Mysterious WinKey Opens Door to Keyboard Shortcuts
04/06/2001
Doug Cooley
TechSanity Senior Editor
I consider myself The Keyboard Shortcut Master of the Known Universe. I even require my TechSanity colleagues to call me that.
With left pinky on the Ctrl key, I undo, cut, copy, paste and bold text in a breath. Open a new Word document or Internet Explorer window in a blink. And do it all faster than anyone picking through menus with a mouse.
But when someone recently asked how I like using the WinKey, I had to slink back to my office. I hadn't met the WinKey. I would have to learn fast if I hoped to retain my title.
MAKING FRIENDS WITH WINKEY
The WinKey -- also called the Windows Key -- is the keyboard button designed to function as a shortcut key in Windows. You can find it wearing the Windows logo and hiding between Ctrl and Alt on your keyboard.
It seems the WinKey surfaced on keyboards back in 1995. But, like me, few folks bother to figure out what it does.
A guide to the WinKey shortcuts resides in your Windows Help system. Type "Windows logo key" in the index to see the list. I've broken it down into two categories.
Open Commands
WinKey opens the Start Menu
WinKey+E opens Windows Explorer
WinKey+F opens the Find window
WinKey+R opens the Run window
WinKey+F1 opens Help
WinKey+Ctrl+F opens the Find Computer dialog box
WinKey+Break/Pause opens the System Properties dialog box
Other Winkey Stuff
WinKey+D brings up the desktop (repeat to return to last active window)
WinKey+L logs off Windows
WinKey+Tab flips through buttons for items on the Taskbar
WinKey+Ctrl+V raises the WebTV volume
WinKey+Shift+V lowers the WebTV volume
WinKey+M minimizes all open windows
Shift+WinKey+M maximizes all open windows
I've become a big fan of the WinKey+D command to quickly access the files and shortcuts on my desktop.
BORED PROGRAMMERS MEET WINKEY
Not everyone is happy with WinKey. Programmers have gone to work both to improve and sabotage it. Here's the fruit of their labor:
Windows Keyboard Enhancer is a free program that allows you to create additional shortcuts with the WinKey
WinKey Killer v1.7 is a free program that disables the WinKey
WinKey Disabler is a shareware product that disables the WinKey and other key combination shortcuts
Is the WinKey a winner, or worthless? Do you think it's odd to refer to a co-worker as The Keyboard Shortcut Master of the Known Universe? Hit TalkBack and let us know.
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