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Saving Clicks with Useful Keyboard Shortcuts

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How are you going to accomplish your bucket list if you’re spending so much time dragging your mouse around the screen and through deep menus for common tasks? Use keyboard shortcuts instead, and change your life!

Keyboard shortcuts are combinations of keystrokes that, when hit at the same time, perform common tasks or special features. Keyboard shortcuts exist in nearly every program on both Mac and PC.

Why Keyboard Shortcuts?

  • They’re easy! With just a little practice, keyboard shortcuts will become second nature.
  • They’re faster! Each keyboard shortcut potentially replaces multiple clicks, saving you time.
  • They’re nearly universal! Most programs and operating systems have a bevy of keyboard shortcuts in common, which helps you navigate even unfamiliar environments more easily.

The Basics

How to Read Keyboard Shortcuts:

Keyboard shortcuts are usually abbreviated into a short formula.  Key+key.  Some names of keys are abbreviated: On a PC, Control becomes Ctrl. Others are identified by a symbol: On a Mac, Command becomes ⌘.

The + in the formula just means ‘and at the same time.' It doesn’t mean to hit the + key as well.

How to Perform a Shortcut:

Press and hold all buttons in the command at once.

Common Shortcuts:
 

PC Mac What It Does
Ctrl+A ⌘+A Select everything - text on a page, files in a folder, etc.
Ctrl+C ⌘+C Copy
Ctrl+X ⌘+X Cut
Ctrl+V ⌘+V Paste
Ctrl+F ⌘+F Search or "Find"


Browser Shortcuts:

Most internet browsers share some keyboard shortcuts.

PC Mac What It Does
Ctrl+L ⌘+L Activate the address bar (so you can search or navigate to a new url)
Ctrl+Tab ⌘+Tab Toggle between open tabs
Ctrl++ ⌘++ Zoom in
Ctrl+- ⌘+- Zoom out


Global Reach Favorites:
 

PC Mac What It Does
Ctrl+Z ⌘+Z Undo - works pretty much everywhere
Ctrl+Y ⌘+Y Redo
Alt+Tab Alt+Tab Toggle through open programs and windows on your desktop
Ctrl+S ⌘+S Save! Save often.


How to Learn Keyboard Shortcuts:

Practice, practice, practice! At first things might seem clumsy, but if you take a little time to pause and practice using a shortcut, soon you’ll be using them without thinking. Don’t feel like you have to learn all of them at once – just pick out a couple that you think you will use most often.

More Keyboard Shortcuts:

Tools

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