The Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are one of those little things that just make your life easier. Below are the ones I use on a daily basis, the most basic and useful essentials of navigating in a Windows environment. You may know some or most of these already, but then, you may find some new ones, too.

• Ctrl+C – Copy.
• Ctrl+X – Cut.
• Ctrl+V – Paste.
• Ctrl+S – Save file.
• Ctrl+N – Create new file.
• Ctrl+B – Turn bold on/off (in most text editing programs).
• Ctrl+I – Turn italics on/off (in most text editing programs).
• Ctrl+U – Turn underline on/off (in most text editing programs).
• Ctrl+A – Select all.
• Tab – Move to the next field in a form.
• Shift+Tab – Move to the previous field in a form.
• Ctrl+Z – Undo.
• Ctrl+Y – Redo (does not work in as many programs as Ctrl+Z).
• Windows Key + D – Show desktop.
• Windows Key + L – Lock computer.
• Ctrl+Alt+Delete – The classic. Allows you (hopefully) to end a program that’s locked up.
• Hold Alt and press Tab repeatedly – Cycle through all open windows.
• Home – Move to the beginning of the line. A very basic but underused function.
• End – Move to the end of the line.
• Ctrl+Home – Move to the beginning of the document.
• Ctrl+End – Move to the end of the document.
• Shift+Arrow Key – Highlight text.
• Shift+Delete – Delete a file without putting it in the Recycle Bin. (Use with caution.)
• Ctrl+T – In an Internet browser, open a new tab.
• Ctrl+F – Search for text in a document.
• Shift+Enter – In many programs (like some instant messengers), hitting “Enter” performs a command (like sending the message) instead of adding a new line. If all you want is a new line, Shift+Enter is the way to go.
• Print Screen – Another very useful key that’s often overlooked. Take a screenshot of the current screen and copy it. You can then paste it into any graphical editor (like MS Paint).
• Alt+Print Screen – Take a screenshot of just the window that’s currently active.

Those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head, but I’m sure I missed plenty of good ones. If I left out any of your favorites, how about sharing them in the comments?