Windows Basics: General Keyboard Shortcuts

Readily available but not so known are Windows keyboard shortcuts. Most people know Control+C for copy and Control+V for paste, but did you know these? (this is not a complete list by any means, just a few not-so-known-but-useful ones):

Alt+Home: In Internet Explorer or Firefox, it will take you to your home page.

Alt+F4: Close the current active window. When no window is selected and you’re on the desktop. It will bring up the shutdown computer dialog.

Control+A: Select all the text or items in the current active window

Control+W: Similar to Alt-F4, but only on closing the current active window.

Control+Enter: When in Internet explorer or Mozilla Firefox (probably other web browsers too), go to the address bar (where you can type the website you want to go to) and type only the website name (i.e. yahoo). Press Control-Enter and it will make it http://www.yahoo.com and take you to that website.

Windows Key+D: minimize all open windows and show the desktop.

Windows Key+F:  Invoke Windows Search.

Windows Key+R: Invoke the “run command” window.

Windows Key+L: Locks your computer

Windows Key+E: Opens Windows Explorer (not to be confused with Internet Explorer).

Windows Key+Break: Opens the System Properties dialog box.

Shift+Control+Esc: Invokes the Windows Task Manager.

Shift: Press and hold down the Shift key while you insert a CD-ROM to bypass the automatic-run feature.

Try each one of these out and learn them – it will speed up your computer related work.

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