Keyboard

Keyboard Shortcut Keys

There are some shorcut keys that you can do it with out your computer mouse. Using the keyboard is as natural as typing. With the advent of the Linux, Macintosh and Windows other software' computers came the decline and eventual demise of keyboarding skills. Occasionally, computer rodents fail and when they do many users are at a loss.

Knowledge of a few key keyboard keystrokes can get you out of a jam when your mouse dies or just freezes on you. The list below is not complete, but represents the more common key combinations available in most Windows applications.

The so-called Windows keyboard is equipped with two special keys (there are actually three, but one is duplicated). The first one is the Windows key … the one with the flag on it. When clicked it brings up the Start Menu. The other key … the one with the list on it … is the Menu key. As the name implies, you use it to bring up a menu.

Some of us dislike the Windows keyboard, preferring the "classic" version. Those extra keys at the bottom of the Windows keyboard make the spacebar smaller and relocate the Alt key to a position that does not favor fast access. If you are using a classic keyboard here is how you replicate those fancy-schmancy keys.

In the list below, a plus sign (+) indicates that you hold the first key while pressing the second (and/or third key). For example, Ctrl + Esc means you hold the Ctrl key and press, then release the Esc key. A comma separates individual keystrokes that do not require more than one finger. Alt, F, X means that you press and release the Alt key, followed by the pressing and releasing of the F key and then the X key. The Alt key is the menu key that is used in combination with the corresponding underlined letter on the menu. For example, to activate the File menu, you would press and release the Alt key, followed by the F key. Across the top of the keyboard are special function keys ... F1 through F12. Multiple Document Interface (MDI) refers to a program’s ability to open more than one document at a time.

Alt	Select (or cancel) the menu bar
Alt + Backspace	Undo the last action
Alt + Enter	Switch DOS application between full-screen and windowed display
Alt + Enter	View an icon’s properties
Alt + Esc	Send the active window to the back
Alt + Tab	Switch to the window you last used or switch to another window
Alt, F, S	Save the current document
Arrow Keys	Move through a list or menu
Shift + Arrow Key	Select multiple contiguous items in a list or file folder
Alt + Right Arrow	Move forward to a previous view (in your web browser it will take you to a previous web page)
Alt + Left Arrow	Move backward to a previous view (in your web browser it will take you to a previous web page)
Alt + Down Arrow	Open a drop-down list box
Alt + Spacebar	Display the current window’s system menu (from the System menu, you Alt + Hyphen Display the Multiple Document Interface (MDI) child window's System menu (from the MDI child window's System menu, you can restore, move, resize, minimize, maximize, or close the child window)
Backspace	Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box
Ctrl + Esc	Display the Start Menu, then use the arrow keys and Enter to select an item (Press shift + F10 for a context menu to open the Programs folder, for example)
Ctrl + A	Select all items on the page or on a list
Ctrl + C	Copy selected text or image
Ctrl + X	Cut selected text or image
Ctrl + V	Paste selected text or image
Ctrl + L	Left-justifies text
Ctrl + E	Center-justifies text
Ctrl + R	Right-justifies text
Ctrl + B	Makes selected text bold or not bold
Ctrl + I	Makes selected text italic or not italic
Ctrl + U	Makes selected text underlined or not underlined
F4	Close the current window in programs
Alt + F4	Close the current window or quit a program
Ctrl + F4	Closes the current Multiple Document Interface (MDI) window
Ctrl + Z	Undo the last action
Alt + F6	Switch between multiple windows in the same program (for example, when the Notepad Find dialog box is displayed, Alt + F6 switches between the Find dialog box and the main Notepad window)
Ctrl + F6	Cycle forward though all the open document windows in a single program
Ctrl + Shift + F6	Cycle backward though all the open document windows in a single program
Delete	Delete to the Recycle Bin
Shift + Delete	Delete immediately [not to Recycle Bin]
Enter	Click the selected button
Esc	Cancels the pending operation
F1	Display Help on the selected dialog box item
F2	Rename file, folder or icon title
F3	Find (Search) Files
F5	Refresh a window
F10	Activate the menu bar in programs
Shift + F10	Display the shortcut menu for the selected item (this is the same as right- clicking an object)
Spacebar	Click a button, select or clear a check box, or click an option
Tab	Move forward through options
Shift + Tab	Move backward through options
Ctrl + Tab	Move between tabs on a dialog box
Ctrl + Tab	Switch to the next child window of a Multiple Document Interface (MDI) program
Ctrl + Shift + Tab	Move backward through tabs
Asterisk (*)	In Explorer, expands a branch in the folders pane. If Desktop is selected, all directories in all drives will be expanded
Shift	Press and hold down the Shift key while you insert a CD-ROM to bypass the automatic-run feature

To switch to the Taskbar, first press Ctrl + Esc to bring up the Start Menu. Once the Start Menu appears, press ESC to close the menu while keeping the Taskbar active, then press Tab to switch to the row(s) of running applications on the Taskbar. Use the arrow keys to select the icon or application and then press Enter. Press Tab again to switch to the Desktop.