If you are one of the many people who downloaded the Windows 8 Consumer Preview (or Windows 8 Beta) from Microsoft with the aim of putting it to the test, then you may want to take a look at the list of handy keyboard shortcuts presented below.

Here is just an example to get you started. Charms are a new feature meant to help you work faster; they are new ways of getting around the OS and doing common tasks. Press the Windows logo key + C and the charms bar will appear. Here are a few other handy keyboard shortcuts you may want to know about:

New Keyboard Shortcuts

• Windows + E -> Opens Windows Explorer in desktop mode.
• Windows + Enter -> turns on the Narrator.
• Windows + Space -> Switch input language and keyboard layout.
• Windows + O -> Lock device orientation.
• Windows + , -> Temporarily peek at the desktop.
• Windows + B -> Back to desktop.
• Windows + V -> Cycle through toasts.
• Windows + Shift + V -> Cycle through toasts in reverse order.
• Windows + Enter -> Launch Narrator.
• Windows + PgUp -> Move the Start Screen or a Metro-style application to the monitor on the left.
• Windows + PgDown -> Move the Start Screen or a Metro-style application to the monitor on the right.
• Windows + Shift + . -> Snap an application to the left.
• Windows + . -> Snap an application to the right.
• Windows + I -> Open the Settings charm.
• Windows + K -> Open the Connect charm.
• Windows + H -> Open the Share charm.
• Windows + Q -> Open the Search pane.
• Windows + W -> Open the Settings Search app.
• Windows + F -> Open the File Search app.
• Windows + Tab -> Cycle through apps.
• Windows + Shift + Tab -> Cycle through apps in reverse order.
• Windows + Ctrl + Tab -> Cycle through apps and snap them as they cycle.
• Windows + Z -> Open the App Bar.
• Windows + / -> Initiate input method editor (IME) reconversion.
• Windows + J -> Swap foreground between the snapped and filled apps.
• Windows + X -> Open system utility settings menu.
• Windows + Print Scren -> Take a screenshot and save it to Pictures.

Old Keyboard Shortcuts (that worked on Windows 7 and still work)

• Windows key -> Opens the Metro Start screen,
• Alt + Tab -> Switches from one app to another.
• Alt + Ctrl + Del and Ctrl + Shift + Esc -> Access the Task Manager.
• Right click -> Opens the right click context menu. Rick click on the
• Windows + D -> Show the desktop.
• Alt + F4 -> Close an app.
• Windows + Tab -> Open switch list.
• Windows + T -> Preview open windows in taskbar.
• Windows + L -> Lock the OS.

You can get Windows 8 Consumer Preview for free from Microsoft here. The operating system was downloaded more than 1 million times in the first 24 hours after its release. You can install it fresh on a system, or you can install it in a virtual environment using the free Oracle VirtualBox or VMWare Player. On a Mac, Windows 8 Consumer Preview can be installed in a virtual environment using the paid Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac.