Windows Tips

Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts can make your life a lot easier. They can also help to avoid neck pain through overuse of the mouse.

Note: With 2 key shortcuts you tap the second key while holding down the first key.
With 3 key shortcuts you tap the third key while holding down the first two.

Some shortcuts act like a toggle switch. The same key combo applies an action and reverses it.

Here are the Windows Shortcuts I find most useful:

Ctrl+C Copy Copy text or graphic into the clipboard Ctrl+B Bold Convert text to Bold type. Toggles on or off.
Ctrl+V Insert Insert text or graphic from the clipboard. Think of the V as an insertion arrow. Ctrl+I Italic Convert text to Italic type. Toggles on or off.
Ctrl+X Cut Delete text or graphic and retain in the clipboard Ctrl+U Underline Convert text to Underline type. Toggles on or off.
Ctrl+A Select All Selects all text in a page. Ctrl+P Print Menu Brings up the print menu. OK?
Ctrl+O Open Brings up the Open File dialogue box. F7 Spell Check In applicable programs starts the spellchecker.
F1 Help! In most programs (even on the Desktop) opens the Help files. Shift + F7 Synonym Check In applicable programs starts the thesaurus.
Alt+F4 Close Active Window Closes the active window. The window with a default blue title bar. Alt+Tab Cycle Windows Hold Alt and each time you tap Tab you select the next window.
Ctrl+F4 Close Current Document Closes the document, but not the program window or other open documents. +D Show the Desktop Minimizes all open Windows to the Taskbar. Toggles.
+E Open Windows Explorer Allows you to navigate around your computer. Move, copy and find files. +D Restore the Desktop Restores all open Windows to the Desktop. Toggles.
Backspace Back to Previous Web Page This applies in Internet Explorer or other web browsers. Ctrl+F Find To search for text in a document or web page.
Shift While double clicking a folder icon or My Computer icon. Opens Windows Explorer with the navigation pane open. Shift While deleting a file. Bypasses the Recycle Bin. Permanent deletion. Take care! It's gone for good.

When you've become accustomed to those, try these:

Internet Explorer Shortcuts

Most of the shortcuts tabled above will work in IE. here are some extras

Alt+Home Go to your Home page Control+N Open a new window
Backspace Go to the previous page Control+W Close the current window
Shift+Backspace Go to the next page Control+E Open Search in Explorer bar
Home Move to the beginning of a document Control+I Open Favorites in Explorer bar
End Move to the end of a document Control+D Add the current page to your Favorites
Shift+Tab Move back through the items on a webpage Alt+D Select the text in the Address bar
Tab Move forward through the items on a webpage Esc Stop loading the page
Ctrl+H Show History Bar Ctrl+Shift +I Show Favorites Bar


Internet Explorer 7 only

Ctrl+Shift+H Display and pin History Ctrl+Shift +I Display and pin Favorites

 

That's enough for a start. There are plenty more shortcuts here: http://support.Microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q126449

For Microsoft Office shortcuts try here: http://office.Microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA011407361033.aspx. Prepare for overload!

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