Yes, I definitely do. I use it to open start menu and search, as well as using quite a few commands, run, snipping tool, moving and resizing windows, etc.
When win10 is no longer supported we will be making the leap to linux, and I really hope I can get much of this functionality there.
Yes, it's one of the most useful keys. I haven't used file explorers for applications in forever. Hit the Windows key, type a couple letters of the program you want, hit enter.
Also you can do Win+E to open the Windows Explorer.
Yeah, 100%. I hit the windows button and immediately just continue typing the name of the program I'm looking for. It's extremely convenient.
Win+M minimises everything.
Win+(arrow key) moves windows around.
Win+S for screenshot.
Win+C (with PowerToys) opens a color pipette tool.
Win then type the name of the program or setting brings those results up (well, after windows has a network connection or realises it isn't gonna get one. Which is stupid)
Win+P allows you to quickly change how your windows works. Win+K brings up the menu to connect to a wireless monitor. Win+L will lock the screen. Win+R will call the "Run..." window.
KDE Plasma also inherits a lot of the shortcuts Windows has. AFAIK MATE/Cinnamon do also share some of the keybinds, but for some reason they use CTRL+ALT instead.
Also fun fact: the Windows key is also called the SUPER key.
With Internet searching disabled, the start menu is decent enough as a quick launcher and so I find myself hitting the Windows key quite often for that purpose.
On Linux there are better launchers that I'm too lazy to set up so still just hit Super and use the Application Launcher to find and run programs.
How else would you open a program?
Sometimes it works better for tabbing out of a game than alt-tab does. Not sure why. Also it depends on the game.
In Ubuntu I use the command key as my main way to launch applications.
Also if anyone comes here and posts “dOnT uSe wINdoWs,” you really are cute.
Don't use windows?
🥺👉👈
You really are cute.
Windows Key + a lot of other keys are super useful shortcuts.
But I don't even use the start menu at all. It's rather pointless these days and also full of garbage.
Do you mean super key? Yea, All the time for moving Windows, opening programs, etc.
Don't you have a Penguin sticker on yours ? It doesnt have to be a Windows logo.
Yea, I bought a penguin sticker paste it on my Windows keys.
I actually use it to open the start menu for a few reasons. Usually I do it to the press tab and the down arrow 5 times then enter twice, why? Because that puts your selector thingy on the sleep option as my keyboard doesn't have a sleep key. The other reason is I can just start typing some program's name and launch it without using my mouse. I don't do it all the time since most programs I need to use the mouse to keep using anyway, but sometimes I just want a calculator or notepad++ and the search function works well enough for those
Yes since I use a lot of windowed fullscreen programs and it's the easiest eay to access the taskbar when I need it.
I use it a lot. Ever since windows 8, the best way to use windows has been hit the windows key and type what you want.
Additionally there are a few shortcuts that are handy
win + space to switch between keyboard languages
win + tab to open the desktop switcher
win + ctrl + t (if you have PowerToys installed) to prevent other apps from stealing focus from your window
Use it constantly, as others have said windows -> type is the best way to use windows, and I do the same thing on my linux machines, actually a lot of the ones I use regularly are the same or similar in KDE (can't recall if it's out of the box or if I configured that)
CTL+windows+arrows to swap desktops (which have been in windows for a while now and I swear no one else uses), lots of ones around those are super useful. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/keyboard-shortcuts-in-windows-dcc61a57-8ff0-cffe-9796-cb9706c75eec for reference.
can’t recall if it’s out of the box or if I configured that
That's out of the box. No configuration necessary. The default behaviour in Plasma when pressing the Windows key is to open the application menu where you can start typing to find what you want. In fact it's kind of a pain to disable that, and will sometimes re-enable itself randomly as I recently found out (I prefer WIN+D to open the app menu from my i3 days, and I work in an RDP connection to a windows machine where I would prefer to be able to just press WIN to open that menu and not KDEs menu.)
So you use your mouse to click on the start menu button, scroll through the menu and click again on the program? That sounds awful. I click the Windows button and type the program name.
I pin programs I frequently use to my task bar like a gentleman.
Check this.... Windows Key + Number corresponding to position of your task bar icon will launch that program. So your 3rd icon from the left = Win+3
Well once upon a time xp through 7 at least clicking start menu and starting to type the name of an app worked really well rather than resulting in some weird as web search opened in edge searching for no reason for what you had typed. I'm 100% sure there is some 3rd party launcher that still works as well as the start menu did before they ruined it. If I still used it I would probably install that.
The App menu in Cinnamon (Linux Mint) Also has the same binding and like older windows actually works well too.
All the time. It's basically the only way I open the Start menu. And I use Windows key shortcuts like Win+Alt+K really often.
Constantly.
Open shit on the taskbar.
Win + E for file explorer.
Win key and type stuff for a few programs I don't want to have icons for.
One of the best keys!
I’m on Linux. But yeah I use it to open the start menu all the time. Then I can type apps name and hit enter
Win + L to lock
Win + D to minimise all windows
Win + arrow key to snap window to half a screen
Rarely used it in Windows (though my last home Windows was xp, pre-2010).
Use it often in Debian offshoot (xubuntu) to bring up the menu. {And type three or four first letters of a program to bring up}
Irony is silly.
As others have said, I use it mainly for the search function to start programs as well as many shortcuts. I've seen others mention screenshots and locking, but here are a few more:
A full list can be found here: windows key shortcuts
The purpose of the windows key is its the thing you press when the program freezes and alt+tab doesn't work.
All the time. For shortcuts and opening programs.
I do, I prefer it as my method to escape full screen, idk why but I like it more than alt tab
Also use it for searching start menu quickly, eg; win + "settings", enter to get to settings quickly
I use it to get to AppData folder pretty often too, win + r, "%appdata%", enter
Also maximising windows (win + up arrow), and snapping windows left/right (and transitioning between dual screens)
Last use I can think of is to record, win + g opens the game screen thing, which has a handy record feature (win + shift + r is a quick way to instantly start recording)
Usually only in an emergency when stuff freezes up and I can't use the mouse to control windows anymore.
100%
It's the only way I open the start menu. There is no faster way to get to what I want than Superkey and typing.
PS I have all my OSes set up similarly. OSx has spotlight, my GNOME and KDE are configured to launch searchable menus on Super, and my mobile launcher is set up to search when I swipe up.
Pretty sure however you’re using the windows key, that’s how it was intended to be used.
Yeah, of course! Some full screen programs, mostly games, will not let you tab out to the desktop, so i use the windows key to open the start menu which also pops up the taskbar so i can swap to something else.
Start menu is helpful to execute programs quickly as many others have stated previously. Other useful thing with the start menu is that it automatically makes a fullscreen application lose focus. So I can just use the windows key to focus out of a fullscreen app and click on something else on the other monitor.
I hit the windows key, type and hit enter to open programs a lot. I literally have no desktop icons showing, I don't like the look and taking my hands off the keyboard to click stuff takes longer anyways.
I also do windows + number to open/switch to pinned programs a lot.
Oh yeah. I use it all the time. It's useful to hit the key and type the first 3-5 characters of the program I want to launch and hitting return.
It's also the function key for the screen clip feature which I use often (Windows + Shift + S).
I have 3 main use cases for the Windows key:
I don't think I ever use it for anything else. So yes, I do use it to bring up the start menu, but generally only to specifically bring up a command prompt window - all of my other commonly used programs are pinned to the taskbar so I can fire them up with a single click.
Ooh didn't know about windows + arrow keys. Super useful!
It's especially useful if you find a window is stuck off screen after disconnecting a monitor.
Hell yes. I'm not taking the time go move my hand to the mouse, find the cursor with my eyes, move the mouse and then move hands back to type. That's asinine.
Constantly. I'm a keyboard shortcut junky. I use it with several different key combos. The fact that the "super key" works slightly differently in Pop OS kind of drives me crazy. I really need to figure out how to remap it so it's closer to the same.
Edit: I should clarify that I also use it to bring up the stupid Windows menu all the time, too. Then I will search for whatever app I'm looking for. I have turned off web searching with it, though.
Even though most-frequently used apps are pinned, there are still quite a few others that I need semi-regularly but not enough to earn a pin.
WIN+SHIFT+S - to start snipping WIN+L- lock the computer WIN+R - run a program dialog
Pretty much the only things I use it for.
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