Keyboard Shortcuts in Ubuntu 11.10

Different Parts of Unity Desktop

(Click to enlarge.)

1. Windows Title – This title won’t show when you’re in the maximized application window.
2. Application Menu – Application menu is hidden in maximized application window.
3. Dash icon
4. Launcher
5. Launcher Icons
6. Workspace switcher
7. Trash Bin
8. Desktop
9. Application Window
10. Windows Borders and Decorations
11. Indicator Icons – Network, Sound, Messaging, Clock, Session and Power Menus.
12. Unity Dash
13. Lenses – Home, Application, Files and Music Lenses. These are actually tabs that help you navigate between what you want to look for. Essentially narrowing down the search results.

Keyboard Shortcuts

(Super is the key with Windows Logo on your PC or Command Key on your Mac.)

Launcher

• Hold Super – Invokes the Launcher. (Image flipped.)

• Hold Super, then 1 or 2 or 3 and so on until 0 – Opens or puts focus to an application. The number actually corresponds to the location of the icon on the launcher from top to bottom.
• Adding Shift will open a new instance of the application if it’s already open.
• Super+T – Opens the trash can.
• Alt+F1 – Put keyboard focus on the Launcher, use arrow keys to navigate, Enter launches an application, Right arrow exposes the quick lists if an application has them.

• Ctrl+Alt+T – Launch a terminal window.

Dash

• Tap Super(Press, don’t hold) – Opens the Dash.
  • Tab - Move to the next lens (When the dash is open)
  • Shift+Tab – 11.10+ only – Move to the previous lens (when the dash is open)
• Alt+F2 – Invokes the Dash in a “special mode” to run a command. Typing in a Folder Name will find that folder in Nautilus, you can also use ~ as a shortcut in the field. Typing an application name will show different settings of that application with that application itself.

• The Dash opens with focus on the search box to find applications and files. Using the arrow keys will navigate the results, use Enter to launch.

Panel

• F10 – Open the first menu on the panel, use the arrows keys to move along to the end of that list or to the last menu, which is ‘Session’ by default.
• Press Esc to close the menus without choosing anything.

Window Management

• Super+W – Spread mode, zoom out on all windows in all workspaces.

• Super+D – Minimize or restore all windows; (Show Desktop.)
• Alt+Tab – Switch to other applications, you can hold Alt down and then hit tab to switch to the next application.

• Alt-` (The key to the left of 1 on US layouts, by default Unity will take it as any key above the Tab key.)- Switch between an application’s windows. Hitting this combo when you’re already focused on an application will automatically switch only between the windows for that application.

Window Placement

Cycling through the same key Unity will cycle through different placement widths, so experiment by hitting the NUM key multiple times, for example Ctrl-Alt-numpad 5 5 5:

• Ctrl+Alt+Numpad 7 – Place window in top left corner of screen.
• Ctrl+Alt+Numpad 8 – Place window in top half of screen.
• Ctrl+Alt+Numpad 9 – Place window in top right corner of screen.
• Ctrl+Alt+Numpad 4 – Place window on the left side of the screen.
• Ctrl+Alt+Numpad 5 – Center/Maximize the window in the middle of the screen.
• Ctrl+Alt+Numpad 6 – Place window on the right side of the screen.
• Ctrl+Alt+Numpad 1 – Place window in the bottom left corner of the screen.
• Ctrl+Alt+Numpad 2 – Place window in the bottom half of the screen.
• Ctrl+Alt+Numpad 3 – Place window in the bottom right corner of the screen.
• Ctrl+Alt+Numpad 0 – Maximize window.
• Alt + F7 with Arrow keys – Moves the current window on the screen in the current workspace.Use Arrow keys to change its position fast, and use Arrow keys (on NUMpad when NumLock is off) to change it slowly.

Workspace Management

• Super+S – Expo mode (for everything), zooms out on all the workspaces and lets you manage windows.

• Shift+Alt+↑ – Expo mode for all windows in the current workspace only.
• Ctrl+Alt+← / → / ↑ / ↓ – Change to a new workspace.
• Ctrl+Alt+Shift-← / → / ↑ / ↓ – Place window to a new workspace.
• Alt + F10 to resize current window between normal size and/or maximize.

Above three shortcuts will work after you press Super + S

• Ctrl+Alt+L - Lock the screen.

Screenshots

• Above three shortcuts will work after you press Super + S – Take a screenshot of the current workspace.
• Alt+PrtScn – Take a screenshot of the current window.