BASIC KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS.
Ctrl+Z:
Undo
No matter what program you’re running, Ctrl+Z will
roll back your last action. Whether you’ve just overwritten an entire paragraph
in Microsoft Word or deleted a file you didn’t mean to, this one is an absolute
lifesaver.
Ctrl+W:
Close
Another shortcut that works just about everywhere,
Ctrl+W will close down whatever you’re viewing. Shut that File Explorer window,
browser tab, or open image file without bothering to hone in on the close
button.
Ctrl+A:
Select
This command lets you highlight all the text in a
document or select all the files in a folder. Hitting Ctrl+A can save you time
you’d otherwise spend clicking and dragging your mouse.
Alt+Tab:
Switch apps
This baby is one of the classic Windows shortcuts,
and it can be hugely useful when you’re running multiple applications. Just
press Alt+Tab and you’ll be able to quickly flick through all your open
windows.
Alt+F4:
Close apps
Another old-school shortcut, Alt+F4 shuts down
active apps so you can skip the process of hunting down their on-screen menus.
Don’t worry about losing unsaved work with this command—it will prompt you to
save your documents before closing
Win+D:
Show or hide the desktop
This keyboard combo minimizes all your open
windows, bringing your home screen into view. If you store rows and rows of
files and shortcuts on your desktop, Win+D will let you access them in in
moments.
Win+left arrow or Win+right
arrow: Snap windows
Snapping a window simply opens it on one side of
the screen (left or right, depending on which arrow you hit). This allows you
to compare two windows side-by-side and keeps your workspace organized.
Win+Tab:
Open the Task view
Like Alt+Tab, this shortcut lets you switch apps,
but it does so by opening an updated Windows application switcher. The latest
version shows thumbnails of all your open programs on the screen.
Tab and Shift+Tab:
Move backward and forward through options
When you open a dialog box, these commands move you
forward (Tab) or backward (Shift+Tab) through the available options, saving you
a click. If you’re dealing with a dialog box that has multiple tabs, hit
Ctrl+Tab or Ctrl+Shift+Tab to navigate through them.
Ctrl+Esc:
Open the Start menu
If you’re using a keyboard that doesn’t have a
Windows key, this shortcut will open the Start menu. Otherwise, a quick tap of
the Windows key will do the same thing. From there, you can stay on the
keyboard and navigate the Start menu with the cursor keys, Tab, and Shift+Tab.