For all the disruption caused by the rise of smartphones and tablets with their on-screen keyboards, the humble, physical keyboard has continued as a linchpin when it comes getting things done on the PC. If anything, Microsoft’s popular Surface Pro 3 with its Type Cover keyboard and Apple’s upcoming iPad Pro with its Smart Keyboard prove the veracity of this claim. If tablets were the be-all/end-all, why would there be such a market for the accompanying keyboards? Let’s face it: a physical keyboard is must when you want to get real work done. Here are 10 sets of useful keyboard shortcuts to use Windows 10 like the professional that you are. Keyboard shortcut: Windows + Ctrl + D (to create virtual desktops), Windows + Ctrl + F4 (to close them) One of the best features that Windows 10 finally brings to the table is its native support for virtual desktops. Long since found in the Linux world – and on the Mac since OS X Leopard – virtual desktops let you expand your desktop environment beyond the limits of the physical screen.

This allows you to segregate different tasks or task groups to their own desktop, and being able to switch between them while leaving applications open and arranged just the way you like it. The Windows + Ctrl + D combo lets you create an additional virtual desktop, while the Windows + Ctrl + F4 combo closes it. Keyboard shortcut: Windows + Left (Arrow Key), Windows + Right, Windows + Up, Windows + Down The capability to position your apps more precisely on large displays got a shot in the arm in Windows 10.

Windows Screen Rotation Keyboard

We all know that hitting on the Windows key and the right or left arrow key will dock your application to the right and left of your monitor respectively. With Windows 10, pressing Windows + Up and Windows + Down keys when it your app is docked to the left or right will cause your app window to shrink to that quadrant of the screen. As you can imagine, this makes it much easier to organize applications on the screen, especially for desktop users with 27-inch or even 30-inch displays.