Published 2020-09-20 by TechNet New England
Keyboard shortcuts eliminate the need to reach for the mouse for common tasks. Learning even a few can significantly speed up your workday. ## Essential Shortcuts (Use These Every Day) | Shortcut | Action | |---|---| | Ctrl + C | Copy | | Ctrl + V | Paste | | Ctrl + X | Cut | | Ctrl + Z | Undo | | Ctrl + Y | Redo | | Ctrl + A | Select all | | Ctrl + S | Save | | Ctrl + P | Print | | Ctrl + F | Find (search within a document or page) | ## Window Management | Shortcut | Action | |---|---| | Alt + Tab | Switch between open windows | | Win + D | Show desktop (minimize all windows) | | Win + L | Lock your computer | | Win + E | Open File Explorer | | Win + I | Open Settings | | Alt + F4 | Close the current window | | Win + Left Arrow | Snap window to left half | | Win + Right Arrow | Snap window to right half | | Win + Up Arrow | Maximize window | | Win + Down Arrow | Minimize window | ## Browser Shortcuts (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) | Shortcut | Action | |---|---| | Ctrl + T | New tab | | Ctrl + W | Close current tab | | Ctrl + Shift + T | Reopen last closed tab | | Ctrl + L | Select the address bar | | Ctrl + Tab | Switch to next tab | | Ctrl + Shift + Tab | Switch to previous tab | | Ctrl + R or F5 | Refresh page | | Ctrl + Shift + R | Hard refresh (bypass cache) | ## Text Editing | Shortcut | Action | |---|---| | Ctrl + B | Bold | | Ctrl + I | Italic | | Ctrl + U | Underline | | Home | Go to beginning of line | | End | Go to end of line | | Ctrl + Home | Go to beginning of document | | Ctrl + End | Go to end of document | | Ctrl + Shift + Left/Right | Select word by word | | Ctrl + Backspace | Delete entire word | ## Screenshots | Shortcut | Action | |---|---| | Win + Shift + S | Open Snipping Tool (select area) | | Print Screen | Copy full screen to clipboard | | Alt + Print Screen | Copy active window to clipboard | | Win + Print Screen | Save full screenshot to Pictures | ## Task Management | Shortcut | Action | |---|---| | Ctrl + Shift + Escape | Open Task Manager | | Win + R | Open Run dialog | | Win + X | Open power user menu | ## Tip You do not need to memorize all of these at once. Pick three or four that you would use daily and practice them for a week. Once they become automatic, add a few more. The most impactful ones to start with: Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V, Win + L, Alt + Tab, and Win + Shift + S.