Shortcut Keys puts the six most frequently consulted tables on a single page: Windows 11 (windows, screenshots, clipboard, File Explorer), macOS (windows, screenshots, editing, Finder), VS Code (general, editing, files, debugging), Chrome/Edge (tabs, pages, address bar, DevTools), Excel (navigation, editing, formatting, workbooks) and Word (navigation, editing, formatting, views) — 300+ shortcuts, each with a one-line description of what it does.

It differs from an ordinary shortcut list in two ways. The first is system switching: VS Code, Chrome, Excel and Word are cross-platform, so the same feature is Ctrl on Windows and ++⌘++ on Mac, and many combinations are not a simple substitution (Excel's “edit cell” is F2 on Windows but Ctrl+U on Mac; Chrome's “history” is Ctrl+H on Windows but ++⌘+Y++ on Mac). One switch at the top of the page flips the four tables to the system you are using, chosen automatically from your device on the first visit. The second is printing: the “Print view” button produces a compact two-column reference that fits A4 in a page or two, ready to tape next to your monitor.

1. 01Pick a system— “Windows keys / macOS keys” at the top decides how the four cross-platform tables read; the Windows 11 and macOS system tables are unaffected.
2. 02Search— type a feature (“screenshot”, “hard refresh”, “superscript”) or a key (F12, Alt+Tab, ⌘⇧T) to match across all six tables.
3. 03Focus on one table— click a table name in the chips; the first screen shows everything by default, which makes Ctrl+F straightforward.
4. 04Favorites and copy— the star at the end of a row pins the shortcut to “My favorites” at the top; the copy icon copies the key spelling for the current system (such as Ctrl+Shift+T).
5. 05Print— “Print view” in the top-right corner opens a compact version of the current filter in a new window and pops the print dialog automatically, where you can choose “Save as PDF”.

Searching “screenshot” matches five entries across the six tables:

The same VS Code shortcut as shown on the two systems:

Windows 11 › Win+Shift+S        Snipping Tool: capture a selected region to the clipboard
Windows 11 › PrtScn             capture the whole screen to the clipboard
Windows 11 › Alt+PrtScn         capture only the current window to the clipboard
macOS      › ⇧⌘3 / ⇧⌘4 / ⇧⌘5   full screen / selection / screenshot and recording toolbar
Chrome     › Ctrl+Shift+P → type screenshot   full-page capture in the DevTools command menu

Format document    Windows: Shift + Alt + F      macOS: ⇧⌥F
Command Palette    Windows: Ctrl + Shift + P     macOS: ⇧⌘P
Delete line        Windows: Ctrl + Shift + K     macOS: ⇧⌘K

Why Ctrl becomes ⌘ on the Mac

The two modifier sets are the result of a historical fork. The 1984 Macintosh bound menu commands to the Command key (⌘) and left Control for control characters in the terminal (Ctrl+C to interrupt, Ctrl+D to end input), with Option (⌥) for special characters and “the other way of doing it”. Windows followed the IBM PC keyboard, putting menu commands on Ctrl and using Alt to activate the menu bar (which is where Office's Alt-first ribbon sequences come from); the Win key only appeared in 1994. So when cross-platform software is ported to the Mac, Ctrl usually maps to ⌘ and Alt to ⌥ — but anything touching a Mac system convention (++⌘+H++ hides windows, ++⌘+Q++ quits, ++⌘+,++ opens settings) has to change keys. That is exactly why Chrome's “history” is ++⌘+Y++ on the Mac rather than ++⌘+H++.

The unwritten hierarchy of modifiers

Most software follows an unspoken hierarchy: a single modifier for the most common actions (Ctrl+S save, Ctrl+Z undo), adding Shift for “the reverse” or “a wider scope” (Ctrl+Shift+Z redo, Ctrl+Shift+T reopen a closed tab, Ctrl+Shift+F global search), and adding Alt for “another form” (Ctrl+Alt+V Paste Special). Knowing the pattern lets you guess combinations you never memorized.

VS Code chords

VS Code solves the problem of running out of shortcuts with chords: Ctrl+K is a prefix and you release it before pressing the second key, such as Ctrl+K → Ctrl+S to open the Keyboard Shortcuts editor or Ctrl+K → Z to enter Zen Mode. The two combinations separated by a space in the tables are chords. The design comes from Emacs (Ctrl+X prefix) and tmux (Ctrl+B prefix); the cost is that Ctrl+K itself can no longer be bound directly to something like “delete to end of line”.

Excel and Word ribbon sequences

After Office 2007 turned menus into the ribbon, Microsoft kept keyboard navigation on Alt: pressing Alt shows letter hints on every tab, the next letter opens that tab, and further hints lead to commands. These KeyTips cover every command in the ribbon, so any action without a dedicated shortcut (freeze panes, insert a PivotTable, reading view) has an Alt sequence. It exists only on the Windows version; Mac Office relies on the menu bar and ⌘ combinations.

Key legends and physical keys

PrtScn, Insert, Home/End have no physical key on most Mac keyboards and macOS emulates them with Fn combinations (++Fn+⌫++ = Delete, ++Fn+←++ = Home). Conversely, Windows keyboards have no ⌘ or 🌐 (globe) key — when you plug an external Windows keyboard into a Mac, the Win key is treated as ⌘ and Alt as ⌥, swappable under “System Settings › Keyboard › Modifier Keys”. To find out what key / code a key actually fires in the browser, press it live in the Keyboard Key Code tool.

Data sources

— the official shortcut documentation from Microsoft (Windows, Excel, Word), Apple (macOS), VS Code and Google (Chrome), checked in 2026-09; Edge differs from Chrome in very few places, and only Edge-specific items such as Immersive Reader are called out separately.

Versions

— Windows 11 23H2+, macOS 14+, the VS Code 1.9x default keymap, Excel/Word for Microsoft 365. A few keys differ in older versions (such as Win+Shift+S on Windows 10).

What is not included

— keys that require a plug-in or customization, Vim/Emacs keymaps, games and professional software (Photoshop, Premiere and the like are left for a later batch) and trackpad gestures.

System switching only affects cross-platform software

— the Windows 11 table always shows Windows keys and the macOS table always shows Mac keys.

Print view

depends on the browser allowing a new window to open; if it is blocked, allow pop-ups for this site and try again.

Shortcut data is downloaded statically with the page, and searching, switching and favorites all happen locally in your browser without sending any requests. The system preference (Windows / macOS) and favorites are stored in this browser's localStorage; on the first visit navigator.platform is read only to select the system automatically and is never reported anywhere. The print view is generated in a new local window and does not pass through a server.

• Windows keyboard shortcuts — Microsoft Support(accessed 2026-09-09)— the official full table, switchable by Windows version.
• Mac keyboard shortcuts — Apple Support(accessed 2026-09-09)— three official lists covering the system, documents and Finder.
• Key Bindings for Visual Studio Code(accessed 2026-09-09)— includes Windows / macOS / Linux default keymap PDF downloads.
• Chrome keyboard shortcuts — Google Help(accessed 2026-09-09)— the official list split into columns by operating system.
• Keyboard shortcuts in Excel — Microsoft Support(accessed 2026-09-09)— includes the ribbon key tips.
• Keyboard shortcuts in Word — Microsoft Support(accessed 2026-09-09)— Windows and Mac on separate tabs.