Microsoft, like most software manufacturers, tries to make their software as simple to use as they know how.  One method of doing this is to give multiple methods for accomplishing the same task.  For instance; if you want to delete a selection from a document you’re editing you can 1) open the edit menu and select the delete option 2) right click on the selection and click the delete option 3) press the delete key on the keyboard.

Everyone has their own method, and this post isn’t going to try and convince you to change your preferred method.  It is however going to cling to the fact that, for many people, a keyboard shortcut is faster than multiple mouse clicks to accomplish the same task.

Think about it;  If you spend 8 hours a day working on a computer, and you found a way to trim two seconds from every minute you spent working you’d get an additional 16 minutes of work done each day.  Or maybe you could get home 16 minutes sooner each day to watch Netflix!  If you perform highly repetitive tasks then you could potentially save many seconds every minute by using keyboard shortcuts.

So what are some keyboard shortcuts that you can use?

Here’s a shortlist of shortcuts you can use daily:

F1	Display Help
Ctrl+C (or Ctrl+Insert)	Copy the selected item
Ctrl+X	Cut the selected item
Ctrl+V (or Shift+Insert)	Paste the selected item
Ctrl+Z	Undo an action
Ctrl+Y	Redo an action
Delete (or Ctrl+D)	Delete the selected item and move it to the Recycle Bin
Shift+Delete	Delete the selected item without moving it to the Recycle Bin first
Ctrl+A	Select all items in a document or window
F3	Search for a file or folder
Alt+F4	Close the active item, or exit the active program
Alt+Tab	Switch between open items
Ctrl+Mouse scroll wheel	Change the size of icons on the desktop
Windows logo key +Tab	Cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Aero Flip 3-D
F5 (or Ctrl+R)	Refresh the active window
Esc	Cancel the current task
Windows logo key	Open Start Menu
Shift when you insert a CD	Prevent the CD from automatically playing

If you’d like to know more keyboard shortcuts simply click on “Help and Support” in the Start menu and type “Keyboard Shortcuts”.  You’ll find a list of hundreds of shortcuts to delight your fingertips and you’re boss’s bottom line.

If you’re in the greater East Tennessee area and would like more information on increasing productivity by changing your computing habits;  Call and we’ll come to the rescue!