Bill Gates reveals one big decision he would rethink if he could turn back time

Bill Gates biggest regret in life is an answer you wouldn't expect. Photo / Michele Limina

Bill Gates has revealed the one decision he wishes he could change if time travel were possible - and it might surprise you.

The Microsoft founder said he wouldn't change too much in case he altered the course of history, reports The Sun.

But he did say there was one small tweak he would make that may have changed your life for the better.

Gates said during a talk at the Bloomberg Global Business Forum that he wouldn't have created the CTRL-ALT-DEL keyboard shortcut.

The shortcut allows you interrupt your computer's operations when it goes haywire, allowing you to restart if necessary but it is notoriously tricky to manoeuvre.

When quizzed on the keyboard function during his appearance at the Plaza Hotel in New York, Gates said: "I am not sure you can go back and change the small things in your life without putting the other things at risk."

Asked whether he regretted his decision, he said: "Sure, if I could make one small edit I would make that a single key operation."

It certainly hasn't cost him dearly, as Gates is apparently on track to become the world's first trillionaire.

Forbes, which publishes a yearly rich-list, estimates Gates' fortune in 2017 to be around $A108 billion. But he is accumulating wealth by simply breathing.

An Oxfam report stated if billionaires like Gates continue to secure these returns, "we could see the world's first trillionaire in 25 years".