Almost everyone uses keyboard shortcuts to do their jobs faster and easier. Keyboard shortcuts are extremely helpful as they allow you to do certain functions on your computer using a couple of keystrokes. You can use a lot of built-in shortcuts and many Windows users are familiar with it. Some of these common shortcuts are the Ctrl + C (used to copy the selected contents to the clipboard) as well as Ctrl + C (used to paste the copied data on the desired program of the user). But what if you want to change the existing keyboard shortcuts in Windows? Is it possible? Of course, it is! You can assign keyboard shortcuts to applications and programs to make everything easier for you. Knowing some Windows tips and tricks will surely help you to change those built-in keyboard shortcuts and assign the shortcuts you desire.
How to Change Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows
- Right click a program name from All Programs (found in the Start menu) or a certain program on the desktop and choose Properties. That dialog box for Properties will open.
- Click the dialog box’s Shortcut tab. To see if there’s already a keyboard shortcut for that particular program, look for the Shortcut Key field.
- Delete the current keyboard shortcut if you want to change it. Click within the Shortcut Key box.
- Type the number, letter or any other key you want in the Shortcut Key area. The key combination will be assigned automatically by Windows. For instance, you type E, Windows will assign Ctrl + Alt + E as the new keyboard shortcut for that particular program.
- After that, click the Apply button in order to save the new keyboard shortcut you have assigned for the program. Click the OK button to close the Properties window.
It is easy to change the keyboard shortcuts in Windows, but make sure that the new shortcut you have chosen is not being used for another function or application. You can try it out first before changing the shortcuts to make sure that you will be able to successfully replace it. It is also possible to make your own keyboard shortcuts on Microsoft Word if you’re already finding it boring to choose your desired commands through the Ribbon tabs. To assign a shortcut command, you have to:
- Open MS Word.
- Click the Office button and a pull-down menu will appear.
- Click Word Options and the window for it will be displayed.
- Click Customize (located in the left pane) and the Word Options window will show different customization selections.
- Click the Customize button (located at the window’s bottom) and the dialog box for Customize Keyboard will appear.
- Click a particular tab name (like Insert, Page Layout or Home) in the Categories box (it contains all the available commands in that tab name). Select and click a command that you want to change.
- Type a new combination in the New Shortcut Key field.
- Click Assign and MS Word will assign it to your selected command.
- Click Close and then OK.
