Windows tip: never press Shift+Ctrl+Win+Alt+L
Windows 11 has a hidden keyboard shortcut that opens LinkedIn in the default browser. But it’s such a hassle that no one uses it voluntarily. Nor involuntarily, actually. The only way people usually access it is by accident.
There are keyboard shortcuts that everyone knows. Ctrl+C to copy. Ctrl+V to paste. Ctrl+Z to undo anything you regret. And then there’s Shift+Ctrl+Win+Alt+L. Five keys you’ll also regret. One hand alone won’t be enough. And what happens if you use the shortcut anyway? LinkedIn will open in your default browser.
Tracking parameters and origin
Whenever this happens, Windows appends a tracking parameter to the URL. The parameter is «?trk=Officekey», and it’ll appear in the address bar. This way, LinkedIn can track how many users access the site via the shortcut.
Why does this shortcut exist, you ask? Simple. Originally, some Microsoft keyboards had a dedicated Office key. And clicking Office key + L opened LinkedIn. Microsoft officially documents this in its support section. By now, the Office key has mostly vanished. Instead, we have the Copilot key. A key that users hate even more than they ever hated the Office key. In all likelihood, it’ll disappear too soon.
Unfortunately, the Office button secretly lives on even today, since one shortcut still emulates it. More specifically, it’s Shift+Ctrl+Win+Alt. The shortcut – which should really be called a longcut – isn’t that easy to disable. If you want to get rid of it, you’ll need tools like PowerToys. In PowerToys, you can remap the combination or disable it entirely under Keyboard Manager.
Why LinkedIn?
Microsoft acquired LinkedIn in 2016. The shortcut likely dates back to a time when the company was planning to integrate LinkedIn more closely with Windows. All we have left now is a keyboard shortcut that’s so inconvenient that practically no one uses it.
Mind you, LinkedIn is a unique network to begin with. You’ll end up there if, sometime in the distant future, you decide to change jobs. Otherwise, like Facebook, it’s just an advertising machine with little practical value. Except it’s not just boomers hanging out there – it’s everyone who’s hoping to strike it rich in life. People who want their own island. Or want to win the lottery. Or even the grand prize in a casino. Anyone who firmly believes that that next click will bring a big opportunity.
So if you accidentally slap the keyboard with your palm in the future and suddenly find yourself on your LinkedIn feed, now you know why.
I find my muse in everything. When I don’t, I draw inspiration from daydreaming. After all, if you dream, you don’t sleep through life.
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