I’ve used Windows for years, but I still forget keyboard shortcuts I’ve used dozens of times. And if I have to stop what I’m doing and search for the right key combination every time that happens, that’s not really a time-saver.

PowerToys Shortcut Guide helps me find the ones I need by using a keyboard combination I set up. It removes the frustration of having to remember every shortcut since it’s a great cheat sheet for new and not-so-new Windows users. When I finally decided to take a look at it, I realized what I was missing out on.

I keep finding shortcuts I didn’t know Windows could do

I didn’t know Windows + B could move focus to the notification area

The problem is that the shortcuts I actually want to use don’t always stick. I can keep a handful of them in my head, but every so often I still have a temporary memory lapse and forget one I’ve been using for months. I also didn’t try too hard to remember other useful shortcuts.

Shortcut Guide made forgetting one less thing to worry about. Now I only need to check Shortcut Guide for a quick refresher. It also helped me discover commands I didn’t even know were there. For example, Windows + B. It moves focus to the notification area. Before learning that, I would automatically reach for my mouse.

I don’t have to dig through one giant list of shortcuts

Shortcut Guide follows the app I’m using and keeps everything organized

I don’t see much point in using a shortcut guide if I still have to waste time scrolling through a wall of commands, regardless of how useful they are. Shortcut Guide doesn’t make me do that. It separates shortcuts into sections, so if I know roughly what I’m looking for, I can still go to that part of the list.

It also knows what supported app I’m using. For example, I pinned F5 for File Explorer because I use it to refresh the window. When I open Shortcut Guide while I’m in File Explorer, I can see the pinned shortcut at the top. For example, you’ll see sections such as File, Edit, and View. Windows commands are grouped into areas like:

• Virtual Desktop
• Clipboard
• Windows key
• Taskbar

That matters most when I know a shortcut exists but just can’t remember it. I don’t have to open a browser and start searching from the very beginning. I can check the section it belongs to in Shortcut Guide and keep working. I still forget shortcuts, but now I have a quick guide to refresh my memory.

My personalized shortcut gives me quick access

Alt + A is my go-to because I can open it with one hand

Shortcut Guide lets me assign my own activation shortcut, so I chose Alt + A because I can press it easily with my left hand. I like not having to take my hands off the keyboard since this usually slightly breaks my concentration. If I can’t remember the keyboard combination for something I want to do, I can bring it up quickly. This is a huge time-saver compared to asking ChatGPT or searching for it on a Microsoft page.

I can also decide whether Shortcut Guide opens on the right or left side of my screen. I know it’s not a game-changing feature, but I tend to look to the right side of my screen when searching for something. So, it’s good to know that it’s going to show up there. If you go to the Shortcut Guide in PowerToys, you’ll see other options such as Theme and an area to exclude certain apps, but it’s not something I use often. For me, the settings that matter are the ones that make the cheat sheet quicker to reach and less annoying to use when I forget something.

The Shortcut Guide could be easier to scan

When I’m in a hurry, the sections still blend together too much

There’s no denying that the Shortcut Guide is organized into sections. For example, if you want to see what you can do in the Clipboard, just scroll to that section to see the available options. But what if you’re in a hurry and even the slightest delay is so annoying? You have no choice but to slow down and find the section you need. It would be so much better if the headings were a little bigger or if there were some visual cues to help you find what you’re looking for. Clipboard could have a clipboard emoji, so when you don’t feel like reading, you can simply watch out for that specific cue.

There’s also no option to rearrange the sections, so the ones that matter most to you can’t be placed wherever you want. Pinning specific keyboard combinations is useful, but what if you want to pin the entire section higher up? Is there no other option but to manually pin each one?

Finding what I need matters more than how the guide looks

Sure, making it easier to find a specific section when you’re in a hurry would be a nice addition. But if you’re in the version that doesn’t have the search bar yet, having to slow down to find a section can be annoying.

However, that’s not as important as forgetting the shortcut you need and wasting time searching for it elsewhere. That’s what the Shortcut Guide helps you with. It gives you the available options, organized into sections. You’ll surely have your favorites, and you can pin those to the top. The convenience clearly outweighs the guide’s appearance.

I don’t need to memorize every shortcut if I can find it quickly

I’m not even going to pretend I can memorize all the keyboard shortcuts I need. I just want to stop wasting time trying to remember or searching for something specific. That’s what Shortcut Guide helps me with. Sure, the visuals could be better, but it gives me what matters most: the shortcuts I wantand the ones I totally forgot existed.

If you already use PowerToys and have a monitor that gives you the extra space, having it always visible is a great idea. If your display isn’t big enough, creating an easy-to-remember keyboard shortcut is also helpful. Either way, I’d keep it within reach for a few days and see how often it saves you from searching for a shortcut somewhere else.