Updated 2010-10-18.

Moving windows with keyboard shortcuts

If your mouse is broken or your window has disappeared off-screen or for whatever reason …

• Windows
  • Alt+Space, M, then use cursor keys, hit Enter to set position.
  • Note that Alt+Space, X will maximise a window to fill the current viewport; useful if your window is completely off screen and you don’t know where.
  • Microsoft’s page on Win7 keyboard shortcuts.

Alt-F3 / Alt-Space enters the “window menu” or “window configuration menu” for the currently focussed application / program.

M is the underlined letter in Move, this will then bring up the “compass” cursor over the window to be moved.

Cursor keys – up, down, left, right – then move the window around.

Enter key exits the window menu leaving the window in the newly set position.

• Linux
  • Alt-F3, M, then use cursor keys, hit Enter to set position;
  • This should work on all the mainstream linux distros (Ubuntu and variants, Fedora, Debian, etc.), let me know in the comments if it does/doesn’t work for you.
  • Standard Ubuntu keyboard shortcuts.

• Mac
  • The best I can do is to use Mouse Keys (I’m not a Mac user): press Option (aka Alt) 5 times to activate|deactivate “mouse keys” then you can use your number pad (or number keys) as a mouse input. 4 moves left, 2 down, etc., 5 to click button, 0 to hold the button.
  • Apple’s page on other Mac keyboard shortcuts.