20 keyboard shortcuts I use every day

And the secret to wiping a PC  ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ [Windows Intelligence](#) [Windows Intelligence](#) Brought to you by: [Aura logo]()​ It's nearly the end of September, and everyone seems to settling back into their routines. Schools are back in session and summer vacations are behind us. Keyboard shortcuts have always been a big part of my daily routine. As we settle back in, I hope you'll take a look at my latest list of keyboard tricks and find some that will boost your day-to-day PC productivity, too. Plus, since we're getting into the spooky season, I want to share something that will make getting rid of any Windows PC less frightening — a buried switch that will wipe your hard drive of your private data. But you have to go out of your way to flip it. As usual, scroll down to this week's Things to Try section for all the goods! [Chris Hoffman, AUthor] Chris Today's read: ⌚ 3 Things to Know: 1 minute ⌚ 3 Things to Try: 1 minute 30 seconds ⌚ Top Thurrott Thoughts: 30 seconds ⌚ Just for Fun: 20 seconds ​ [] [3 Things to Know This Week] ​ 1. Your next Intel laptop will have much better battery life ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Intel's latest "Core Ultra 2" CPUs — a.k.a. "Lunar Lake" — are available, and Intel hardware is looking competitive for laptop battery life again. 🔎 KNOW MORE: Intel's latest hardware doesn't deliver a big performance bump. However, you do get big battery life upgrades, the AI features you would on the ARM laptops Microsoft has been promoting, and excellent compatibility with traditional Windows software. Sounds like a great package for the average laptop! 📌 READ MORE: Read [this in-depth review]() if you want the details. --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Microsoft will let you customize that "Copilot" key ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Many new Windows laptops come with a dedicated "Copilot" key. Good news: You'll be able to easily customize what that key does. 🔎 KNOW MORE: The key normally launches Microsoft's Copilot AI chatbot app. However, a drop-down box is arriving in the Settings app that will let you choose which app it launches. (I wonder if Microsoft is doing this to make it easier to launch a ChatGPT Windows app, since Microsoft is a big investor in OpenAI, which created ChatGPT.) 📌 READ MORE: Take a look at [the new setting](), which is coming soon. --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. PowerToys is getting an upgraded "New file" menu ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: PowerToys is an excellent package of free Windows tools, and Microsoft is always adding more. The latest: A new "New+" menu for File Explorer, which will make it easier to create files from templates. 🔎 KNOW MORE: The New+ utility was recently merged into the PowerToys project, which suggests it's coming soon. You'll be able to right-click in a folder, point to "New+", and see a list of templates. So, rather than simple creating a "new Word document," you could create a copy of a Word document from a template. 📌 READ MORE: Check out [this look at the utility](. SPONSORED MESSAGE Hackers just stole *everyone's* Social Security numbers🚨 Per the LA Times, a hacking group recently stole 2.9 billion records on US, UK, and Canadian citizens from a data broker. [Kermit the frog screaming "Panic!"]()​ And apparently, a member of the group just released it all to the Dark Web. Uh oh. Name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, phone number… Experts claim that every American is now at risk for identity theft for years to come. Before you panic, you can [find out if your data has been exposed with a free 2-week trial to Aura](). Scoring “Excellent” on TrustPilot, [Aura](): 🔐 Actively monitors the dark web for your sensitive data ⏰ Alerts you in instantly if your credit file is under attack 💪 Backs you up with $5 million in identity theft insurance and 24/7 fraud support ➜ [Find out if you’re at risk for identity theft with a free 2-week trial to Aura.]() [TRY AURA ABSOLUTELY FREE​ ➜]() ​ [] [3 Things to Try This Week] 1. 20 keyboard shortcuts I use every day Keyboard shortcuts are one big reason I love using a PC. Touch-screen interfaces just aren't as productive for me. Over the years, I've added more and more useful keyboard shortcuts to my everyday repertoire. ➜ There are a lot of useful keyboard shortcuts. I've put together a list of twenty I use every single day. Even if you're an experienced PC geek like myself, I bet you'll discover some new ones here — or rediscover some forgotten ones! ⌚ Each keyboard shortcut will take you about 2 seconds to use. (That's why they're great!) 💻 These work on both Windows 10 and Windows 11 (but a few of them are only for Windows 11.) 📌 Check out [the full list — right here](=). --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Securely wipe a Windows PC before disposing of it Data security is important. If you're getting rid of your PC — whether you're selling it or donating it — you want to be absolutely sure that none of your personal data is left on it. ➜ Windows has a buried setting that will wipe your PC's hard drive to make data recovery nearly impossible. While international spies will still want to throw their laptops into a volcano for maximum data security, this PC-wiping switch is a must-know trick for the rest of us. ⌚ The actual PC-wiping process just takes a few minutes on a modern PC. It'll give you a fresh, like-new PC with all of your personal data completely erased. 💻 This works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. 📌 Discover the trick in [my latest Computerworld column](. (You may want to bookmark this one for the future!) --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Discover all the Windows screenshot hotkeys Windows has a variety of different screenshot hotkeys for various situations. Even many experienced Windows users aren't familiar with all of them. ➜ These hotkeys mostly use the "Print Screen" key. Depending on your keyboard, you may have to hold down a Fn key while pressing your keyboard's "Print Screen" key to use these. ⌚ You can try these in about 5 seconds each. 💻 These work on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. Here's a quick list: - Windows+Print Screen: Save a screenshot as a file — directly to the "Screenshots" folder in your user account's "Pictures" folder. - Alt+Print Screen: Copy a screenshot of only the current window to your clipboard. (You can then paste it into another application.) - Windows+Shift+S: Launch the Windows built-in screen capture tool. - Print Screen: This now launches the built-in screen capture tool. However, you can [turn this off and make it work the old-fashioned way](=) if you want it to save an image of your screen straight to the clipboard so you can paste it in another application. ​ [] [Top Thurrott Thoughts] Some standout links and expert analysis from our friends at Thurrott, who have been covering Windows since 1994: - ​[Three Mile Island is Back, Thanks to Microsoft AI](​ - Yes, that Three Mile Island. - ​[Tell-All Book About Blizzard, Activision, and Xbox Arrives October 8]()​ - I look forward to reading this one! - ​[Microsoft Issues Last-Second Release Preview Builds for Windows 11 23H2 and 24H2]() - New features, coming soon. - ​[iPhone Day (Premium)]() - Paul Thurrott shares his iPhone-ordering experience. - ​[AdGuard Completes Transition to Manifest V3](=)​ - Adblockers are making the leap. - ​[Meta Reveals Quest 3S Headset and ‘Orion’ AR Glasses Prototype]() - Are AR glasses the future of computing? ​ SPONSORED MESSAGE [Nike sneaker]() Unlock speed 🏃 Question: How fast are your new sneakers? If no one’s asked you that recently, you might have the wrong shoes. Meet the [Pegasus 41](). Your new go-to for speed, endurance, and style, it’s designed to push limits and fuel your next personal record. [SPRINT FOR THE FINISH]() ​ [And Just for Funsies...] Can I show you an unusually weird PC? I just reviewed this thing for PCWorld — it's a combination Windows laptop and Android tablet. From a hardware perspective, the Windows laptop hardware is in the base of the laptop, under the keyboard — like on a typical laptop. But the display is full of Android tablet hardware. You can pull the display off the keyboard and use it as a separate Android tablet. [The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus G5 Hybrid Station with the Tab screen detached.] There's also button on the keyboard that lets you swap between Android and Windows. With one keystroke, this becomes an Android laptop! [The Android key on the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus G5 Hybrid Station keyboard.] It's such an unusual product, and I always find it interesting to use things like this. How else can I describe it? It's exactly what it says on the tin. It's exactly like you would imagine it works. You can check out [the full review of the "Lenovo ThinkBook Plus G5 Hybrid"]() to see more details about how it works, if you're curious. Unfortunately, the price point of a whopping $3500 puts it squarely in "expensive experimental product" territory and beyond what nearly everyone would want to spend. But I'm curious: Does this type of product sound interesting to you? Is Lenovo barking up the right tree here? Cast your vote... ​[Do you wish your Windows laptop was also an Android tablet?](=)​ Until next time... That's all for now! As always, I appreciate you reading: Thanks for subscribing to my newsletter. Have a good one! --------------------------------------------------------------- 📊 Last week's poll results: 73% of readers prefer a bottom-of-the-screen taskbar. 18% would put it on the left side of their screen, 5% would put it on the top, and 4% would put it on the right side. 🗳️ Do you wish your Windows laptop was also an Android tablet? Don't forget to [vote in this week's poll](=)! (I really am curious about this one!) 🤚 Wait! Before you go: What'd you think of this issue? [Thumbs Up]( [Thumbs Down]() Hit the thumbs-up or thumbs-down to cast your vote and let me know. Want less email? [Update your reading preferences](=) to opt out of any individual publications or unsubscribe entirely. New here and not yet subscribed? Take two seconds to [sign up for our newsletters](): Windows Intelligence, Android Intelligence, or Cool Tools (or all three!). Hungry for even more? 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