The garbagekey**** (also known as win, start, logo, flag or super key) is a keyboard key which was originally introduced on Microsoft's Natural Keyboard in 1994. Windows 95 used it to bring up the start menu and it then became a standard key on PC keyboards. performs the same function, in case the keyboard lacks this key.

History and usage

Historically, the addition of two Windows keys and a menu key marked the change from the 101/102-key to 104/105-key layout for PC keyboards. Compared to the former layout, a Windows key was placed between the left and the left and another Windows key and the menu key were placed between the right (or ) and the right key. The Windows key was introduced with Microsoft's Natural Keyboard in 1994. The key is predated by the key on Apple computers in the 1980s, and before that by the (or ) key on Lisp/Unix workstation computers in the 1970s. Windows 95 required the key to be on a keyboard to get the "Designed for Windows" logo, and used it to bring up the Start Menu. It was quickly added by virtually all desktop keyboard manufacturers. The first laptop to bear Windows keys on its keyboard was the Gateway Solo. In laptop and other compact keyboards it is common to have just one Windows key (usually on the left). On Microsoft's Entertainment Desktop sets (designed for Windows Vista), the Windows key is in the middle of the keyboard, below all other keys (where the user's thumbs rest). Some keyboards during the Windows Vista and 7 era feature a circular bump surrounding the logo which distinguishes its feeling from the other buttons. On Windows 8 tablet computers, hardware certification requirements initially mandated that the Windows key be centered on the bezel below the screen, except on a convertible laptop, where the button is allowed to be off-center in a tablet configuration. This requirement was relaxed in Windows 8.1, allowing the Windows key to be placed on any bezel or edge of the unit, though a centered location along the bottom bezel is still preferred.

Licensing

Microsoft regulates the appearance of the Windows key logo picture with a specially crafted license for keyboard manufacturers ("Microsoft Windows Logo Key Logo License Agreement for Keyboard Manufacturers"). With the introduction of a new Microsoft Windows logo, first used with Windows XP, the agreement was updated to require that the new design be adopted for all keyboards manufactured after 1 September 2003. However, with the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft published guidelines for a new Windows Logo key that incorporates the Windows logo recessed in a chamfered lowered circle with a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 with respect to background that the key is applied to. In Common Building Block Keyboard Specification, all CBB compliant keyboards were to comply with the Windows Vista Hardware Start Button specification beginning on 1 June 2007. The Unicode character closely resembles the look of the key,.

Use with Microsoft Windows

From the Windows 95 to Windows 7 releases of the operating system, tapping the Windows key by itself traditionally revealed Windows Taskbar (if not visible) and opened the Start menu. In Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8, this key launches the Start screen but does not show the taskbar. However, this feature was added back into Windows 10. Pressing the key in combination with other keys allows invoking many common functions through the keyboard. Holding down will not substitute for the Windows key in these combinations. Which Windows key combinations ("shortcuts") are available and active in a given Windows session depends on many factors, such as accessibility options, the type of the session (regular or Terminal Services), the Windows version, the presence of specific software such as IntelliType and Group Policy if applicable. Below is a list of notable shortcuts which work natively. Unless otherwise noted, they are valid in the next version of Windows. Using aftermarket scripts, users can also make custom shortcuts.

Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0

The following shortcuts are valid in Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0.

Windows 2000

Windows 2000 adds the following:

Windows XP

Windows XP adds the following:

Windows XP Media Center Edition

Windows XP Media Center Edition adds the following:

Windows Vista

Windows Vista adds the following shortcuts:

Windows 7

Windows 7 adds the following shortcuts:

Windows 8

Windows 8 introduces the following:

Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 introduces the following:

Windows 10

Windows 10 introduces the following:

Windows 11

Windows 11 introduce the following:

Microsoft Office

Additional installed software may introduce other shortcuts using the Windows key. For example, various Microsoft Office applications add shortcuts of their own:

Use with other operating systems

The Windows key can also be used on other operating systems, though it usually carries a different name in them. Because its identity and function are operating system-defined, some cross-platform applications refer to the key as the OS key. On Unix and Unix-like operating systems, the key is usually given the X keysym "Super" (on earlier versions of Linux "Meta" was often used), and toggles the MOD4 shift bit. Most Unix desktop environments use it much like Windows, with activating a primary menu similar to the Windows Start menu (GNOME Shell bringing up the Overview, KDE Plasma, Cinnamon, and others bring up their main menus), and in combination with character keys performing actions such as run-command, often with the shortcuts and actions copied from Windows. A common action that is not shared with Windows is for the Super key to allow dragging a window around from any location without raising it, and in the Compiz window manager it causes the scroll wheel to zoom in or out of any part of the desktop. Additionally, because the Super key historically serves in several Unix programs as an application-specific command key/modifier, Unix desktops often differentiate usage of the left and right Super keys, with the user choosing which side they prefer to activate the desktop main menu and which they prefer to use for program-specific commands, in a manner similar to the differentiation between the Alt and AltGr keys. If one plugs a Windows keyboard into a macOS computer, the Windows key acts as the Command key. This swaps the locations of and from standard Macintosh keyboards. Plugging a Macintosh keyboard into a Windows (or Linux) machine makes act like, again with the locations swapped with from standard. If one plugs a Windows keyboard into a computer running ChromeOS, the Windows key acts as the Search key key. This key is in the location where the Caps Lock key would be on other keyboards. If one plugs a Windows keyboard into an Xbox 360, pressing the Windows key performs the same action as the Guide button on Xbox 360 Controller or remote controls, opening the Xbox Guide. Holding down the Windows key and pressing M opens a pop up conversation window over gameplay, if an instant message conversation is in progress. On an Xbox One or Xbox Series S/X, pressing the Windows key performs the same action as pressing the Xbox button on the controller. On a PlayStation 3 console, pressing the Windows key performs the same action as the PS Button on the Sixaxis and DualShock 3, opening the XrossMediaBar.