There may be times when it’s inconvenient to use the mouse for a particular command or for a whole working session on the computer. Repeated clicking of the mouse also causes physical pain as well as nerve damage in the wrists, hands, shoulders, neck and arms. Being familiar with keyboard shortcuts will not only help speed up your productivity, but it will also alleviate wrist fatigue. These Windows tips and tricks usually replace several operations that are performed with the mouse and a set of keys that should be pressed simultaneously to get the job done. Take for instance the opening of the Task Manager. Using the keyboard, you only need to press Ctrl + Shift + Esc in order to open it. Without the shortcut, you would need to look for the Task Manager (say on the Start Menu) to load it from there. If these tricks and tips are new to you, you may be interested to know the top 20 keyboard shortcuts for Windows that would help you expedite your work.
- F3 – Opens a window that will allow the user to search his or her computer.
- Alt + Tab – Allows the user to switch between windows and open programs.
- Alt + F4 – Exits or closes the active program or item.
- Ctrl + a – Selects all in a document or folder.
- Ctrl + c – Copies the desired contents to the clipboard.
- Ctrl + f – If the user wants to search for something, this keyboard shortcut is the best one to use. Most office apps and web browsers support it. F3 might also work sometimes.
- Ctrl + z – Used to undo the last action.
- Ctrl + x – Cuts the selected item or data.
- Ctrl + y – Used to redo the last action.
- Ctrl + left arrow – Used to move the cursor to the previous word’s beginning
- Windows + d – Shows the desktop.
- Ctrl + right arrow – Used to move the cursor to the next word’s beginning.
- Ctrl + s – Saves a web page or a document in various programs.
- Ctrl + Home – Used to move the cursor to the document’s top
- Windows + m – Reduces all windows to display the desktop.
- Ctrl + End – Used to move the cursor to the document’s end.
- Windows + F1 – Opens the Help Menu.
- Esc – Used to cancel the existing task.
- Ctrl + v – Pastes the copied contents into the desired program of the user.
- Windows + Shift + m – Used to restore the windows to their usual position.
These are just some of the keyboard shortcuts that would let you do your tasks easier and faster. There is no need to use a special keyboard for these shortcuts. All you need to do is memorize them and apply it to perform your tasks.
