Get shorty: Save time with quick keyboard strokes
Simple shortcuts for Vista and Office
By Marc Saltzman
If you could take a shortcut home from work, you’d probably opt for the quicker route to save time. But driving is one thing. What if you could shave time off daily computing tasks?
Thanks to dozens of shortcuts, using your computer can be a lot faster than you think.
“Once you become a shortcut master, you’re going to save yourself a ton of time instead of fumbling around with mouse buttons,” explains Andy Walker, a Toronto-based journalist, TV personality and author of Microsoft Windows Vista Help Desk (Que Publishing, 2007).
IN THIS STORY:
Shortcuts 101
“Keyboard shortcuts let you execute tasks quickly, so you can be a lot more efficient on the computer,” explains Walker. “And if you use your PC for work, time is money, too,” he says.
According to Walker, most computer users don’t know shortcuts exist. Once you discover them, however, your fingers might resemble a “hurricane on the keyboard.”
Check out our free template. It’s a cheat sheet of common shortcuts you can print out and use to cut your computing time in half.
Microsoft Office shortcuts
You’re probably already aware of some Office shortcuts, but if you need a refresher or want new ones, check out the list below to save time on many word-processing tasks.
If you want a quick way to format text, highlight the desired word(s) and type:
- Ctrl+C to copy text
- Ctrl+X to cut it
- Ctrl+V to paste it
- Ctrl+P to print it
- Ctrl+B to make it bold
- Ctrl+I to italicize it
- Ctrl+U to underline it
- Ctrl+Z to undo your last move
“As a journalist, I do a lot of writing,” says Walker. “So I have some favourite shortcuts.” Among them:
- Ctrl+A highlights all the text on the page (so you don’t need to drag your mouse from top to bottom).
- Shift+F7 brings up the thesaurus.
- Ctrl+F opens a search window.
- Shift+cursor down arrow highlights an entire sentence.
- Ctrl+cursor right arrow allows you to jump from word to word.
In Microsoft Outlook, there’s a fast way to toggle between available programs:
- Ctrl+1 (switch to Mail)
- Ctrl+2 (switch to Calendar)
- Ctrl+3 (switch to Contacts)
- Ctrl+4 (switch to Tasks)
- Ctrl+5 (switch to Notes)
If you’re reading an e-mail and want to reply, tap Ctrl+R and then Ctrl+S to send. Ctrl+F forwards the e-mail.
Windows Vista shortcuts
There are also a handful of convenient shortcuts built into Microsoft’s operating system. For example:
- Alt+Tab will display thumbnail images of all your open programs.
- While holding down the Alt key (to the left or right of your spacebar), tap Tab to cycle through these programs; let go of one to bring it up fullscreen.
- Depending on the version of Windows Vista you’re running, you can also cycle through all of your programs with a 3-D Rolodex-like effect by pressing the Windows key+Tab.
Tap your Windows key (it’s usually next to the spacebar) to open up your Start menu so you can quickly access your programs, control panel and other areas of your PC.
Having trouble seeing the icons on your desktop?
- Hold down the Ctrl key and use your mouse’s middle scroll wheel to change the size of the icons. (Push forward to make them bigger; scroll down to make them smaller.)
- To enlarge a font on most web sites and in Word documents, use the same shortcut.
Need assistance? Tap the F1 key to bring up the Help window where you can type in your query.
