There are a plethora of keyboard shortcuts available, which make it a lot easier for us while we are performing multiple tasks simultaneously. One such shortcut key is Ctrl+W.

In this article, we discuss the function of Ctrl+W, alternative shortcut keys for Ctrl+W and what happens when you use it in browsers, Microsoft programs or other software.

What is Ctrl+W used for in browsers?

Ctrl+W, also referred to as Control+W, is the keyboard shortcut for closing tabs, windows, documents and programs that are currently running on your PC.

If you are running a browser on your PC and you press the Ctrl+W shortcut key it will immediately close the current tab running on the browser.
Furthermore, if there was only one tab open in the browser, pressing Ctrl+W will close the browser altogether.

This keyboard shortcut works the same way with open files, tabs and documents.

What happens when you press Ctrl+W in a Microsoft program?

If you are working on a Microsoft program, for example, a spreadsheet on Excel, a Word doc or a Powerpoint presentation, pressing Ctrl+W will close the document if you have already saved the changes.

In case you haven’t yet saved the changes, the spreadsheet will pop a dialogue box so that you can save the document before closing it.