Everyday keyboard shortcuts, PowerShell/CMD quick reference, and a real first-response troubleshooting checklist for admins supporting Windows desktops.
| Category | Action | Shortcut | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Window Mgmt | Snap window left/right | Win + Left / Right | Repeat to cycle through available snap positions on multi-monitor setups. |
| Window Mgmt | Open Snap Layouts | Win + Z | Windows 11 grid picker for quarter/thirds layouts. |
| Window Mgmt | Minimize all windows | Win + D | Toggles — press again to restore. |
| Virtual Desktops | New virtual desktop | Win + Ctrl + D | Useful for separating work/personal contexts without extra monitors. |
| Virtual Desktops | Switch desktop left/right | Win + Ctrl + Left / Right | Cycles through all open virtual desktops. |
| System | Open Task Manager | Ctrl + Shift + Esc | Direct launch — skips the Ctrl+Alt+Del security screen entirely. |
| System | Open Run dialog | Win + R | Fastest way to launch services.msc, gpedit.msc, %appdata%, etc. |
| System | Quick Link menu | Win + X | Direct access to Device Manager, Disk Management, PowerShell, Event Viewer. |
| System | Lock the PC | Win + L | Standard walk-away lock, distinct from sign-out. |
| Capture | Snip & Sketch region capture | Win + Shift + S | Copies the selection to clipboard and opens it for annotation. |
| Clipboard | Clipboard history | Win + V | Must be enabled once in Settings → System → Clipboard. |
| Search | Open Search | Win + S | Searches apps, files, and settings from one box. |
PowerShell Quick Reference
Get-Process
Lists running processes — pipe to Sort-Object CPU -Descending to find what's actually consuming resources.
Get-Service
Lists Windows services and their status; pair with Restart-Service <name> to bounce a stuck service without a reboot.
Get-EventLog / Get-WinEvent
Queries the Windows Event Log — Get-WinEvent is the modern replacement and works with the newer structured logs.
Test-NetConnection
PowerShell's ping+traceroute+port-check in one cmdlet — -Port 443 tests TCP reachability, not just ICMP.
Get-ChildItem (gci / ls / dir)
Lists directory contents; add -Recurse -Filter *.log to search a whole tree for a file pattern.
Set-ExecutionPolicy
Controls whether unsigned scripts can run at all — a common first blocker when a downloaded .ps1 script "does nothing."
Legacy CMD Still Worth Knowing
Networking
System Health
Access
Reboot, then check Windows Update
A surprising share of "weird behavior" tickets trace back to a pending update stuck mid-install — wuauclt/Settings → Windows Update usually surfaces it.
Run System File Checker
sfc /scannow from an elevated prompt repairs corrupted system files — run it before assuming a reinstall is needed.
Check Event Viewer for the actual error
Windows Logs → System/Application in Event Viewer usually has the real error code behind a vague on-screen message — search that code, not the symptom.
Test with a new local profile
Creating a fresh user profile isolates whether an issue is system-wide or corrupted-profile-specific — a standard triage step before a reimage.
Quick Tips
gpedit.msc) isn't available on Home editions — the same setting is usually reachable via a direct registry key instead.