Learn basic touch and mouse gestures that you can use to navigate in Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1
The following table shows how to perform some common actions on your computer using touch. For a complete list of touch gestures, see Touch : Swipe, tap, and more.
There are also keyboard shortcuts for many of these actions. For a complete list of keyboard shortcuts, see Keyboard shortcuts.
| Energy | How to do it | Keyboard shortcut |
|---|---|---|
Opening the symbols | Swipe from the right edge of the screen. | Windows logo key  + C |
Show commands for an application | Swipe from the top or bottom edge of the screen toward the center. | Windows logo key + Z |
Switch to your last app | Swipe from the left edge of the screen towards the center. | Windows logo key + Tab |
Show list of recent apps | Swipe from the left edge toward the center and, with your finger still on the screen, move it back toward the left edge. | Windows logo key + Tab |
Closing an application | Drag the app from the top edge to the bottom of the screen. | Alt+F4 |
Zoom | Touch the screen with two or more fingers, then move your fingers closer together (pinch) to zoom out or spread them apart (stretch) to zoom in. | Ctrl+plus sign (+) or Ctrl+minus sign (-) |
Select item | Swipe down on an item or from one side to the other, or press and hold, to select it. |
Common mouse actions
The following table shows how to perform some common actions on your computer with a mouse. For more information, see Mouse and keyboard: What's new.
There are also keyboard shortcuts for many of these actions. For a complete list of keyboard shortcuts, see Keyboard shortcuts.
| Energy | How to do it | Keyboard shortcut |
|---|---|---|
Opening the symbols | Move the mouse pointer to the top-right or bottom-right corner. When the symbols appear, move up or down along the edge and click the one you want. | Windows logo key + C |
Show commands for an application | Right-click on the application. | Windows logo key + Z |
Switch to your last app | Move the mouse pointer to the upper left corner of the screen and click. | Windows logo key + Tab |
Show list of recent apps | Move the mouse pointer to the upper left corner, and then move it down along the edge. | Windows logo key + Tab |
Closing an application | Drag the app from the top to the bottom of the screen. | Alt+F4 |
Zoom | Press Ctrl while rotating the wheel button. | Ctrl+plus sign (+) or Ctrl+minus sign (-) |
