12 Windows Shortcuts keys that could help save you time and feel like a Pro
“Drop by drop a mighty Ocean is made” Old Proverb
Most users call their IT person a genius and marvel at how quickly they maneuver around! Although this does a lot for our egos, the truth is that we are no different than the user with the exception that we have to deal with many IT scenarios and as a result learn little tricks to get faster at what we do. We too come across those keyboard speed racers and ask how? You have probably seen this in gamers and Photoshop users who maneuver over a keyboard like a musical instrument. Gamers need to use the least time-consuming method to reach their objective to remain competitive and even buy custom keyboards to improve.
The truth is that we are all so overwhelmed that we naturally look for shortcuts to do more with our limited time. This naturally gave way to using the build-in shortcuts provided by the programs and the operating system and for some creating our own custom ones
Here are some very useful shortcuts that you might also find helpful in getting your work done faster, even if it is by only a second or two, but as the proverb above states, those seconds do add up over a long period of time.
Almost all windows keyboards now have what is called the Windows Key now (Yes, they copied Apple) and this will come up in the examples below. Please note its location:
Let’s get started with my ten favorite shortcut keys
FIND – CTL + F (Hold the Control Key and hit F)
For me, the most commonly used shortcut is search (Find). Research has shown that gamers can scan a website and find what they are looking for much quicker than the rest of us and I’ve personally found this to be true. I am not a gamer and feel challenged in finding the right info, so when I am on a site, I look for keywords. For example, many firms hide their support link or make it so tiny, it’s hard to see but a quick Ctrl-F and some search words help me get there quicker.
PRINT – Ctrl + P
For those of us who print a great deal, this is a great shortcut. To print, you have to hold the mouse, hover over the File and select Print. Try Ctrl-P to get there quicker without removing your hand from the keyboard and maneuvering around to hit the File.
Show Desktop – Windows Key + D
This is another popular key for me. I save a lot of shortcuts to my desktops and instead of minimizing every item, I simply use this shortcut to see my desktop quicker. The most common use of this is by kids who minimize social networks and gaming and in some very rare instances, by adults! Let’s not investigate that too much more here.
New Browser Tab – Ctrl + T
For those of you who browse a great deal for “Office work”, this is a great little tool. Doesn’t matter if you are using Chrome, Internet Explorer or Firefox, this shortcut will allow you to create a new browsing tab.
Recover Closed Browser Tab – Ctrl + Shift + T
Have you ever closed a browser tab you were working in and had to search your history or scream! Well, this little option helps you recover a closed tab by opening the previous ones closed. This too works in any of the browsers mentioned. You’ll thank me for this one day and let me hint ahead of time, I am a fan of Milk Chocolate bars!
Save – Ctrl + S
This is probably one of the most loved ones. It is really easy to get used to doing this combination while you are working on your document thinking about the next thing you will write by saving your document. This is one of the most prized ones by computer techs as we don’t have to tell you that your autosave didn’t work and all I can do is recover a backup from several hours to days before!
Undo – Ctrl + Z
This is another one of my favorites. To undo a mistake such as when you accidentally deleted a paragraph. This shortcut will bring it back.
Redo – Ctrl + Y
What if you undo it and realize, no, I rather go back to what I had typed before I deleted this. Redo, gets you back to the last place before you did an undo. Test it out right now, open up a word document, type something, then delete a portion of it or all of it. Then play around with these two shortcuts.
Copy and Paste – Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V
I wasn’t going to include these as it is the most common ones and everyone knows it, but I thought I will probably get bombarded with this as a missed suggestion. As the name suggests, they let you copy and paste anything you highlight, including images in certain circumstances
Copy with the Mouse – Ctrl Key + Mouse Drag
Let’s get the mouse involved too. This is the fastest way to copy a file. Hold down the Ctrl key and then select a file and drag it and it will create a copy of that file in the same location. Note that dragging the file by itself to another location is a move.
Lock my Screen – Ctrl + L
If you need to step away from your desk and lock your screen, the quickest shortcut is this combination. You can also do Ctrl+ALT+DEL and then hit enter but that makes it a double combo.
Opening up My Computer quickly – Windows Key + E
For those of us that are addicted to using My Computer and seeing our drives, this will get you there quicker than using the mouse
There are lots more shortcuts and here are some resources to help you to discover a few that could be more useful to you this link: Windows Shortcuts
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to Contact Us
