From the Kenosha News on 8-6-06

Get more power from your favorite keyboard shortcuts

Back in May of 2005, I wrote a column listing some of the most useful keyboard shortcuts. (It’s available on-line at http://sabbarpublications.com/newsarchive/news5-3-05.html) Since then, I’ve learned a few more, including those that combine simple ones with additional keys to do some very slick things.

Below are the keystrokes for Windows users. Many are also valid in MacOS, but they use the “open Apple key” (that curly thing) instead of the Ctrl key.

PrtSc - Captures the image on the screen.

Alt-PrtSc – Captures the image of the top window on the screen. With either of the above, you can then use Ctrl-V to paste that image into a document. (Submitted by Marilyn, a reader.)

End – Key at the upper right of your keyboard. Takes you to the end of the line in athecurrent document

Ctrl-End – Takes you to the end of the entire document or web page

Home – Key at the upper right of your keyboard. Takes you to the beginning of the line in a document.

Ctrl-Home – Takes you to the top of the entire document or web page.

PgDn or PgUp – Scrolls down or up a screen at a time

Ctrl-PageDn or Ctrl-PgUp – Scrolls down or up a whole page at a time.

Tab – In a Word document enters a Tab character, but in a web form or in a table, it will move the cursor from one fill-in box to the next.

Shift-Tab – In a table or web form it moves BACKWARDS from one box to another.

Alt-Tab - Moves from one application to another

Enter – In a document it creates a “carriage return”, but in a dialog box, it is the equivalent of clicking OK or the default option. Why use the mouse to click a button if you can just press Enter? (Submitted by Matt, one of my Carthage colleagues)

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

Ctrl-F2 – Print Preview in MS Word

Ctrl-F6 – Switch between documents currently open in MS Word

Ctrl-F10 – Maximize the current window in MS Word. Press again to un-maximize.

For those that missed the previous column, here are my favorite simple keystrokes:

Ctrl-Esc – Bring up the Start Menu

Alt-F4 – Close the current window

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

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

Ctrl-F – Find (open the search feature)

Ctrl-P – Print

Ctrl-S – Save

Ctrl-V – Paste

Ctrl-X – Cut

F1 – Help in whatever application is active

F5 – Refresh. Especially useful if you’ve been moving files around and want to see what the current folder really contains.

As a bonus for Mac users, I recently learned from my son that you CAN right-click on a Mac, even though there’s only one button on the mouse! Hold down the Ctrl key and click the mouse.

By Carol Sabbar from the Kenosha News on 8-6-06