Keyboard shortcuts will boost your productivity

      Why use your arms when you can use your fingers?  When using a computer, if you can use the keyboard to perform a task, why take your hands off the keyboard to use the mouse?  These keyboard shortcuts to common functions are good to know for improved efficiency and in the case that your mouse doesn't work at some point.

      Below are the keystrokes for Windows users.  Many of them also apply to MacOS, but you use the "open Apple key" (that curly thing) instead of the Ctrl key.

      Ctrl-Esc – Bring up the Start Menu

      Alt-Tab – Move from one application to another

      Alt-Esc – Move from one application window to another

      Alt-F4 – Close the currently active window

      Ctrl-A – Select All (especially useful in MS Word but works universally)

      Ctrl-B – Turn on or off bolding

      Ctrl-C – Copy (copies highlighted text or any file that is selected)

      Ctrl-F – Find (open the search feature)

      Ctrl-I – Turn on or off italics

      Ctrl-N – New document

      Ctrl-O – Open existing document

      Ctrl-P – Print

      Ctrl-S – Save

      Ctrl-U – Turn on or off underlining

      Ctrl-V – Paste

      Ctrl-W – Close the currently active window

      Ctrl-X – Cut

      Ctrl-Z – Undo

      Ctrl-Enter – Add a page break in a Word document

      PrtSc – Capture the image on the screen.  Then use Ctrl-V to paste it into a Word document or a graphics program.

      F1 – Help in whatever application is active

      F2 – Rename.  Highlight a file and then press F2 and type in the new name.

      F3 – Search.  With a folder open (not a document in an application,) press F3 to search for a file on your computer.

      F5 – Refresh.  Especially useful if you've been moving files around and want to see what the current folder really contains.  This works very well in MS FrontPage.

      F7 – Spelling and grammar options in most applications.

      Ctrl-Alt-Del – Bring up the Task Manager menu in Windows, which can be used to terminate a program or shut down the computer.  (In the old days in DOS, this used to restart the system!)

      If your mouse really does fail, use Ctrl-Enter to bring up the Start menu.  Use arrow keys to move from one option to another.  Use Enter to select the highlighted option.  If you have a dialog box to fill out, use the Tab key to move from one option to another or from one tab to another.  To select options or check and un-check boxes, use the space bar.