Shortcut keys

[jesternl]

Here's a list of shortcut keys in Windows. Using them can save time and for those of you who do a lot of typing, it prevents RSI as well if you use your hands to do certain things instead of your mouse.

<windows> stands for that funny key between Control and Alt.

<windows> + E opens Explorer
<windows> + F opens the Find function on your computer
<windows> + M minimizes all windows on your screen
<windows> + D does the same in WEindows XP, I don't know the difference
<windows> + R opens the Run box
<windows> + <pause/Break> (Top left of keyboard) opens system properties

ALT + TAB switches between open screens
ALT + F4 closes the active window (very handy for those Internet popup that have no close button)

CTRL + Escape opens your startmenu
CTRL + N opens a new window in your browser
CTRL + C Copies
CTRL + V pastes
CTRL + X Cuts
CTRL + Z undoes
CTRL + P Prints
CTRL + F finds in the screen you're on
CTRL + B opens your Bookmarks

SHIFT + <close button in corner of active screen> closes all open screens.
I'll add more when I think of them.

[This message has been edited by jesternl (edited 02-28-2003 04:50 PM).]

[VinnyQ]

you forgot the ever important CTRL-ALT-DELETE ... when all else fails ... hit it repeatedly until Bill Gates show up and fix your problem.

[CrystyB]

LOL @ Vinny

I have a small request. Either provide the Version number for which Windows are supposed to do these or replace the Alt-Esc with Ctrl-Esc for the Start menu. Alt-Esc is more of an Alt-Tab-released.

F3: Find files
Alt-Enter: open the properties of the currently selected item
Shift-F10: context menu (equivalent to RMB)
F5: refresh the page currently viewed by the IE browser

[This message has been edited by CrystyB (edited 02-27-2003 11:25 PM).]

[jesternl]

I corrected it CrystyB, thanks for pointing that out.

[Navigator]

Some other good ones in Internet Explorer:

Alt+Left Arrow: go back one page (or Backspace)
Alt+Right Arrow: go forward one page
F11: Full Screen
Alt+Home: go to your home page

Also, when you're filling out an online form, TAB takes you forward to the next box, and SHIFT+TAB takes you to the previous box.

[Beartalon]

RSI ? (really stupid incidents?)

[HyToFry]

http://www.thewonderfulicon.com

Make your own shortcuts. I have WINKEY+I open up Internet Explorer. WINKEY+Z opens mith... errr.. I mean calculator.

It also has some other cool features... like RightClickMinimize to send an app to the system tray.

[HyToFry]

Also... I use CTRL+Insert for copy and SHIFT+Insert for paste.

Shift+Delete cuts, but not in Windows Explorer.

(It deletes the file without sending it to the recycle bin... which is a HUGE pain when you realy meant to cut it.)

[MatthewV]

command QUICKER makes the internet go faster.


on a mac you can program you function keys....

[Ghost Post]

why isn't the internet going at max speed already?

[CrystyB]

HTF, that's why you should use Ctrl-X/C/V. All my Shift-Deletes are meant to be just that...

Speaking of personalized shortcuts, i have made up uses for almost all 26 of Ctrl-Shift-Alt-letter (for instance, X->eXcel, W->Windows Explorer, R->woRd. z->notepad, etc) and am keeping the StartMenu hierarchy under some pretty tight control, so that i have only 1 icon with a given starting letter. That's why i can access Calculator/Games menu/Notepad/Paint with Ctrl-Esc, P, A, C/G/N/P. And so on.

[This message has been edited by CrystyB (edited 06-12-2003 01:13 AM).]

[Beartalon]

CrystyB, you must have an amazing memory to remember all those shortcuts.

[jesternl]

[CrystyB]

nah, i just use them a lot. It tends to get like a conditioned reflex!

[MatthewV]

ha! on a mac you can type more than one letter...typing the first few letters on a file name will always get you in the right spot. Whenever I work on a work on a windows machine it bugs me so much when I get the first file with "f" when I clearly typed "pref"

[CrystyB]

you have delayed typing those too long. That behaviour works on Windows too (though i never upgraded over 98 and cannot say about newer versions) - and i hate it that when i type one letter, and then change my mind, i have to cancel the queue by typing up/down/left/right arrow or something before i press the new first letter.

[Bicho the Inhaler]

Hmmm...I don't see a "WINKEY." Someone want to help me score some WINKEY?

[Lucky Wizard]

Bump.

Ctrl+A selects all text in the current window (and this has come in handy for me before).

[jesternl]

There is an easy way to avoid the CAPSLOCK KEY BEing struck accidentaly, it's called ToggleKeys and works one Win200 and XP for sure, I don't know about the others.
Hold your NumLock keys for about ten seconds, a little pop up will come up asking you if you want to enable Togglekeys. If you hit OK, from then on a little sounds will beep everytime you hit Capslock, numlock or Scroll lock. Works wonders for me.

[Legion]

CTRL + C Copies - This was always easy to remember c for copy

but after a while I figured that the 'X' looks a bit like a pair of scissors, so it made it a bit easier to remember.

CTRL + X Cuts

The real challenge was to think of a visual analogy for the 'V' then I saw it! the 'V' looks a bit like one piece of paper about to be laid on top of another so
CTRL + V pastes

[Chuck]

The copy shortcut key and paste shortcut key are too close together. If you select a large block of text for copying and accidentally hit Ctrl-V instead of Ctrl-C then you just replaced that text with whatever was on your clipboard at the moment.

Fortunately I was in Notepad at the time and it has an Undo option, Ctrl-Z.

[Bicho the Inhaler]

On Firefox, the shortcut for "find" is...just start typing what you're looking for. That might be the single most useful browser shortcut I've ever encountered.