This is not a list of every shortcut in Windows and Office. We’ve concentrated

on those we’ve found most helpful. We won’t delve into the shortcuts you

probably know already, such as those that copy (Ctrl-C), cut (Ctrl-X), or paste

(Ctrl-V) objects.

Don’t try to learn all these key combinations at once. Pick a few that fit the

way you work and use them for a while until they’re automatic, then try a few

more. To help you remember, we’ve added mnemonics where we could, along with

notes where appropriate. All these shortcuts work in Windows 95, 98, Me, NT 4.0,

and 2000, except where noted. Some require a keyboard with a Windows key (the

key with a flying Windows icon on it). Windows-key shortcuts are among the most

useful — and most overlooked.

Moving Around Windows and the Desktop Shortcuts

that let you move from one window to another easily, get to the Windows desktop,

or move around the desktop can speed you up considerably.

• Switch among applications: Windows-Tab or Alt-Tab.

The Windows-Tab combination cycles through the taskbar buttons. When the program

you want is selected, hit Enter to switch to that window. If more than one

program is running, Alt-Tab brings up the task-switching window. Immediately

releasing the keys switches you to the previous application. To jump to one of

the other running programs instead, release Tab, but keep Alt held down. Each

succeeding press of Tab moves the program selection box to the next application.

Releasing the Alt key switches you to the selected program. If only two

applications are running, Alt-tab toggles between them.

• Open the Start menu: Ctrl-Esc or Windows.

Either shortcut will open the Start menu. Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to move

through the menu, and the Enter key to choose an item. The two shortcuts vary

slightly depending on your version of Windows. Ctrl-Esc, Esc leaves the Start

button selected but not pressed. In Windows 95, 98, and NT 4.0 (but not Windows

2000 and Me), Windows, Esc will return you to the window or desktop selection

you were working with previously.

• Go to the Quick Launch toolbar and launch a program: Ctrl-Esc, Esc, Tab,

select with Arrow keys, Enter.

• Minimize all open Windows and reveal the desktop: Windows-M or Windows-D.

Mnemonics: This one’s easy to remember; M for Minimize all and D for desktop.

Note that Windows-D doesn’t work under Windows 95, but Windows-M does.

• Restore all Windows you previously minimized with Windows-M or Windows-D:

Shift-Windows-M or repeat Windows-D.

• Move within the Windows Desktop and select items: Tab, Arrow, Enter.

Once at the desktop, use the Tab key to cycle through the Start button, Quick

Launch toolbar, other toolbars, taskbar button area, and icons on the desktop

(and those in the system tray in Windows 2000). Use the Arrow keys to move

around within any of these areas of the desktop or taskbar. Use the Enter key to

select items. You must, for example, select the Start button to open the Start

menu.

Windows Housekeeping Chores

These shortcuts can help you with day-to-day housekeeping in Windows.

• Open the Run dialog box: Windows-R.

Mnemonic: The Windows Run dialog.

• Start Windows Explorer: Windows-E.

Mnemonic: Windows Explorer.

• Find a File (from the Windows desktop): Windows-F or F3.

Mnemonic: Windows Find file dialog box.

• Open the System Properties dialog box: Windows-Break.

Mnemonic: Windows is broken; check the system properties.

• Rename the selected object: F2.

Mnemonic: This is the same command Excel uses for editing the currently selected

cell. This command and the next one work within programs, too. For example, you

can use these commands when working in the File | Open dialog box in Word or

Excel. Note that after you select text in Word, F2 begins the operation of

moving the current selection. You then move the insertion cursor to the desired

location and hit Enter.

• Delete selected objects without sending them to the Recycle Bin: Shift-

Delete.

Mnemonic: A slightly shifted version of what happens when you hit Delete, which

sends the objects to the Recycle Bin. Be careful with this command. Under some

conditions, it will delete a file without asking for confirmation first.

• Bypass the CD-ROM AutoRun feature: Hold down the Shift key while you insert

the disk.

This is an invaluable tool when you have to remove a disk during installation

(to read the CD key, for example), then reinsert the disk.

• View the Properties dialog for a selected object: Alt-Enter.

This works for such disparate objects as icons on the desktop, printers, hard

drives, and the taskbar.

Windows-Wide Shortcuts

The shortcuts in this category work not only in Windows

itself, but also in most Windows applications. Some of these shortcuts relate to

the windows of a particular application. Others relate to features you’ll find

in almost any Windows program, such as drop-down list boxes.

• Restore, Move, Size, Minimize, Maximize, or Close the main window of the

currently selected program: Alt-Spacebar, letter key (from those underlined

above), or Alt-Spacebar, Arrow, Enter.

Alt-Spacebar opens the System menu, which will appear on-screen even if the

application window is mostly off-screen. You can move the window back to a

workable position using the Arrow keys and then hit Enter to set it down.

• Restore, Move, Size, Minimize, Maximize, or Close the currently selected

window within a program: Alt-hyphen, letter key, or Alt-hyphen, Arrow, Enter.

• Open a context menu: Shift-F10, letter key, or Shift-F10, Arrow, Enter.

This is particularly useful in a program like Word when, for example, you want

to call up the editing context menu but don’t want to take your fingers from the

keys to right-click.

• Open a drop-down list box: Alt-Down Arrow.

Mnemonic: Down box, Down Arrow. This is especially helpful when you’re filling

in database forms (in Microsoft Access, for example). It’s also useful when

working in a dialog box.

• Cycle through the tabs in a dialog box: Ctrl-Tab and Ctrl-Shift-Tab.

Mnemonic: Control your way from tab to tab. Ctrl-Tab goes from left to right,

Ctrl-Shift-Tab moves from right to left.

• Switch from window to window within the same program: Alt-F6.

This won’t work with all windows. It will, for example, toggle between a Find

window and a document window in Microsoft Word, but it won’t toggle between one

document window and another. The command in Word for cycling through the open

document windows is Ctrl-F6.

• Basic font formatting for bold, underline, italic: Ctrl-B, Ctrl-U, Ctrl-I.

You probably know these work in the Office programs you use, but try them in

other programs as well; they may work.

• Undo: Ctrl-Z.

Mnemonic: Zap that. Again, this works throughout Windows, if not in every

program.

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source: PC Magazine Solutions

March 1, 2001