Computer has become an integral part of human life and nowadays every field is
benefiting from the use of computer for fluent, consistent, and accurate
operation. This is why most humans are computer-dependent to some extent and
spend their time on or with computers for many reasons, whether it's studying,
marketing, financing, banking, or simply managing budgets or expenses. The
applications of computers are countless.
But did you know that you can use computer keyboard shortcuts when working on
a computer with most computer software, whether it's pre-installed Office
software or third-party software? Most of the software comes with specific
shortcut combination keys to perform specific tasks which can help in
increasing your work efficiency and give you more time for extra work or other
important additional tasks.
So, let's discuss some of the most commonly used or useful computer keyboard
shortcuts. Along with Microsoft Windows, here we discuss keyboard shortcuts
for some notable software like Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint,
and Google Chrome, as these are the most commonly used computer software.
.png "Computer Keyboard Shortcut Keys")
Microsoft Windows Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts in Microsoft Windows provide efficient ways to navigate the
operating system, manage Windows, and perform various tasks. These shortcuts
can increase your productivity and streamline your computer usage. Here are
some useful Windows shortcuts:
| Shortcut Keys | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Win + L (Lock) | This keyboard shortcut locks your computer, requiring you to enter your password or use another authentication method to access it again. It's useful when you step away from your computer and want to prevent unauthorized access. |
| Win + E (File Explorer) | This shortcut opens File Explorer, providing quick access to your files and folders. It's a convenient way to navigate your computer's file system. |
| Win + R (Run) | This shortcut opens the Run dialog, allowing you to run various commands or launch applications by typing their names. It's a fast way to access system tools and programs. |
| Alt + F4 (Close) | When pressed within an open application or window, this shortcut closes that application or window. It's a quick way to exit programs. Likewise, the combination “Alt + Spacebar + C” also does the job. |
| Win + D (Show Desktop) | This shortcut minimizes or restores all open windows, effectively showing your desktop. Repeating the shortcut restores the windows to their previous state. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Esc (Task Manager) | This shortcut opens the Task Manager, which provides information about running processes and allows you to end tasks or troubleshoot performance issues. |
| Alt + Tab (Switch Applications) | This shortcut lets you cycle through open applications quickly. Holding down the Alt key and pressing Tab repeatedly allows you to select the desired application to switch to. |
| Win + Up Arrow (Maximize Window) | This shortcut maximizes the currently active window, filling the entire screen. |
| Win + Down Arrow (Restore/Minimize Window) | This shortcut restores a maximized window to its previous size or minimizes the current window if it's restored. |
| Win + Left Arrow/Right Arrow (Snap Window) | This shortcut snaps the current window to the left or right half of the screen, allowing for efficient multitasking with two windows side by side. |
| Alt + Enter (Properties) | This shortcut opens the Properties dialog for the selected file or folder, providing information and options related to that item. When gaming, this can help you switch your game window to full screen. |
| Win + Number (1-9) (Taskbar Shortcut) | This shortcut opens or switches to the application pinned to the taskbar at the corresponding position (e.g., Win + 1 for the first pinned application). |
| Win + Ctrl + D (Virtual Desktops) | This shortcut creates a new virtual desktop (Windows 10 and later) to organize and separate your open applications and tasks. |
| Win + Ctrl + Left Arrow/Right Arrow (Virtual Desktop Navigation) | This shortcut switches between virtual desktops (Windows 10 and later) you've created for better multitasking. |
| Shift + Delete (Permanent Delete) | This shortcut permanently deletes a selected file or folder without sending it to the Recycle Bin. Use with caution as deleted files cannot be easily recovered. |
| Win + Pause/Break (System Properties) | This shortcut opens the System Properties window, where you can access advanced system settings and information about your computer. |
| Win + I (Settings) | This shortcut opens the Windows Settings app, allowing you to configure various system settings, including personalization, security, and more. |
| Alt + Print Screen (Screenshot) | This shortcut captures a screenshot of the currently active window and copies it to the clipboard. You can then paste it into an image editor or document. |
| Ctrl + Alt + Delete (Security Options) | In older versions of Windows, this shortcut opens a menu with options to lock the computer, switch users, log out, or open the Task Manager. In newer versions of Windows, it is often used to access security and sign-in options. |
| Win + Shift + S (Snipping Tool) | This shortcut opens the Snipping Tool or the Snip & Sketch tool (Windows 10 and later), allowing you to capture custom screenshots of your screen or specific regions. |
Microsoft Word Shortcuts
Microsoft Word is the most widely used word-processing tool and efficiency in
document management can be achieved with keyboard shortcuts in Microsoft Word.
Here is a set of useful shortcut keys for various tasks on MS Word:
| Shortcut Keys | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + S (Save) | This shortcut saves the current document to the selected file location. If the document is new and hasn't been saved yet, it opens the Save As dialog. |
| Ctrl + Z (Undo) | This shortcut reverses the last action you performed in the document, whether it's typing, formatting, or other edits. It can be used repeatedly. |
| Ctrl + Y (Redo) | This shortcut reverses the undo operation, effectively redoing the last action you undid. It can be used repeatedly. |
| Ctrl + F (Find) | This shortcut opens the Find and Replace dialog, allowing you to search for specific text within the document. |
| Ctrl + H (Replace) | This shortcut opens the Find and Replace dialog with a focus on replacing text throughout the document. |
| Ctrl + C (Copy) | This shortcut copies the selected text or objects to the clipboard, allowing you to paste them elsewhere. |
| Ctrl + X (Cut) | This shortcut cuts the selected text or objects, removing them from their current location and placing them on the clipboard for pasting elsewhere. |
| Ctrl + V (Paste) | This shortcut pastes the contents of the clipboard at the cursor location in the document. |
| Ctrl + B (Bold) | This shortcut applies bold formatting to the selected text, making it appear thicker or heavier. |
| Ctrl + I (Italic) | Ctrl + I (Italic) |
| Ctrl + U (Underline) | This shortcut underlines the selected text, typically used to indicate emphasis. |
| Ctrl + L (Left-align) | This shortcut left-aligns the selected text, aligning it with the left margin of the page or text box. |
| Ctrl + E (Center-align) | This shortcut center-aligns the selected text, placing it in the middle of the page or text box. |
| Ctrl + R (Right-align) | This shortcut right-aligns the selected text, aligning it with the right margin of the page or text box. |
| Ctrl + N (New Document) | This shortcut creates a new, blank document, allowing you to start a new project. |
| Ctrl + O (Open Document) | This shortcut opens an existing document from your computer or network location. |
| Ctrl + P (Print) | This shortcut opens the Print dialog, allowing you to configure print settings and print the document. |
| Ctrl + Home (Beginning of Document) | This shortcut moves the cursor to the beginning of the document or the start of the line. |
| Ctrl + End (End of Document) | This shortcut moves the cursor to the end of the document or the end of the line. |
| F12 (Save As) | This shortcut opens the Save As dialog, allowing you to save the document with a different name or in a different location. |
Microsoft Excel Shortcuts
Microsoft Excel is a popular spreadsheet tool. Efficient spreadsheet work can
be achieved with keyboard shortcuts in Microsoft Excel. Here are some
essential shortcuts for data manipulation in MS Excel:
| Shortcut Keys | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + S (Save) | This shortcut saves the current workbook, preserving any changes made to the data. |
| Ctrl + C (Copy) | This shortcut copies the selected cells and their contents to the clipboard, allowing you to paste them elsewhere. |
| Ctrl + X (Cut) | This shortcut cuts the selected cells and their contents, removing them from their current location and placing them on the clipboard for pasting elsewhere. |
| Ctrl + V (Paste) | This shortcut pastes the contents of the clipboard into the selected location in the worksheet. |
| Ctrl + Z (Undo) | This shortcut reverses the last action you performed in the worksheet, whether it's data entry, formatting, or cell manipulation. |
| Ctrl + Y (Redo) | This shortcut reverses the undo operation, effectively redoing the last action you undid. |
| Ctrl + F2 (Print Preview) | This shortcut opens the Print Preview window, allowing you to see how the worksheet will appear when printed. |
| F4 (Repeat) | This shortcut repeats the last action. This can be especially useful for repetitive tasks. |
| Ctrl + Arrow Keys (Navigation) | This shortcut navigates within cells based on the arrow key pressed. For example, Ctrl + Right Arrow moves to the edge of the data region in the current row. |
| Ctrl + Home (Beginning of Worksheet) | This shortcut moves the active cell to cell A1, the top-left cell in the worksheet. |
| Ctrl + End (End of Worksheet) | This shortcut moves the active cell to the last used cell in the worksheet, often the bottom-right cell. |
| Ctrl + Page Up/Page Down (Worksheet Tabs) | This shortcut switches between worksheet tabs when you have multiple sheets in a workbook. |
| Alt + Enter (New Line in Cell) | This shortcut allows you to start a new line within a cell, creating multiline cell content. |
| F2 (Edit Active Cell) | This shortcut activates the edit mode for the active cell, allowing you to modify its contents. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Plus (+) (Insert Rows/Columns) | This shortcut inserts new rows or columns at the selected location in the worksheet. |
| Ctrl + Minus (-) (Delete Rows/Columns) | This shortcut deletes the selected rows or columns, removing them from the worksheet. |
| Alt + E, S, V (Paste Special Values) | This shortcut opens the Paste Special dialog, allowing you to paste values from the clipboard with various options. |
| Alt + E, S, T (Paste Special Formats) | This shortcut opens the Paste Special dialog, allowing you to paste cell formatting from the clipboard. |
| Alt + D, L (Create Data Filter) | This shortcut adds a filter to the selected range, enabling you to filter and sort data in a table. |
| Ctrl + 1 (Format Cells) | This shortcut opens the Format Cells dialog, where you can adjust various formatting options for the selected cells. |
Microsoft PowerPoint Shortcuts
Microsoft PowerPoint is an easy-to-use presentation graphics software that
enables us to create professional-looking electronic slide shows. Creating and
presenting slides becomes more efficient with keyboard shortcuts in Microsoft
PowerPoint. Here's a set of valuable shortcuts:
| Shortcut Keys | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + S (Save) | This shortcut saves the current PowerPoint presentation to the selected location on your computer. |
| Ctrl + N (New Presentation) | This shortcut creates a new, blank PowerPoint presentation, ready for your content. |
| Ctrl + O (Open Presentation) | This shortcut opens an existing PowerPoint presentation from your computer or network. |
| Ctrl + C (Copy) | This shortcut copies selected elements within a slide, such as text, shapes, or images, to the clipboard. |
| Ctrl + X (Cut) | This shortcut cuts selected elements, removing them from the slide and placing them on the clipboard for pasting elsewhere. |
| Ctrl + V (Paste) | This shortcut pastes copied or cut elements onto the slide at the cursor location. |
| Ctrl + Z (Undo) | This shortcut reverses the last action you performed in the presentation, whether it's editing, formatting, or element manipulation. |
| Ctrl + Y (Redo) | This shortcut reverses the undo operation, effectively redoing the last action you undid. |
| F5 (Start Slideshow) | This shortcut initiates the slideshow from the beginning, allowing you to present your slides to an audience. |
| Shift + F5 (Start Slideshow from Current Slide) | This shortcut begins the slideshow from the currently selected slide, helpful for reviewing and editing specific sections. |
| Ctrl + F (Find) | This shortcut opens the Find dialog, enabling you to search for specific text within the presentation. |
| Ctrl + H (Replace) | This shortcut opens the Replace dialog with a focus on replacing text throughout the presentation. |
| Ctrl + Enter (Insert New Slide) | This shortcut inserts a new slide with a default layout at the current location in the presentation. |
| Ctrl + D (Duplicate Slide/Element) | This shortcut duplicates the selected slide or element within a slide. |
| Alt + Shift + Left Arrow/Right Arrow (Reorder Slides) | This shortcut changes the order of selected slides, allowing you to rearrange the presentation. |
| Ctrl + E (Center Align) | This shortcut aligns selected elements (text, shapes, etc.) to the center of the slide or selected area. |
| Ctrl + R (Right Align) | This shortcut aligns selected elements to the right side of the slide or selected area. |
| Ctrl + L (Left Align) | This shortcut aligns selected elements to the left side of the slide or selected area. |
| Ctrl + T (Font Formatting) | This shortcut opens the Font dialog, allowing you to adjust text formatting for the selected text. |
| Ctrl + Shift + S (Save As) | This shortcut opens the Save As dialog, allowing you to save a copy of the presentation with a different name or in a different location. |
Note: While working on Windows applications like Word, Excel, and
PowerPoint, you can press an Alt key at any time and you will be presented
with some shortcut keys associated with the functions shown on the action bar.
You can proceed accordingly to select the function you want by pressing the
corresponding keys.
Google Chrome Shortcuts
Google Chrome is the most used web browser in the world. Browsing the web can
be more efficient with keyboard shortcuts in Google Chrome. Here is a set of
useful shortcuts for your web browsing needs:
| Shortcut Keys | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + T (New Tab) | This shortcut opens a new, empty tab in the Google Chrome browser, allowing you to start a new browsing session or visit another website without disturbing your existing tabs. |
| Ctrl + W (Close Tab) | This shortcut closes the currently active tab in the Chrome browser. If you have multiple tabs open, this lets you quickly close the ones you no longer need. |
| Ctrl + Shift + T (Reopen Closed Tab) | This shortcut reopens the last closed tab in Chrome, which can be helpful if you accidentally closed a tab or want to revisit a previously opened page. |
| Ctrl + Tab (Switch Tabs) | This shortcut switches between open tabs in Chrome, making it easy to navigate and multitask while browsing. |
| Ctrl + 1 to Ctrl + 8 (Tab Selection) | This shortcut allows you to quickly switch to a specific tab by pressing Ctrl along with the corresponding number (e.g., Ctrl + 2 for the second tab). |
| Ctrl + 9 (Last Tab) | This shortcut switches to the last tab in the Chrome browser, regardless of how many tabs you have open. |
| Ctrl + N (New Window) | This shortcut opens a new Google Chrome browser window, allowing you to separate browsing sessions. |
| Ctrl + Shift + N (New Incognito Window) | This shortcut opens a new incognito window, which doesn't save browsing history or cookies, making it ideal for private browsing. |
| Ctrl + L or F6 (Focus on Address Bar) | This shortcut highlights the address bar, making it easy to type or edit the URL of the current webpage. |
| F5 or Ctrl + R (Refresh) | This shortcut refreshes the current webpage, requesting the latest content from the website. It is useful for updating a page or troubleshooting site loading errors. |
| Ctrl + D (Bookmark Page) | This shortcut adds the current webpage to your bookmarks, allowing you to save and access it later with ease. |
| Ctrl + H (View History) | This shortcut opens the browsing history page, showing a list of websites you've visited recently. |
| Ctrl + J (View Downloads) | This shortcut opens the downloads page, displaying a list of files you've downloaded while using Chrome. |
| Alt + Home (Go to Homepage) | This shortcut navigates to your homepage, which is typically set to your preferred starting webpage. |
| Ctrl + Shift + B (Show/Hide Bookmarks Bar) | This shortcut toggles the visibility of the bookmarks bar at the top of the Chrome window, making your saved bookmarks accessible or hidden. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Clear Browsing Data) | This shortcut opens the Clear Browsing Data dialog, allowing you to delete browsing history, cookies, cached files, and more. |
| Ctrl + Plus (+) or Ctrl + Minus (-) (Zoom In/Out) | This shortcut zooms in or out on the current webpage to make content larger or smaller for better readability. |
| F11 (Toggle Full-Screen Mode) | This shortcut toggles Chrome into full-screen mode, hiding the browser's interface elements and providing more screen space for the webpage. |
| Ctrl + Enter (Auto-Complete URL) | This shortcut adds "www." and ".com" around the text entered in the address bar, completing the URL and taking you to the corresponding webpage. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Del (Clear Browsing Data) | This shortcut opens the Clear Browsing Data dialog for a quick way to clear browsing history, cookies, cached images, and other data. |
Summary
There are a countless number of computer keyboard shortcuts, and these
shortcuts often change how they work from software to software. Therefore, it
is not easy to learn these computer keyboard shortcut keys at once. However,
if you continue to use these shortcuts while doing your work in specific
computer software, you will definitely learn the major keyboard shortcut keys
in a few days without even knowing it.
It's also worth mentioning that you can modify or create new keyboard shortcut
keys for most software and even for Windows through its main settings.
However, it is not recommended to mess around with pre-assigned sets of
shortcut keys or you may create the same shortcut key combination for multiple
functions which will also mess up the way you work.
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