The Shift key – functions and keyboard shortcuts

You primarily use the Shift key on your keyboard when you want to type capital letters. This function dates back to mechanical typewriters. However, the Shift key has other useful functions that can make working on a Windows PC much easier. In this article, we’ll give you a detailed overview of the most important commands and keyboard shortcuts using the Shift key.

Like the Ctrl and Alt keys, the Shift key is a modifier key on your computer keyboard. When you press it by itself, it does not produce a character or move the position of the cursor.

However, if you hold down the Shift key and press a letter key, uppercase letters are generated instead of lowercase letters. In practice, the Shift key must be pressed a few milliseconds before the letter key, but you can release the Shift before the letter key. Another function of the Shift key is to switch to alternate characters, which are printed above the actual character on some keys. For example, the number keys on the top row of the keyboard have alternate values. If you hold down the Shift key and press the 1 key, an exclamation mark appears.

The word ‘Shift’ is usually printed on the key, and it is sometimes accompanied or replaced by an upward arrow symbol. The Unicode character for the upwards white arrow is defined as ‘U + 21E7.’

From a software engineering standpoint, the two Shift keys are not completely identical in function. They have different keyboard scan codes so that programs can map them differently. This is especially useful for computer games. The keyboard manager in Windows 10 PowerToys also allows you to define a different function for one of the Shift keys and keep the original function of the other key.

The term ‘Shift’ dates back to the days of mechanical typewriters. Originally, when you held down the Shift key on a typewriter, the carriage holding the roller and the paper would ‘shift’ upwards by about a half an inch. This would cause the type hammer to strike the ribbon and the paper at a different point. Each type hammer had an uppercase and a lowercase character, one above the other. When the carriage shifted up, the uppercase letter struck the ribbon instead of the lowercase letter.

You do not need to hold down the Shift key to type long sections of text in capital letters. Directly above the Shift key, there is a Caps Lock key. If you press this key, the function of the Shift key is activated until you press Caps Lock again. The name ‘Caps Lock’ also comes from old typewriters, where you could mechanically lock the Shift key with a lever. On the top right side of many keyboards, you’ll see a LED which usually has a lock symbol with the letter A. This LED tells you whether Caps Lock is on.

The Shift key, like Ctrl and Alt, has several other special functions on Windows desktop computers.

Additionally, some applications may define special functions for the Shift keys that only apply within that program. For example, in many image-editing programs, the Shift key ensures symmetry: Rectangular objects become square, and elliptical objects become circular. In many cases, the same applies when you select objects in images.

The Shift key has a special function when you select text in word processors or spreadsheets. You can hold down the Shift key and press one of the arrow keys to select a section of text.

If you click a file in the Windows File Explorer and hold down the Shift key while clicking another file, all files in the area between those two files will be selected and can then be copied or moved.

The Shift key is also used in special keyboard shortcuts in the File Explorer:

If you hold down the Shift key when you log on to Windows, the programs in the Startup folder will not run automatically. The same applies when you insert a CD/DVD or USB flash drive. If you hold down the Shift key, the AutoRun task will not be executed on the drive.

If a window moves off your screen or is no longer accessible due to another error, hold down the Shift key and right-click the taskbar icon of the missing window. A new context menu will appear. Choose Move. Then press the arrow keys to move the window back into the visible area of the screen. Try different arrow keys if you’re not sure which direction the window disappeared.

If you want to use the system repair options and Windows 10 is still booting and allowing you to log on, click the Windows logo in the lower left corner of the taskbar and then hold down the Shift key while clicking the power button directly above it. Continue to hold down the Shift key and click Restart. This will open the troubleshooting screen with system repair options.

It’s sometimes difficult to use keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl + C by pressing two keys simultaneously. Windows also allows you to enter key combinations one after the other. For example, you can press and release the Ctrl key and then press the [C] key to copy selected text to the clipboard. To turn this so-called ‘Sticky Keys’ feature on, press the Shift key five times in a row. An on-screen message appears, asking you if you want to turn on this feature. You can also enable Sticky Keys in the Windows 10 Settings app under Ease of Access > Keyboard.

On touchscreens and mechanical keyboards, it’s possible to accidentally press keys several times in rapid succession. To prevent this from happening, Windows allows you to slow down the keyboard repeat rate. You can turn on this ‘Filter Keys’ feature by pressing the right Shift key for at least eight seconds. Once again, a message appears, asking if you want to turn on this feature.