7 Windows PC Keyboard Shortcuts You Need to Know
Some handy shortcuts that could save you time at work!
I am originally from America. My laptop was purchased in America. I now live in the UK.
I’m pretty deft at summoning the dollar sign symbol; a quick Shift + 4 and I’m sorted. The UK has a different monetary unit: the pound sterling, the £ symbol. This symbol does not have real estate on my keyboard. Best way to get it? Well, it is definitely not Character Map – do you know how many symbols that thing has? It is laden with cryptic squiggles that have no place in modern written language; heck, even the Egyptians’ hieroglyphics were more updated that those!
Almost like those delightful operating system Easter eggs, there are shortcut symbols hidden within our standard Qwertys that are just waiting to be found and unleashed. Bypassing the Character Map and having the Google search “keyboard shortcut British pound” show up on your history multiple times per day, keyboard shortcuts can be a big timesaver, and can increase your workplace productivity no end.
I have compiled a few of my favourite shortcuts to get you going. Put them on a sticky note, keep them open in a document, or commit them to memory; these little gems are gagging to be added to your words-per-minute arsenal!
Please note, these shortcuts function only on Windows PCs.
Ctrl + C
Copy a selection. If you don’t know this shortcut, you need to sit in the corner, and think hard about your life choices.
Ctrl + V
Paste an item that has been copied. If Ctrl + C is the yin, Ctrl + V is the yang.
Ctrl + X
Cut an item. Like Ctrl + C, except it removes the selection from where it is located. Like when you’re at a party and you Ctrl + X some of those canapes to your pocket so you can enjoy them the next morning for breakfast.
Ctrl+Z
Undo last action. I cannot express how badly I wish I had this option in my everyday life. Goodbye, bad life choices!
Ctrl + F
Find. Using this shortcut combo is like having your own personal pack of bloodhounds that are all just wagging their tails and panting because they’re so excited to hunt something down in your RAM for you! Simply press Ctrl + F and type in the word or phrase you are looking for, and it will present itself to you in no time!
Alt + Tab
This is a personal favourite of mine. If you are a very important and busy person, then you probably have so many applications open on your computer right now (read: every social media and every personal messaging application known to man, plus one blank Word document with blinking cursor). With Alt + Tab you can switch between all these different windows, saving you time and increasing efficiency (read: always getting to reply first to awesome posts and reading the comments on your brilliant new YouTube vlog, or moving over to that Word doc to remind yourself how not creative you are).
Ctrl + Alt + Delete
If an application on your computer has gone rogue and refuses to cooperate, show it who’s boss. This shortcut will open a screen where you can select Task Manager, and then go and force programs to close.
Some old, some new, some borrowed, but you shan’t be blue if you keep track of these keyboard shortcuts. I’m still looking for a shortcut that automatically switches my screen to a slew of very intelligent-looking documents for when my boss is approaching my desk. If you know of such a shortcut, leave a comment below!
What are your most useful keyboard shortcuts? Share them in the comments below and you could be improving my workplace efficiency!