Windows 8: Common Touch Gestures, Multi-tasking & On-screen Keyboards

Even if you're used to a smartphone or tablet, the many gesture possibilities in Windows 8 can be confusing initially. Here, we show you the most important ones, and reveal their mouse and keyboard equivalents. We also explore a cool new feature called 'snap multi-tasking', and tell you if it works well.

Common Windows 8 Touch Gestures

Microsoft's pitch for a single OS for desktops and mobile devices like smartphones and tablets is simple: You can use whatever works best, whenever it works best. The same can be said for input methods. Surfing the Web in Internet Explorer 10? Nothing beats the direct interaction between your fingers and the touchscreen: you can swipe through pages, pinch to zoom into an image, tap a link to open it, or type a URL using the on-screen touch keyboard. Working with desktop apps like Excel or Photoshop? You'd probably be more productive with the traditional mouse and keyboard combination. Windows 8 makes it easy to use whichever method works best.

That said, after test-driving Windows 8 on a variety of devices, including desktops, laptops, and tablets, there's no doubt in our minds that the OS is best suited for touch, especially if you were to spend most of your time in the Start screen and Modern-style apps, where they're built to be wide and scrolled horizontally. Yes, a keyboard or mouse will still work, but the shortcuts and maneuvers are often tricky to pull off. Then again, it's not as if the touch gestures are obvious out of the box either.

In light of this little problem, we’ve compiled a few common Windows 8 Modern UI gestures and their mouse and keyboard equivalents below. We also take a closer look at a new multi-tasking feature called 'snap multi-tasking', and explore the various virtual keyboards built into the OS.

  • Reveal System Commands ('Charms' Bar) Anywhere
Touch
Mouse / Trackpad
Keyboard
Swipe in from the right edge of the screen.
Place cursor in the lower or upper-right corner, then move the cursor along the right edge.
Windows + C.
  • See List of Previously Used Modern-Style Apps
Touch
Mouse / Trackpad
Keyboard
Swipe in from the left edge, and back out again without releasing finger.
Place cursor in the upper-left corner, then move the cursor down the left edge.
Hold Windows + Tab.
  • Switch between Opened Modern-Style Apps
Touch
Mouse / Trackpad
Keyboard
Swipe in from the left edge.
Place cursor in the upper-left corner, and click to cycle through the apps. Or, place cursor in the lower-left, and click to switch between the last opened app and the Start screen.
Windows + Tab.*

*Note: This is only for switching between Modern-style apps. To include opened desktop apps, use Alt + Tab.

  • Reveal App Commands

 

 

Touch
Mouse / Trackpad
Keyboard
Swipe in from the bottom or top edge.
Right-click in the app.
Context menu key, Shift + F10, or Windows + Z.
  • Close a Modern-style App
Touch
Mouse / Trackpad
Keyboard
Drag app to the bottom of the screen.
Click the top of the app, and drag it to the bottom of the screen till it disappears.
Alt + F4.
  • App Overview at Start Screen
Touch
Mouse / Trackpad
Keyboard
Pinch inward for a zoomed out view.
Press Ctrl and scroll the mouse wheel.
Ctrl + minus (-).

Naturally, this list isn't exhaustive. We've excluded a few of the more obvious generic touch gestures, such as tap to perform an action, slide to pan or scroll through lists and pages, pinch to zoom, and rotate to turn. If you've used a smartphone or tablet before, we believe these should come second nature to you when you’re using Windows 8 on a touch-enabled device. If infographics is your thing, check out this neat gestures infographics that we've found for the Release Preview of Windows 8.

Snap Multi-tasking

Remember earlier we talked about how to go about switching between opened apps, and to see a list of previously used apps? Well, if you just want to keep two apps on the screen at the same time, a better way is to use a new feature called 'snap multi-tasking', which allows you to dock an app in a small stripe on the left or right hand side of the screen.

To enable snap multi-tasking, simply swipe an app in from the left edge, and instead of letting go, move it back toward the left (or, drag it further toward the right). Of course, this is assuming the app that you're swiping in from the left (that is, your last used app) is the app you want to multi-task with. If it isn't, then you've to first bring up the previously used apps list, and drag in the correct app from the list.

After doing that, you'll notice that the main app will now make room for a stripe that appears on the side; this stripe is where you dock the secondary app in. To switch the sizes of the apps, just drag (or double-click on) the resize handle.

To ensure that you can still see what's in the stripe, Windows 8 doesn't simply downsize the content. It also reflows them. Here, we can still see the weather forecast for the week clearly in the smaller left pane.

To ensure that you can still see what's in the stripe, Windows 8 doesn't simply downsize the content. It also reflows them. Here, we can still see the weather forecast for the week clearly in the smaller left pane.

You can also dock an app on the right side. To enlarge a stripe, just drag the resize handle (the thin stripe with three vertical dots between the apps). The secondary app will now become the primary app, and take up most of the screen.

You can also dock an app on the right side. To enlarge a stripe, just drag the resize handle (the thin stripe with three vertical dots between the apps). The secondary app will now become the primary app, and take up most of the screen.

Snap multi-tasking works for the desktop 'app' too. When the desktop is in the smaller stripe, it will show thumbnails of the desktop apps that you've opened. That's because Windows 8 doesn't reflow the content of a desktop app like how it does for a Modern-style app. To switch to a desktop app, just tap or click on a thumbnail.

Snap multi-tasking works for the desktop 'app' too. When the desktop is in the smaller stripe, it will show thumbnails of the desktop apps that you've opened. That's because Windows 8 doesn't reflow the content of a desktop app like how it does for a Modern-style app. To switch to a desktop app, just tap or click on a thumbnail.

Having detailed the usability of snap multi-tasking, it still has some limitations. The most obvious one is that you can't have two equally sized apps. In fact, there are only two sizes. Also, you can only 'snap' two apps. There's no way to bring in a third app, regardless of how big your screen is. Still, this is by far the best way to multi-task with a Modern-style app and the desktop, especially on a tablet-like form factor. Obviously, this wasn't designed for desktops with 24-inch and larger screens where more possibilities are abound. If Microsoft is reading our thoughts, yes, we're expecting enhancements to snap multi-tasking in the very near future and we hope we won't be disappointed as it has great potential. Meanwhile, the good old Aero Snap is still available on the desktop interface:-

Want to snap two desktop apps side by side? Windows 7's Aero Snap still works in Windows 8. Just drag a window all the way to one side of the screen, and Windows will snap it on that side and reduce the width in half. Then do the same for the other app, but now for the other side.

Want to snap two desktop apps side by side? Windows 7's Aero Snap still works in Windows 8. Just drag a window all the way to one side of the screen, and Windows will snap it on that side and reduce the width in half. Then do the same for the other app, but now for the other side.

Touch Keyboards

Of course, all the swiping, tapping, dragging, and pinching contribute to a more intuitive interaction between the user and the device, but what about typing? Thankfully, Microsoft has built in a good selection of virtual keyboards in Windows 8 to aid the tablet devices and touch screen devices (like desktop all-in-one machines) it will power. There's a full-size keyboard, a thumb keyboard that splits the keys on either side of the screen, as well as a handwriting panel.

The full-size keyboard has large touch targets for easy typing, but it also takes up quite a bit of screen space.

The full-size keyboard has large touch targets for easy typing, but it also takes up quite a bit of screen space.

Like to use emoticons in your email or chat? Windows 8 has you covered.

Like to use emoticons in your email or chat? Windows 8 has you covered.

On the desktop, you can undock the virtual keyboard from the bottom of the screen, and position it elsewhere.

On the desktop, you can undock the virtual keyboard from the bottom of the screen, and position it elsewhere.

The idea of the split keyboard is so that you can type with your thumbs when you're holding the device with both hands and on-the-go.

The idea of the split keyboard is so that you can type with your thumbs when you're holding the device with both hands and on-the-go.

There's also a handwriting recognition keyboard.

There's also a handwriting recognition keyboard.

 

To get this keyboard, use the Search Charm to search for the 'On-Screen Keyboard' app. While it shows more keys at the same time, we found them too crammed for our liking.

To get this keyboard, use the Search Charm to search for the 'On-Screen Keyboard' app. While it shows more keys at the same time, we found them too crammed for our liking.

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