enabling us to switch between active windows in style.
Windows+1, 2, 3, etc combination works the same as in Windows 7, letting us turn on the programs from the task bar. Number one is the first in the left, and so on.
Former Windows 7 users should also be familiar with the shortcuts such as Windows + . (a dot) and Windows + T. They make it quicker to change between the applications on the tool bar and make activating and disactivating them a snap.
Hotkeys such as Windows + arrow up are useful when working in a few windows simultaneously: this particular lets us maximize the window, while Windows+ arrow down minimizes it, and Windows+Home minimizes all the windows but the active one.
Left and right arrows pressed with Windows key enable us to move windows to the left or to the right side of the screen. With this hotkey it is easy to e.g. have two folders next to one another so you can visually compare their contents.
Windows+Pause/Break lets us run system information panel, Windows+X opens the panel for managing some OS functions, Windows+E launches Windows Explorer, and Windows+R starts Open... window.
It's good to remember that many of these hotkeys work in Windows 7. However, if you run Windows 8 on a device without a touch screen, these shortcuts may help you to work more effectively.