Ask Lemmy

to shut down because its just windows, up, down, enter

all keyboard

also for the snipping tool

I use it with the arrow keys fairly often to snap apps to sections of the screen.

Some terrible keyboards put it where alt should be and those should be burned.

Hey buddy, do you want to try some of this GNU/Linux?

the super key is one of my most used keys.

I'll use it if alt tab isn't working to get me to another open program. But that's pretty much it.

I also have my most used programs pinned to the task bar. And that bar is vertical, thank you.

I hide my taskbar and sometimes it gets funky and a little shy and doesn't pop up. Pressing the Windows key pops it back up.

Once in awhile on my home non-windows machine I use it to pop the menu out to turn off the computer. Completely mood based.

I use:
Win+R constantly
Win+E regularly
Win+D occasionally
Win+M never now that I WFH full time

Yeah I use it to open the start menu. I'm on windows 10 so I have my daily used programs pinned to the taskbar, my frequently used programs organized in sections of tiles on the start menu, and for everything else I either type to search for it in the start menu or just Win+R and use the run dialog if it's a system component.

Likely moving to Linux when Windows 10 ends support. I've got enough experience with 11 to know I couldn't stand using it regularly

Edit: and I didn't really talk about using it as a hotkey because of your OP, but for the record I use it like that all the time too. Win arrow for window sizing, win shift arrow for moving things between monitors, win R, E, L, D, win semicolon for the emoji keyboard, win number row to quickly launch taskbar pins, win tab for the lulz sometimes, win shift S for snipping tool when I don't need to use shareX instead for a local copy of the snip, etc.

nope, never. not even on windows boxes

Oh yeah. I use it all the time. It's useful to hit the key and type the first 3-5 characters of the program I want to launch and hitting return.

It's also the function key for the screen clip feature which I use often (Windows + Shift + S).

Only if my window has gone missing and I need to winkey + arrow keys it somewhere to get it back.

Other than that, no.

I mean early days, most of us pulled it off or disabled it so we wouldn't hit it by accident while playing FPS games.

I use it a lot. Ever since windows 8, the best way to use windows has been hit the windows key and type what you want.

Additionally there are a few shortcuts that are handy

• win + L for locking
• win + E for file explorer
• win + D for desktop
• win + ctrl + alt + shift + L to hate what windows has become

GNOME Linux I use it regularly to switch between tasks/windows, as well as windows+arrow keys to snap windows to edges or minimize them.

I use it as a modifier chorded with another key in Linux for a number of things, like switching workspaces, opening a terminal or browser window, resizing windows, existing the graphical environment, locking the system, toggling floating windows, starting application launchers, toggling a window's fullscreen state, or toggling playing music. I think that as a modifier key, it's fine. I don't have tapping it alone do anything, and in general, don't like single-key operations like that; ditto for F-key operations.

It sounds like one can disable the tap-Windows-key-alone behavior on Windows via the autohotkey macro software package:

https://www.autohotkey.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=101812

Constantly. I'm a keyboard shortcut junky. I use it with several different key combos. The fact that the "super key" works slightly differently in Pop OS kind of drives me crazy. I really need to figure out how to remap it so it's closer to the same.

Edit: I should clarify that I also use it to bring up the stupid Windows menu all the time, too. Then I will search for whatever app I'm looking for. I have turned off web searching with it, though.

Even though most-frequently used apps are pinned, there are still quite a few others that I need semi-regularly but not enough to earn a pin.

I just use the shortcut key combinations. I haven't used the start menu in ages since I end up just using the search bar instead.

So you use your mouse to click on the start menu button, scroll through the menu and click again on the program? That sounds awful. I click the Windows button and type the program name.

100%

It's the only way I open the start menu. There is no faster way to get to what I want than Superkey and typing.

PS I have all my OSes set up similarly. OSx has spotlight, my GNOME and KDE are configured to launch searchable menus on Super, and my mobile launcher is set up to search when I swipe up.

Whether you use Windows or Linux, the Windows key is the foundation of many useful keyboard shortcuts. You know, hold it down plus some other key.

Whatever your preferred OS, look them up! You may find a few you would like to start using.

But yeah, on my work computer which is a Windows machine, I often use it to open the start menu and start typing the name of the app I want to launch. It’s faster than clicking on an icon somewhere if your hands are already on the keyboard.