Learning a few quick-key secrets can make
you look like a computer expert too, and save you seconds when you need
something finished fast. Here are a few tips to help you speed up your
computing.
Turn back the clock: Ctrl-Z
You
need to put together a large spreadsheet. You will be typing in data from a
number of sources for hours, and along the way you are guaranteed to make
several mistypes that you will have to go back and labouriously
redo.
However, using the Ctrl-Z quick-key combination will save you time
and frustration. This is an excellent time-saver: once you know it, you’ll
wonder how you ever survived without it. Simply hit the Control
key and Z to undo any mistake you make. This is
great for when you cut-and-paste the wrong data into a Microsoft® Excel file or
accidentally delete a paragraph from a Microsoft Word document.
From upper case to lower easily: CTRL-SHIFT-A
One of
the more time-consuming things we often have to do is restyle copy from upper
case to lower case, or vice-versa, when preparing a presentation or business
proposal.
Rather than spend all that time retyping the headline,
sentence, paragraph or page, simply highlight the words you want changed and hit
your Control key with the Shift
button and A – you’ll have upper or lower case copy in
an instant.
Minimise everything: Windows
key-M
On a busy day you can often have ten or more windows open on
your or . Accessing your desktop in these circumstances can be a lengthy process
as you click away each individual window. But you can actually minimise all
windows in the blink of an eye by hitting the Windows
key and M together.
Not only is this
helpful for when you are multi-tasking, it is also very useful on the slow days
when your boss walks into your workspace.
For when time
stands still: Ctrl-Alt-Del
It is quite normal for applications on
older model PCs to freeze and force you to wait while your PC troubleshoots. For
example, Word can sometimes lock up when opening a corrupted document or one in
a new format that an older model PC can’t read. This is doubly frustrating if it
happens when you are racing to meet a deadline.
The Control/Alt/Delete shortcut is helpful in these situations
because it takes you straight to Task Manager, where you can immediately shut
down and then re-start applications that are experiencing
difficulties.
This handy combination also gives you the option of locking
your computer, logging off, shutting down, or changing your
password.
More shortcuts
CTRL-C = Copy
CTRL-X = Cut
CTRL-V = Paste
CTRL-A = Highlight all
CTRL-ESC = Open Start Menu, use the arrow keys to select an item
F1 = Help
F2 = Rename an item
F3 = Open Find All Files
dialog
ALT-F4 = Close the current window, or quit the current program
SHIFT-F4 = Automatically repeats the previous Find command in Word
F5 = Refresh Screen
ALT-F6 = Switch between multiple windows in
the same program
F10 = Activate the menu bar in a program
SHIFT-DEL = Delete items permanently
With these speedy keyboard
tips, you will soon be tapping out impressive shortcuts that help you get more
done in less time.
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Microsoft Corporation
