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Reserved Key Combinations

This page lists keys and key combinations which are either reserved by Windows and cannot be reassigned, or which trigger standard behavior and can but should not be reassigned.

The following keys and combinations cannot be used for custom accelerators, because they are needed by DBM internally for consistent keyboard accessibility support: Up/Down, Home/End, Enter, Tab, Shift+Tab, Ctrl+Tab, Shift+Ctrl+Tab.

Windows keys

Key(s)Action
Windows key+almost every other keyUsed for various purposes in Windows 10
Ctrl+Shift+VShow clipboard
Ctrl+Alt+DelShow Windows Security screen
Ctrl+EscStart menu
Shift+Ctr+EscTask manager
Print (with and without modifiers)Screen copy
Windows keyStart menu
Menu keyContext menu

Standard keys for navigation

Key(s)Action
Arrow keysMove cursor, selection, or focus
Page keysMove cursor, selection, or focus a number of elements
Home/EndMove cursor, selection, or focus to first or last element
(usually a horizontal movement)
Ctrl+Left/right arrowMove cursor wordwise
Ctrl+Page keysMove cursor, selection, or focus to first or last visible line
Ctrl+Home/EndMove cursor, selection, or focus to first or last element
(usually a vertical movement)
Tab, Shift+TabMove focus to next/previous control
Alt+Tab,
Shift+Alt+Tab
Windows task switch
Ctrl+Tab,
Shift+Ctrl+Tab
Next/previous tab page in a tabbed dialog
F6, Shift+F6Next/previous group of UI elements

Standard keys for editing

Key(s)Action
Shift+Arrow keys,
Shift+Page keys,
Shift+Home/End
Define or extend selection
(same cursor movement as without Shift)
Shift+Ctrl+Arrow keys,
Shift+Ctrl+Page keys,
Shift+Ctrl+Home/End
Define or extend selection
(same cursor movement as without Shift)
Ctrl+ASelect all
Ctrl+C, Ctrl+InsCopy selected elements
Ctrl+X, Ctrl+DelCut selected elements
Ctrl+V, Shift+InsInsert from clipboard
Ctrl+D, Ctrl+DelDelete selected elements
Ctrl+Z, Alt+BackUndo
Ctrl+Y, Shift+Ctrl+ZRedo
DelDelete right
BackDelete left
Ctrl+F, F3Find

Miscellaneous standard keys

Key(s)Action
F1Help
F2Rename/In-place edit
F4Toggle combo drop-down
Alt+F4Close modal dialog or application
F5Refresh
EscCancel
EnterPress default button
Ctrl+S, Shift+Ctrl+SSave, Save as
Ctrl+OOpen
Ctrl+NNew
Ctrl+PPrint
Ctrl+Alt+Arrow keysRotate display
Alt+EnterProperties; or toggle window maximized
Alt+Down arrowOpen combo drop-down


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