Using keyboard shortcuts in Windows

Shortcut keys are combinations of two or more keys on the keyboard. The term ‘quick’ already indicates what they are intended for: with these keys you can quickly perform a certain action within Windows. Think of saving a document in the meantime or copying and pasting text. There are many keyboard shortcuts that work within Windows and Windows programs. But other applications, such as Word and Excel, also have their own shortcut keys. And within browsers such as Chrome, Edge and Firefox you can also use keyboard shortcuts.

Keyboard shortcuts have one very big advantage: you use the mouse less. And that’s good news for hands, wrists and forearms. It’s good to alternate computer work with something else. But anyone who works on a document or piece for a long time, without noticing, sits with their hand on the mouse for a long time. By using keyboard shortcuts, computer users alternate the mouse with the keyboard.

Also, working with keyboard shortcuts saves a bit of time. For example, a well-known shortcut is Ctrl+S to save a file. This is easier than grabbing the mouse, finding the menu and clicking ‘Save’.

The advantages of keyboard shortcuts are that it works faster and the mouse is used less. But those who work with keyboard shortcuts for the first time may also find it disadvantageous. There are a lot of keyboard shortcuts and most computer users don’t know all of them. Discovering, remembering and learning them can take time. Especially if you are used to using the mouse for everything. It helps to make a list of shortcuts that are useful to you and print it out. Pause your work every time you do something on the PC that has a keyboard shortcut. Then use the hotkey. By doing this over and over and over, the keyboard shortcut becomes a habit. After a while, using keyboard shortcuts becomes second nature.

Shortcut keys are combinations of two and sometimes three keys. You don’t have to press all two or three at the same time. Pressing hotkeys works differently. An example: the shortcut Ctrl+S. You might think it’s the Ctrl key (often at the bottom left of the keyboard), the plus sign +, and the capital S. Good news: it’s simpler. You don’t have to press the plus sign, and you don’t have to capitalize either. You use this shortcut as follows:

• Press and hold the first key (the Ctrl from the example).
• With another finger or hand, press the second key, and the third if necessary. In this example, it’s the letter ‘s’. The file is saved.

For two-part keyboard shortcuts, people usually use two hands. In the case of three parts, for example, people use the thumb and forefinger of one hand for the first two keys, and a finger of the other hand for the last key. Most keyboard shortcuts start with Ctrl, Shift, or the Windows key (with the Windows character).

Another example: the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+C to copy selected text or a selected image.

• Select the text or image with the mouse.
• On the keyboard, press and hold the Ctrl key.
• With another finger, press the letter C (not the capital letter, just the key with the letter C). So the plus sign in keyboard shortcuts is only there for clarity, you don’t need to press the +.
• Release the keys as soon as the function is activated or the operation is completed.

See how it works in this video. The hotkey tower from the video is unfortunately no longer available.

There are dozens of keyboard shortcuts and they can be difficult to remember. But at some point, you get favorite keyboard shortcuts and don’t have to think about it anymore. Your fingers remember the keys themselves, just like touch typing or playing the piano. Start with some keyboard shortcuts you often use during everyday computer activities:

Commonly used keyboard shortcuts are:

• Ctrl+S: Save a file in the meantime.
• Ctrl+A: Select everything in a file or on a screen.
• Ctrl+C: Copy the selected.
• Ctrl+X: Cut the selected one.
• Ctrl+V: Paste the selected.
• Ctrl+B: Make the selected bold.
• Ctrl+I: Make the selected italicized.
• Ctrl+U: Underline the selected item.
• Ctrl+Z: Undo a previous action.
• Ctrl+Y: Redo the previous action.

Tip: Keyboard shortcuts are often capitalized, as noted above. That can be confusing because the keyboard shortcut is lowercase. So try not to capitalize when using a keyboard shortcut.

The Windows Magnifier makes areas of the screen larger by zooming in. For the Magnifying Glass, there are also a number of shortcut keys. The Windows key is usually located at the bottom left and can be recognized by the flag:

• Windows key + the plus sign (+): Turn on magnifying glass.
• Windows key+Esc: Turn off magnifying glass.
• Windows key + plus (+) or minus (-): Zoom in or out when the Magnifier is on.
• Ctrl+Alt+Mousewheel: Zoom in and out using the mouse wheel.
• Windows key+Ctrl+M: Open magnifying glass settings.

Also with, for example, the Windows key (with the flag, in the bottom row on the left) there are all kinds of shortcuts with which computer users quickly navigate within Windows and perform actions.

• The tip ‘Useful keyboard shortcuts in Windows’ provides an overview of the most commonly used keyboard shortcuts in Windows.
• The tip ‘Use shortcuts in Windows Explorer’ contains an overview of the most commonly used shortcuts in Windows Explorer.
• The tip ‘The most useful unknown shortcuts (Windows)’ contains lesser-known shortcuts that come in handy.