Keyboard shortcuts save time and make the system easier to use. Windows 8 adds the ability to conveniently take screenshots, switch keyboard layouts and speech recognition at the same time, and lock the image orientation on the tablet. These will only be available via keyboard shortcuts, which is a good motivation to at least look at the useful ones and learn them. Windows 8 noticeably innovates the user interface, so it is beneficial to learn tricks to quickly control it.
Useful shortcuts
| WinKey+Spacebar | Toggles keyboard layout and speech recognition |
|---|---|
| Alt+Shift | Switches only the keyboard layout |
| WinKey+PrtScr | Just like PrtScn, it just saves the image as a PNG |
| WinKey+O | Disables image rotation |
| WinKey+L | Locks the computer |
| WinKey+P | Switches the graphics output mode |
Abbreviations for Metro
| WinKey+C | Opens the charms panel |
|---|---|
| WinKey+F | File search |
| WinKey+Q | Search for apps |
| WinKey+W | Search in Control Panel |
| WinKey+Z | Displays the application menu |
| WinKey+K | Opens the Connection charm |
| WinKey+H | Open the Share charm |
| WinKey+I | Open the Settings charm |
| WinKey+. | Pin an app or move the dividing line to the right |
| WinKey+Shift+. | Pin an app or move the dividing line to the left |
| WinKey+V | Switch between notifications |
| WinKey+Shift+V | Switch between notifications in reverse order |
Aero Abbreviations
| WinKey+, | Desktop Preview |
|---|---|
| WinKey+Page Up | Moves the window to the left monitor |
| WinKey+Page Down | Moves the window to the right monitor |
| WinKey+D | Switches to the Home Screen |
| WinKey+ | Minimize |
| WinKey+ | Maximize |
| WinKey+ | Snap Left |
| WinKey+ | Snap to right |
| WinKey+M | Minimizes all windows |
| WinKey +X | Displays the command menu |
| WinKey+E | Opens the Explorer window |
| WinKey+R | Opens the Run window |
| WinKey+U | Launches the Ease of Access Center |
If you are interested in the topic of keyboard shortcuts in Windows 8, here is a link to an article on the TechNet blog, which deals with the issue in more detail.
The article was written for TechNet Blog CZ/SK.