Depending on what you need to "refresh," Windows offers several different keyboard combinations:
If you simply want to "refresh" your desktop screen (to update file icons or fix visual lag): windows screen refresh shortcut
| Action | Shortcut | Best used for | |--------|----------|----------------| | Refresh (screen/folder) | F5 | Updating file lists, fixing icon glitches | | Refresh (alternate) | Ctrl + R | Same as above (works in browsers too) | | Hard refresh (browser) | Ctrl + F5 | Reloading a webpage without cache | | Restart Windows | (Start menu) | Fixing system lag, applying updates | Depending on what you need to "refresh," Windows