101 Keyboard Shortcuts: Little-Known Ways To Save Time and Do More

Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of. - Benjamin Franklin
With the advent of computers, we have an excellent opportunity to save time.  Mathematical calculations which used to take hours can now be completed in seconds, and tasks such as writing are shortened by electronic word searches. However, most people do not make full use of these amazing computers. To fully-utilize these powerful machines, memorize and use the following 101 keyboard shortcuts. If remembering all 101 seems overwhelming, just memorize the 20 or so bolded ones - they're the most important. Tech Note: The shortcuts below mostly apply to Windows operating systems, but some will also work on Mac and Linux syxtems.

General Windows Shortcuts

  • F1 – Start Windows Help
  • F2 – Rename a file/folder
  • F3 – Search for a file/folder
  • Ctrl + Esc – Display the Start Menu
  • Alt + Tab – Switch between open programs
  • Delete – Move the selected item to the Recycle Bin
  • Shift + Delete – Permanently delete the selected item

Cross–program Shortcuts

  • Ctrl + C – Copy selected text to clipboard
  • Ctrl + V – Paste contents of clipboard
  • Ctrl + Z – Undo
  • Ctrl + Y – Redo
  • Ctrl + X – Cut
  • Ctrl + B – Bold
  • Ctrl + U – Underline
  • Ctrl + I – Italics
  • Ctrl + S – Save changes
  • Alt + F4 – Close program

Firefox Shortcuts

  • Backspace – Back (to previous page)
  • Shift + Backspace – Forward (to next page)
  • Alt + Home – To homepage
  • F5 – Reload/refresh page
  • F6 – Jump to address bar
  • F11 – Toggle full screen
  • Esc – Stop loading page
  • Home – Jump to top of page
  • End – Jump to bottom of page
  • Ctrl + U – View page source
  • Ctrl + P – Print current page
  • Ctrl + “+” – Zoom in
  • Ctrl + “-” – Zoom out
  • Ctrl + 0 – Reset zoom level
  • Ctrl + D – Bookmark current page
  • Ctrl + J – View downloads
  • Ctrl + H – View history

Gmail Shortcuts

  • C – Compose new message
  • / - Move cursor to search box
  • K – Move to newer conversation
  • J – Move to older conversation
  • U – Close message
  • E – Archive conversation
  • ! – Report spam
  • R – Reply
  • F – Forward
  • Shift + I – Mark as read
  • Shift + U – Mark as unread
  • ? – Display all shortcuts

Google Reader Shortcuts

  • J – Move to older item
  • K – Move to newer item
  • S – Star an item
  • L – Like an item
  • E – Email item
  • Shift + S – Share item
  • Shift + D – Share item with note
  • M – Mark item as read/unread
  • Shift + A – Mark all items as read
  • R – Refresh screen
  • ? – Display all shortcuts

MS Word

  • Ctrl + A – Select all
  • Ctrl + E – Center selected text
  • Ctrl + L – Align selected text to the left
  • Ctrl + R – Align selected text to the right
  • Ctrl + F – Open find and replace
  • Ctrl + K- Insert link
  • Ctrl + M – Indent paragraph
  • Ctrl + N – Create new document
  • Ctrl + O – Open new file
  • Ctrl + P – Open print window
  • Ctrl + T – Create a hanging indent
  • Ctrl + Home – Jump to beginning of document
  • Ctrl + End – Jump to end of document
  • Ctrl + 2 – Double-space lines
  • F7 – Run spell and grammar check
  • Shift + F7 – Run thesaurus on selected word

MS Excel Shortcuts

  • F2 – Edit the selected cell
  • F11 – Insert chart
  • Ctrl + ; - Insert current date
  • Shift + F3 – Open formula window
  • Shift + K – Insert link
  • Ctrl + Page Up/Page Down – Move between worksheets in the same document
  • Ctrl + Shift + $ - Use currency format
  • Ctrl + Shift + # - Use date format
  • Ctrl + Shift + % - Use percentage format
  • Ctrl + Shift + ^ - Use scientific format
  • Ctrl + Shift + @ - Use time format
  • Ctrl + Space – Select column
  • Shift + Space – Select row

Paint.Net Shortcuts

  • Shift + Scroll Up/Down – Scroll Left/Right
  • Esc or Enter – Deselect
  • Ctrl + I – Invert selection
  • E – Switch to eraser tool
  • F – Switch to paint bucket tool
  • H – Switch to pan tool
  • K – Switch to color picker tool
  • M – Switch to move tool
  • O – Switch to box tool
  • P – Switch to pencil tool
  • S – Switch to selection tool
  • X – Swap primary/secondary colors
  • Z – Switch to zoom tool
  • Ctrl + Shift + S – Open "Save As" box
  • Ctrl + Shift + Z – Open rotate/zoom box

Conclusion

Well, there you are!  More than a hundred time-saving computer shortcuts. Once you start using these shortcuts you will be amazed by how much time you save. What are your favorite computer tricks and shortcuts?