F1 Computer Services - Keyboard Shortcuts Page

KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

There may be more than one shortcut to perform an action, so look through all of them to see which ones you like best! (Note: it is almost impossible to organize shortcuts. We ordered them by the primary action performed and then alphabetically)

As we add to them, we'll put the latest shortcuts added in blue for convenience.

This is one you'll use last (at the end of the day), so we're putting it first: Don't feel right about clicking Start to shut down your system? With the focus on your desktop (click a blank area once to be sure), press Alt-F4. It's the same as selecting Start, Shut Down.

Basic formatting (works in almost all programs)
Bold: Ctrl-B
Italic: Ctrl-I
Underline: Ctrl-U
Undo: Ctrl-Z
Bypass the CD-ROM AutoRun feature: Hold down the Shift key while you insert the disk (for about 10 seconds). This is an invaluable tool when you have to remove a disk during installation (to read the CD key, for example), then reinsert the disk.
Close active window: Alt-spacebar, C
Close active window: Alt-F4
Copy: Ctrl-C
Cut: Ctrl-X
Delete selected objects without sending them to the Recycle Bin: Shift-Delete
Display Start menu: Ctrl-Esc
Display Close Program dialog box: Ctrl-Alt-Del
Find a File (from the Desktop): Windows-F or F3
Go to Quick Launch toolbar and launch a program: Ctrl-Esc, Esc, Tab, select icon with arrow keys, Enter
Maximize active window: Alt-spacebar, X
Minimize active window: Alt-spacebar, N
Minimize open windows: Ctrl-Esc, Esc, Tab, Shift-F10, M
Minimize all open windows: Windows-M (Shift-Windows-M to undo this command)
Minimize all open windows and show the Desktop: Windows-D (repeat to undo this command) (note: does not work in Win95)
Move within the Windows Desktop and select items: Tab, Arrow, Enter
Open Find: Windows-F or F3
Open Help: Windows-F1
Open the Run window: Windows-R
Open the Start Menu: Ctrl-Esc or Windows key
Open Windows Explorer: Windows-E
Open the System Properties dialog box: Windows-Break
Paste: Ctrl-V
Rename the selected object: F2
Restore active window: Alt-spacebar, R
Right-mouse-click selected item: Shift-F10
Right-mouse-click Start button: Ctrl-Esc, Esc, Shift-F10
Rotate through dialog box tabs: Ctrl-Tab
Rotate through dialog box tabs in reverse: Ctrl-Shift-Tab
Run Find again (in many but not all Windows utilities: F3
Select menu command: Alt-[underlined letter]
Switch among open windows (hold Alt and continue to press Tab): Alt-Tab or Windows-Tab
Switch to Taskbar's "next" open window: Alt-Esc
Switch to the next window of a multiple-document-interface program: Ctrl-Tab
Switch from window to window within the same program (does not work with all programs): Alt-F6
Switch focus to menu commands (in any Explorer window): Ctrl-F10
Shift focus to Desktop icons: Ctrl-Esc, Esc, Tab, Tab
Toggle between the menu bar and the main window in a program: F10 or Alt
Undo: Ctrl-Z
View the Properties dialog for a selected object: Alt-Enter
Windows key to open the Start Menu
Windows-E to open Windows Explorer
Windows-F to open Find
Windows-M to minimize all open windows (Shift-Windows-M to undo this command)
Windows-R to open the Run window
Windows-F1 to open Help
Windows-Tab to cycle through the Taskbar buttons
Windows-Break to open the System Properties dialog box

(Note: Some keyboards have a Windows key, and some don't. If yours doesn't, you can create one using the Keyboard Remap Kernel Toy, as you may remember from a previous tip. Click on this link: Microsoft Kernel Toys and download the utility. Once you've downloaded and installed this utility, open the Control Panel, double-click Keyboard and select the Remap tab. Under Right-Hand Side, select the key you want to transform--such as Right Alt--in the left-hand box. Then, in the right-hand box, select Windows. Click OK, and your Right Alt key now functions as a Windows key.)

For Left-Handers
If you're a left-handed mouse user, you probably find it difficult reaching all the way over to the left side of the keyboard to reach the commonly used Cut, Copy, and Paste shortcuts--Ctrl-X, Ctrl-C, and Ctrl-V, respectively. (It's either that or pick your left hand up off the mouse.) But what would you say if we told you there are equivalents on the right side of your keyboard? Many applications support the following CUA (common user access) commands (Quicken in particular):
Shift-Delete: Cut
Ctrl-Insert: Copy
Shift-Insert: Paste
Alt-Backspace: Undo

(Tip: Just be sure not to use Shift-Delete outside of an application. Remember, it's the Windows 9x command for deleting an item without sending it to the Recycle Bin.)

Word Tips
Expand an autotext entry: F3
Change the case of letters: Shift-F3
Repeat your last action (formatting, typing, and so on): F4
Repeats the previous find command: Shift-F4
Jump to the last change you made in the document: Shift-F5
Toggle between the document and the task pane or other Word panes, such as the reviewing or footnote panes: F6
Cycle through open document windows: Ctrl-F6
Check spelling: F7
Update fields: F9
Open the Save-As dialog box: F12
Increase font size: Ctrl-Shift-> (greater-than sign)
Decrease font size: Ctrl-Shift-< (less-than sign)
(Both of the above depend on the current size and change by various increments)
Increase font size by one point: Ctrl-] (right square bracket)
Decrease font size by one point: Ctrl-[ (left square bracket)

Excel Tips
Edit or create a comment in the current cell: Shift-F2
Move a comment that's be edited: Esc, Arrow keys
Close a comment that's being edited: Esc,Esc
Fill a selected range: (Type the data) then Ctrl-Enter
Copy the value from the cell above the current cell: Ctrl-Shift-" (quotation mark)
Copy the formula from the cell above the current cell: Ctrl-' (apostrophe)

Common Browser Shortcuts

Alt-left arrow Same as clicking on Back
Alt-right arrow    Same as clicking on Forward
Ctrl-B Opens the Favorites or Bookmarks window
Ctrl-D Creates a new favorite or bookmark
Ctrl-F Opens the Find dialog box
Ctrl-H Opens History
Ctrl-N Opens a new browser window
Ctrl-O Opens a URL window
Esc Same as clicking on Stop
space bar Scrolls down a page one screen length
Shift-space bar Scrolls up a page one screen length

Internet Explorer

Ctrl-E    Opens Search in Explorer bar (IE5 only)
Ctrl-I Opens Favorites in Explorer bar (IE5 only)
Alt-D Selects the text in the Address bar
F4 Cycles through recently visited sites

Netscape Navigator

Ctrl-Alt-S    Toggles the status bar on or off
Ctrl-Alt-T Show you a page's download status
Ctrl-I Opens the Page Info window

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