Computers are all around us and everything we do on a daily basis whether personal work or at the professional front, Computers play an important role in processing information for us. If you are tech savvy then you must know about the computer keyboard shortcuts but if you are a basic user, then learning computer keyboard shortcuts can make things much simpler for you. In simpler terms, a computer keyboard shortcuts are a set of one or more keys that when used simultaneously invoke a command in application software or an operating system such as MS Word or Windows. This makes accessing files and application much quicker and increases your productivity, otherwise, if you do it the old way then files and applications on a computer will only accessible through a menu or mouse. In this post you will find all the computer keyboard shortcuts whether it’s a Windows based PC or a laptop or an Apple Macintosh. Also, you’ll find keyboard shortcuts for MS word, Excel, Outlook, winkey, Google Chrome shortcuts and Mozilla Firefox Shortcust.
Charles Babbage, invented the first mechanical computer in the early 19th century. The first Windows operating system was released in 1985 while the first Apple computer was release in the year 1976.
Here is a list of commonly used computer keyboard shortcuts that can provide an easier and quicker method of using computer programs and increase productivity at the same time:
List of basic computer shortcut keys:
Table of Contents
- Alt + F–File menu options in the current program.
- Alt + E–Edits options in the current program.
- F1–Universal help (for any sort of program).
- Ctrl + A–Selects all text.
- Ctrl + X–Cuts the selected item.
- Ctrl + Del–Cut selected item.
- Ctrl + C–Copy the selected item.
- Ctrl + Ins– Copy the selected item.
- Ctrl + V–Paste the selected item.
- Shift + Ins — Paste the selected item.
- Home — Takes the user to the beginning of the current line.
- Ctrl + Home–Go to the beginning of the document.
- End — Go to the end of the current line.
- Ctrl + End — Go to the end of a document.
- Shift + Home — Highlight from current position to beginning of the line.
- Shift + End — Highlight from current position to end of the line.
- Ctrl + (Left arrow) — Move one word to the left at a time.
- Ctrl + (Right arrow) — Move one word to the right at a time.
Apple Macintosh shortcut keys
Open Apple+Down | Opens the selected icon. |
Shift+Click | Select the icon and add it to the set of those selected. |
Tab | Highlight the next icon inside the folder, in alphabetical order. |
Shift+Tab | Highlight the previous icon inside the folder, in alphabetical order. |
Left arrow | Used when viewing by icon to select the icon to the left of the one highlighted. |
Right arrow | Used when viewing by icon to select icon to the right of the one highlighted. |
Up arrow | Used to select the icon above the one currently highlighted. |
Down arrow | Used to select the icon below the one currently highlighted. |
Open Apple+? | Mac help. |
Open Apple+E | Eject |
Open Apple+Shift+Up Arrow | Used to direct the input focus to the desktop level. |
Open Apple+M | Minimize window. |
Open Apple+N | New finder window. |
Open Apple+Shift+N | New folder. |
Open Apple+W | Close the current window. |
Open Apple+C | Copy the selected item to the clipboard. |
Open Apple+X | Cut the selected item. |
Open Apple+V | Paste item from the clipboard. |
Open Apple+L | Make alias. |
Open Apple+R | Show original item. |
Open Apple+T | Add to favorites. |
Open Apple+O | Open the selected icon. |
Open Apple+F | Display the find dialog box. |
Open Apple+G | Repeat the last find operation. |
Open Apple+Shift+G | Takes a snapshot of the screen and saves it to a PICT file. |
Command+A | Select all text and objects. |
Command+B | Change selected text to boldface. |
Command+F | Open the Find window. |
Command+I | Italicize the selected text. |
Command+P | Open the Print dialog window. |
Command+U | Underline the selected text. |
Command+Shift+P | Open the Page Setup window, to change document parameters. |
Command+Shift+Control+3 | Capture screenshot of current screen and save to the Clipboard. |
How-to: Screen Capture on a Mac (Print Screen / Screenshot) Basic Keystroke + Advanced Commands
List of Microsoft Windows shortcut keys
- Alt + Tab — Switch between open applications.
- Alt + Shift + Tab — Switch backward between open applications.
- Alt + Print Screen — Create screenshot for the current program.
- Ctrl + Alt + Del — Reboot/Windows task manager.
- Ctrl + Esc — Bring up the start menu.
- Alt + Esc — Switch between applications on the taskbar.
- F2 — Rename selected icon.
- F3 — Start find from the desktop.
- F4 — Open the drive selection when browsing.
- F5 — Refresh contents.
- Alt + F4 — Close current open program.
- Ctrl + F4 — Close window in program.
- Ctrl + Plus Key– Automatically adjust widths of all columns in Windows Explorer.
- Print Screen – Capture a screenshot on your PC
- Alt + Enter — Open properties window of selected icon or program.
- Shift + F10 — Simulate right-click on selected item.
- Shift + Del — Delete programs/files permanently.
- Holding Shift During Boot up — Boot safe mode or bypass system files.
- Holding Shift During Boot up — When putting in an audio CD, will prevent CD Player from playing.
List of MS Word shortcut keys
- Ctrl + A — Select all contents of the page.
- Ctrl + B — Bold highlighted selection.
- Ctrl + C — Copy selected text.
- Ctrl + X — Cut selected text.
- Ctrl + N — Open new/blank document.
- Ctrl + O — Open options.
- Ctrl + P — Open the print window.
- Ctrl + F — Open find box.
- Ctrl + I — Italicise highlighted selection.
- Ctrl + K — Insert link.
- Ctrl + U — Underline highlighted selection.
- Ctrl + V — Paste.
- Ctrl + Y — Redo the last action performed.
- Ctrl + Z — Undo last action.
- Ctrl + G — Find and replace options.
- Ctrl + H — Find and replace options.
- Ctrl + J — Justify paragraph alignment.
- Ctrl + L — Align selected text or line to the left.
- Ctrl + Q — Align selected paragraph to the left.
- Ctrl + E — Align selected text or line to the center.
- Ctrl + R — Align selected text or line to the right.
- Ctrl + M — Indent the paragraph.
- Ctrl + T — Hanging indent.
- Ctrl + D — Font options.
- Ctrl + Shift + F — Change the font.
- Ctrl + Shift + > — Increase selected font +1.
- Ctrl + ] — Increase selected font +1.
- Ctrl + [ — Decrease selected font -1.
- Ctrl + Shift + * — View or hide non printing characters.
- Ctrl + (Left arrow) — Move one word to the left.
- Ctrl + (Right arrow) — Move one word to the right.
- Ctrl + (Up arrow) — Move to the beginning of the line or paragraph.
- Ctrl + (Down arrow) — Move to the end of the paragraph.
- Ctrl + Del — Delete word to the right of the cursor.
- Ctrl + Backspace — Delete word to the left of the cursor.
- Ctrl + End — Move cursor to end of the document.
- Ctrl + Home — Move cursor to the beginning of the document.
- Ctrl + Space — Reset highlighted text to default font.
- Ctrl + 1 — Single-space lines.
- Ctrl + 2 — Double-space lines.
- Ctrl + 5 — 1.5-line spacing.
- Ctrl + Alt + 1 Change text to heading 1.
- Ctrl + Alt + 2 Change text to heading 2.
- Ctrl + Alt + 3 Change text to heading 3.
- F1 — Open help.
- Shift + F3 — Change case of selected text.
- Shift + Insert — Paste.
- F4 — Repeat the last action performed (Word 2000+).
- F7 — Spell check selected text and/or document.
- Shift + F7 — Activate the thesaurus.
- F12 — Save as.
- Ctrl + S — Save.
- Shift + F12 — Save.
- Alt + Shift + D — Insert the current date.
- Alt + Shift + T — Insert the current time.
- Ctrl + W — Close document.
Excel shortcut keys
- F2 — Edit the selected cell.
- F5 — Go to a specific cell.
- F7 — Spell check selected text and/or document.
- F11 — Create chart
- Ctrl + Shift + ; — Enter the current time.
- Ctrl + ; — Enter the current date
- Alt + Shift + F1 — Insert new worksheet.
- Shift + F3 — Open the Excel formula window.
- Shift + F5 — Bring up the search box
- Ctrl + A — Select all contents of a worksheet.
- Ctrl + B — Bold highlighted selection.
- Ctrl + I — Italicize highlighted selection.
- Ctrl + C — Copy selected text.
- Ctrl + V — Paste
- Ctrl + D — Fill
- Ctrl + K — Insert link
- Ctrl + F — Open find and replace options.
- Ctrl + G — Open go-to options.
- Ctrl + H — Open find and replace options.
- Ctrl + U — Underline highlighted selection.
- Ctrl + Y — Underline selected text.
- Ctrl + 5 — Strikethrough highlighted selection.
- Ctrl + O — Open options.
- Ctrl + N — Open new document.
- Ctrl + P — Open print dialog box.
- Ctrl + S — Save.
- Ctrl + Z — Undo last action.
- Ctrl + F9 — Minimize current window.
- Ctrl + F10 — Maximize currently selected window.
- Ctrl + F6 — Switch between open workbooks/windows.
- Ctrl + Page up & Page Down — Move between Excel worksheets in the same document.
- Ctrl + Tab — Move between two or more open Excel files
- Alt + = — Create the formula to sum all of the above cells.
- Ctrl + — Insert the value of above cell into the current cell.
- Ctrl + Shift + ! — Format number in comma format.
- Ctrl + Shift + $ — Format number in currency format.
- Ctrl + Shift + # — Format number in date format.
- Ctrl + Shift + % — Format number in percentage format.
- Ctrl + Shift + ^ — Format number in scientific format.
- Ctrl + Shift + @ — Format number in time format.
- Ctrl + (Right arrow) — Move to next section of text.
- Ctrl + Space — Select entire column.
- Shift + Space — Select entire row.
- Ctrl + W — Close document.
WINKEY shortcuts:
- WINKEY + D — Bring desktop to the top of other windows.
- WINKEY + E — Open Microsoft Explorer.
- WINKEY + Tab — Cycle through open programs on the taskbar.
- WINKEY + F — Display the Windows Search/Find feature.
- WINKEY + CTRL + F — Display the search for computers window.
- WINKEY + F1 — Display the Microsoft Windows help.
- WINKEY + R — Open the run window.
- WINKEY + M — Minimize all windows.
- WINKEY + Pause /Break — Open the system properties window.
- WINKEY + U — Open utility manager.
- WINKEY + SHIFT + M — Undo the minimize done by WINKEY + M and WINKEY + D.
- WINKEY + L — Lock the computer (Windows XP & later).
Outlook shortcut keys
- Alt + S — Send the email.
- Ctrl + C — Copy selected text.
- Ctrl + X — Cut selected text.
- Ctrl + P — Open print dialog box.
- Ctrl + K — Complete name/email typed in address bar.
- Ctrl + B — Bold highlighted selection.
- Ctrl + I — Italicize highlighted selection.
- Ctrl + U — Underline highlighted selection.
- Ctrl + R — Reply to an email.
- Ctrl + F — Forward an email.
- Ctrl + N — Create a new email.
- Ctrl + Shift + A — Create a new appointment to your calendar.
- Ctrl + Shift + O — Open the outbox.
- Ctrl + Shift + I — Open the inbox.
- Ctrl + Shift + K — Add a new task.
- Ctrl + Shift + C — Create a new contact.
- Ctrl + Shift+ J — Create a new journal entry.
Google Chrome Shortcut Keys
Ctrl+N | Open a new window |
Ctrl+Shft+N | Open a new window in incognito mode |
Press Ctrl, and click a link | Open link in a new tab |
Press Shft, and click a link | Open link in a new window |
Alt+F4 | Close current window |
Ctrl+T | Open a new tab |
Ctrl+Shft+T | Reopen the last tab you’ve closed. Google Chrome remembers the last 10 tabs you’ve closed. |
Drag link to tab | Open link in specified tab |
Drag link to space between tabs | Open link in a new tab in the specified position on the tab strip |
Ctrl+1 through Ctrl+8 | Switch to the tab at the specified position number. The number you press represents a position on the tab strip. |
Ctrl+9 | Switch to the last tab |
Ctrl+Tab or Ctrl+PgDown | Switch to the next tab |
Ctrl+Shft+Tab or Ctrl+PgUp | Switch to the previous tab |
Ctrl+W or Ctrl+F4 | Close current tab or pop-up |
Alt+Home | Open your homepage |
Ctrl+O, then select file | Open a file from your computer in Google Chrome |
Mozilla Firefox shortcuts
Command | Shortcut | Command | Shortcut |
Navigation | Windows & Tabs | ||
Back | Alt+Left ArrowBackspace | Close Tab | Ctrl+WCtrl+F4 |
Forward | Alt+Right ArrowShift+Backspace | Close Window | Ctrl+Shift+WAlt+F4 |
Home | Alt+Home | Move Tab Left(when tab is focused) | Ctrl+Left ArrowCtrl+Up Arrow |
Open File | Ctrl+O | Move Tab Right(when tab is focused) | Ctrl+Right ArrowCtrl+Down Arrow |
Reload | F5Ctrl +R | Move Tab to Beginning(when tab is focused) | Ctrl +Home |
Reload (override cache) | Ctrl+F5Ctrl+Shift+R | Move Tab to End(when tab is focused) | Ctrl+End |
Stop | Ctrl+.Esc | New Tab | Ctrl+T |
Current Page | New Window | Ctrl+N | |
Go to Bottom of Page | End | Next Tab | Ctrl+TabCtrl+Alt+Right ArrowCtrl+Page Down |
Go to Top of Page | Home | Open Address in New Tab(from Location Bar or Search Bar) | Alt+EnterReturn |
Move to Next Frame | F6 | Previous Tab | Ctrl+Shift+TabCtrl+Alt+Left ArrowCtrl+Page Up |
Move to Previous Frame | Shift+F6 | Undo Close Tab | Ctrl+Shift+T |
Page Info | Select Tab (1 to 8) | Ctrl | |
Page Source | Ctrl+U | Select Last Tab | Ctrl |
Ctrl+P | Tools | ||
Save Page As | Ctrl+S | Bookmark All Tabs | Ctrl+Shift+D |
Zoom In | Ctrl++ | Bookmark This Page | Ctrl+D |
Zoom Out | Ctrl+- | Bookmarks | Ctrl+B Ctrl+I |
Zoom Reset | Ctrl+0 | Library window | Ctrl+Shift+B |
Editing | Caret Browsing | F7 | |
Copy | Ctrl+C | Downloads | Ctrl+J |
Cut | Ctrl+X | History | Ctrl+H Ctrl+Shift+H |
Delete | Delete | Toggle Private Browsing | Ctrl+Shift+P |
Paste | Ctrl+V | Clear Recent History | Ctrl+Shift+Del |
Redo | Ctrl+Y | Error Console | Ctrl+Shift+J |
Select All | Ctrl+A | Miscellaneous | |
Undo | Ctrl+Z | Complete .com Address | Ctrl+EnterReturn |
Search | Complete .net Address | Shift+EnterReturn | |
Find | Ctrl+F | Complete .org Address | Ctrl+Shift+EnterReturn |
Find Again | F3Ctrl+G | Delete Selected Autocomplete Entry | DelShift+Del |
Find As You Type Link | ‘ | Toggle Full Screen | F11 |
Find As You Type Text | / | Help | F1 |
Find Previous | Shift+F3 | Select Location Bar | Alt+DF6Ctrl+L |
Web Search | Ctrl+KCtrl+E | Select or Manage Search Engines(when Search Bar is focused) | Alt+Up ArrowAlt+Down ArrowF4 |
We hope the above list of computer keyboard shortcuts keys for Windows PC, Apple Macintosh, Word, Excel, Outlook, winkey, Google Chrome Shortcut keys and Mozilla Firefox Shortcut keys will help you increase your productivity and finish tasks much quickly. Use these computer keyboard shortcuts to make your life much easier on a daily basis.
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This post clearly highlighted all the computer keyboard shortcuts for Windows users and Apple Macintosh users. Great post!
Keyboard shortcuts are interesting and easy to learn. Made my work super easy. Great post!