MOST USED KEYBOARD SHORTCUT KEYS
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Technology is created for consumers to make their lives easier by storing information, performing tasks quickly, improving the overall quality of life and hundreds of other useful reasons. Computers are among the many pieces of technology designed for making life easier and are used every day by most people. With the ease of use in mind, computers have keyboard shortcut keys that can cut down the time it takes to complete certain tasks. Keyboard shortcut keys or hotkeys are combinations of one or multiple buttons on the computer's keyboard that perform a task. This task would normally be done by a click of the mouse. When using keyboard shortcut keys on your computer, you will enjoy their convenience and learning how to use them isn't difficult at all. Using the examples below, you will be more efficient and save time throughout your busy day.
The first 2 keyboard shortcut keys you can learn are very simple. Typing the ENTER button will select or load something and the ESC button on your keyboard will cancel the current window or program.
Let’s say you make a mistake and you want to undo the error you’ve done. All you have to do is hold down the CTRL button and Z and it will undo the last action. If you change your mind, click CTRL and R and it will redo the action that you’ve undone. If you simply want to select something and delete it, highlight the item you want to be deleted and click the DEL button. If it is a file on your computer, it will send it to the trash or recycle bin. If you want to select an entire section of the text, press CTRL and A and it will highlight all of the text available. This can be useful if you need to delete it all or if you need to Copy or Cut the selection.
The keyboard shortcut key to Copy, Cut or Paste something is just as simple. If you want to Copy something, hold down CTRL and C. If you want to Cut a selection, click CTRL and X. Once you’ve copied or Cut something, you can Paste it elsewhere by clicking CTRL and V. This will place it in the destination you choose.
When you are using Word and you want to change the font, you can select all of the text you want to change (CTRL+A) and choose whether you want to bold, underline or italicize it. To bold the font, use CTRL and B; to underline the selected text, press CTRL and U; to have an italic font, press CTRL and the letter I. While still in Word, you may want to use different words instead of using the same old adjectives. For instance, if you feel like you are using the word great too many times in your document, just highlight the word great and click SHIFT and F7 and the Thesaurus will open up on the right side of Word. This will help add a little more creativity to your writing all with the help of the keyboard shortcut keys.
If you find that your webpage is loading very slowly or not at all, you can click the F5 button and it will automatically refresh. If you want to find a certain word or phrase on a webpage or within a file or document, hold down CTRL and F and you will be able to find what you want and see how many times the word or phrase appears.
When filling out forms, you can use keyboard shortcut keys to fill them out much faster. When you are finished filling out a text box and you want to go to the next one, just click on the TAB key and it will direct you to the next box with a blinking cursor. If you’ve made a mistake in the previous box and want to go back, you can press SHIFT and TAB together and it will bring you back to the previous one. If there is a drop-down list in a form you are filling out, press ALT and the down arrow and it will display all the choices you can click.
Basic keyboard shortcut keys can be used right from your desktop. Clicking F1 will open Help. Pressing CTRL and ESC or just the Windows logo will open the start menu. Use ALT and TAB together and you can switch between each program, file or software you are using. If you need to open the RUN dialog box, just click the Windows logo and the letter R. If you want to minimize all the windows on your screen, click the Windows logo and M or if you want to undo the minimizing, click SHIFT + Windows logo + M. If you want to find a file or folder on your computer, hold down the Windows logo and F and it will take you to a window where you can search for it.
Whether you need to use keyboard shortcut keys at work, surfing the internet or writing a document in Word, you can always have them at your fingertips. You will quickly find yourself memorizing most of the keyboard shortcut keys and using them with most of the things you use your computer for. It would even be a good idea for you to print out a list of keyboard shortcut keys and post it somewhere near your computer or workspace. Using these simple and functional tools will give you the upper hand when using your keyboard. They will prove that technology can benefit you, your life and the things you want to accomplish.
