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Windows key

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The Windows key on this standard Windows keyboard consists of a Windows Orb logo. (As of Windows Vista).

The Windows key - also known as the Windows logo key, the WinKey, the Start key, or rarely the Flag key or Go To Key (Canada) - is a keyboard key originally introduced for the Windows 95 operating system. On keyboards lacking a Windows key, Ctrl+Esc can instead be pressed, though some functionality is lacking.[1]

Historically, the addition of two Windows keys and a menu key marked the change from the 101/102-key to 104/105-key layout for PC keyboards:[2] compared to the former layout, a Windows key was placed between the left control key and the left alt; another Windows key and — immediately to its right — a menu key were placed between the AltGr (or right Alt key on keyboards that lack AltGr) and the right control key. In laptop and other compact keyboards it is common to have just one Windows key (usually on the left). Also, on Microsoft's Entertainment Desktop sets (designed for Windows Vista), the Windows key is in the middle of the keyboard, below all other keys (where the user's thumbs rest).

Licensing

Microsoft regulates the appearance of the Windows key with a specially crafted license for keyboard manufacturers ("Microsoft Windows Logo Key Logo License Agreement for Keyboard Manufacturers"). With the introduction of a new Microsoft Windows logo, first used with Windows XP, the agreement was updated to require that the new design be adopted for all keyboards manufactured after September 1, 2003.[3] However, with the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft published guidelines for a new Windows Logo key that incorporates the Windows logo recessed in a lowered circle with a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 with respect to background that the key is applied to.

In Common Building Block Keyboard Specification, all CBB compliant keyboard must comply to the Windows Vista Hardware Start Button specification beginning in 2007-06-01. A few keyboard manufacturers have already incorporated this new design into their range of keyboards.

Usage with Windows

Within the standard Windows Shell, pressing and releasing the Windows key by itself opens the Start Menu (focusing the Quick Search box in Windows Vista and Windows 7).

Pressing the key in combination with other keys allows invoking many common functions through the keyboard. What Windows key combinations ("shortcuts") are available and active in a given Windows session depends on many factors, including accessibility options, the type of the session (regular or Terminal Services), the Windows version, the presence of specific software such as IntelliType, and others. The External links section below provides a list of Microsoft articles with more details.

In Windows Vista, it is also a Hardware Start Button. It sends the same scan code as regular Windows key, but compliant hardware will turn on the computer.

Shortcuts

Tapping the Windows key itself opens and closes the Start Menu Ctrl+Esc duplicates this functionality, but cannot be used with any other shortcuts.

  • Windows + B to select the first icon in the Notification Area
  • Windows + D to show the desktop, or re-show hidden programs when pressed a second time
  • Windows + E to open Explorer
  • Windows + F to open Search
  • Windows + Control + F to open Search for Computers (requires Active Directory Domain Services)
  • Windows + F1 to open Help
  • Windows + L to lock the desktop or switch users
  • Windows + M to minimize all windows
  • Windows + Shift + M to restore windows that were minimized with Windows + M
  • Windows + R to open the Run dialog
  • Windows + U to open Utility Manager (Ease of Access)[4]
  • Windows + Pause to open System Properties
  • Windows + S to take a screen shot for OneNote, if this program is installed and running
  • Windows + N to open a new side note in OneNote, if this program is installed and running
  • Windows + Shift to open OneNote, if this program is installed and running
Introduced in Windows Vista
  • Windows + G to select next sidebar gadget item
  • Windows + Space to show sidebar
  • Windows + X to enter Windows Mobility Center (portable computers only)
  • Windows + Tab to switch windows using Flip 3D (requires desktop compositioning)
  • Windows + 1 to 9 to start according Quick Launch Toolbar program
  • Windows + Alt + Enter to start Windows Media Center
Introduced in Windows 7
  • Windows + Space to enter "Peek at desktop" mode
  • Windows + P to switch projection modes (clone, extend, single, multiple monitors, etc.)
  • Windows + Up Arrow to maximize the active window
  • Windows + Down Arrow to restore (default window size, not maximized nor in taskbar) the active window
  • Windows + Left or Right Arrow to align the window to the respective side of the screen
  • Windows + T to toggle between the tabs in the toolbar (also run with Vista)

Third-party programs may introduce other shortcuts using the Windows Logo Key.

Usage with other operating systems

The Windows key can also generally be used under different operating systems. Under Unix and Unix-like operating systems it is often used as the Meta key or Compose key.

Desktop environments such as KDE and GNOME for GNU/Linux support it, though it may be necessary to configure its functionalities after installation. Free operating systems often refer to the key as "Meta" or "Super".

In Compiz, a popular window manager for modern Linux systems, the super key is used in conjunction with the scroll wheel to zoom in or out of any part of the desktop.

Apple's Mac OS X uses the Windows key as a replacement for the Command key if a third-party keyboard is used that does not include the latter. This sometimes leads to placement issues for users used to Apple keyboards however, as the Command key is usually placed where the Alt key is on most keyboards (next to the Space bar)

When using a keyboard on the Xbox 360 console, pressing the Windows key performs the same action as the Guide button on the Xbox 360 controller or remote controls, opening the Xbox Guide in game play. Additionally, holding down the Windows key and pressing M opens a pop up conversation window over game play if an Instant Message conversation is in progress.

When using a USB keyboard with the key for input on a PlayStation 3 console, pressing the Windows key performs the same action as the PS Button on the Sixaxis Controller, opening the XrossMediaBar.

Criticisms and solutions

The placement of the Windows keys, especially the left one, can be problematic due to the possibility of hitting them inadvertently, causing the deactivation of the current window while trying to use the CTRL or ALT keys. This is especially problematic during full-screen games as it forces the game to minimize or switch to a windowed mode. Thus the Windows key has become particularly reviled by gamers. To avoid such problems, some applications disable the Windows keys while they are running and some users physically remove them from the keyboard. Some keyboards, such as the Logitech G15, have a switch to disable the Windows keys. Alternatively, one can modify the registry to disable the keys[5] (which disables the key completely) or use third-party software like WinKey (from Copernic Inc., discontinued as of July 2005) or AutoHotKey (open-source) to create custom shortcuts.

Users of non-Windows systems are sometimes disturbed by having a Windows-specific logo on their keyboard.[citation needed] For this reason, sets of stickers and key-caps are available, mainly from online stores, which can be used to restyle the Windows keys with an image of Linux mascot Tux, a logo for KDE or a specific Linux distribution, or other graphics. Some keyboard manufacturers, such as Cherry, also produce keyboards with a Tux key. Some keyboards now have omitted the right windows key and left context menu key. [6]

Recently, some netbook portables, such as ASUS Eee PC and Linux versions of Acer Aspire One, are coming with a Home key instead of a Windows key, mainly because of the GNU/Linux installed there as OEM.

See also

References

  1. ^ Pressing the Ctrl+Esc combination merely brings up the Start Menu. Some Windows key-specific commands, such as minimizing all windows or showing the desktop, are not available from this menu.
  2. ^ Initially, 104-key keyboards were frequently called "Windows keyboards" but this denomination has become less and less used with time.
  3. ^ Amendment to the Windows Key Logo License Agreement (page no longer accessible)
  4. ^ http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/accessibility/openutilitymanager.mspx
  5. ^ How to disable the keyboard Windows key
  6. ^ http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/keyboards/keyboard_mice_combos/devices/147&cl=au,en">
IBM PC keyboard (Windows, ANSI US layout)
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en:Windows key

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