Essential Keyboard Shortcuts to Boost Your Computer Productivity

Most people’s computer habits are quite mundane: browsing social media, creating and editing documents, and using search engines like Google. However, despite constantly using gadgets and navigating the internet with ease, many users are unaware of their computers’ hidden capabilities designed to make human interaction simpler and faster.

Imagine there’s a button or a combination of buttons on your keyboard that can execute a necessary operation in seconds. It might sound futuristic, like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it’s actually available right now. With our guide to essential keyboard shortcuts, your computer routine will become much simpler.

Searching

Knowing the following simple secret will make searching within a text easier and more convenient. No more scrolling or getting lost in the text; just press Command+F (for Mac) or Control+F (on PC) and type the word you’re looking for in the search bar. This tip might be simple, but it’s possible you’ve never used it before. You can search for not just a word but an entire phrase using these keys. Now you can edit or work with any part of the text much faster.

Working with Documents

There are several tips for working with documents that you should know. Besides the popular Command+C and Command+V (Mac) and Control+C and Control+V (PC) commands, there are other useful shortcuts. To select all text or an image, use Command/Control+A, and to undo an unwanted action, press Command/Control+Z.

To quickly save a document, use Command/Control+S. Once these simple actions become part of your daily routine, you’ll notice how much faster the editing process has become.

Text Styling

Most text editors, including Microsoft Word and Google Docs, have a common set of hotkeys for styling text. For bold text, use Command/Control+B, for italics use Command/Control+I, and for underlining use Command/Control+U.

Browser Navigation

Most internet users use Chrome, so the following tips will be helpful. To create a new tab, press Command/Control+T. To open a new window, use Command/Control+N. To quickly switch between tabs, use Control+Tab or Control+Page Down, and to go back without cycling through open tabs, press Control+Shift+Tab or Control+Page Up.

Advanced Search

To elevate your search for information, not just on your device but also on the internet, you can use Spotlight. This tip is useful for Mac users. Press Command+Spacebar and type the word you’re looking for in the window that appears. Instantly, your search will be conducted across several documents and programs: Excel, iTunes, Wikipedia, and websites you’ve recently visited.

Hyperlinks

When working with text in a document or an open message in Gmail or email, you often deal with links. Knowing simple ways to create a hyperlink will save you from copying and pasting the necessary URL. Highlight the text that should contain the link, then press Control/Command+K, paste the link into the window that appears, and you’re done. Now, instead of a long link, you’ll have highlighted text that you can click to go to the desired site.

Google Calendar

For those who use Google Calendar, there are simple tips to speed up navigation between dates and events. To create an event, press C. If you’re viewing past or upcoming events and want to quickly return to today, press T. The 3 or M key will switch you to month view, and 1 or D will switch you to day view.

Working with Gmail

Besides hyperlinks, there are a few more tips for working with Gmail. After composing a message, you can automatically send it by pressing Command/Control+Enter. To switch between the recipient of the email and the necessary copies, use Command/Control+Shift+C (for CC — copy) and Command/Control+Shift+B (for BCC — blind copy).

Twitter

For Twitter users, there are several simple tips, and if you haven’t known them before, remember them now. To create a new tweet, press N, R to reply, F to like a tweet, and T to retweet. If you’re using Twitter on a Mac, all keys except F should be accompanied by pressing Command.

VKontakte

Time-saving is also available for VKontakte users. Many hotkeys can be set up on the site itself, but there are a couple of universal ones. For example, to switch between dialog boxes, press Ctrl + ##, where ## is a number from 1 to 10. For full-screen photo viewing, use Alt + Enter. Working with audio recordings will be easier if you combine the Fn key on your keyboard with media keys like play, pause, stop, etc. To zoom in on a page, hold Ctrl and scroll the mouse wheel up or down, respectively. You can replace the mouse with the up/down keys on the keyboard.

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