by Muneeb Saeed

Created on: December 01, 2008

Windows has an amazing number of shortcuts. They save our time and make our work more efficient. Normally there are built in shortcuts for the most common actions that a normal user would come across doing. Some of these shortcuts are what every windows user should know. Once you get the hang of these... they become a daily part of our routine.

Learning them all at a time is impossible. Start using a new shortcut every other week and soon enough you'll know them all

Basic shortcuts which are applicable in almost all applications:

Ctrl + C = Copy Command

Ctrl + V = Paste Command

Ctrl + T = Cut Command

Ctrl + A = Selects all texts or files.

Ctrl + S = Saves the page or the document

Ctrl + P = Prints the page or picture

Closing windows

Normally we close the window, or the tab, by pressing the little X button. But that can also be done by the famous Alt + F4 combo or the more efficient Ctrl + W. Alt + F4 works in all applications while Ctrl + W works in Windows Explorer and office applications

Logging off the User Accounts

Using the combination of Windows Key + L, you can easily lock off your account. It brings you to the switch user screen. You'd need your user account password to enter again

Quickly moving between Windows

Alt + Tab. Moves between the open windows and applications. This is one of the most important shortcut key. It opens and transfers windows really fast. This is one of the most amazing windows applications

(An enhanced version for XP users is available from Microsoft's website. Check the PowerToy)

Windows Key + R = Opens the Run dialog.

Windows Key + D = Minimizes all windows and shows the desktop. Windows Key + M does the same thing. Use the same combination to get the file you were working on before.

Text Related.

For erasing whole words, instead of one letter at a single time, you can use Ctrl + backspace. This is also a very useful shortcut key

Ctrl + Arrow = Moves the blinking line word by word

Ctrl + Shift + Arrow = Selects one by one and keeps moving in the direction of the arrow

Ctrl + Shift + (Dragging the file to the desktop). This action gives you a shortcut of the dragged file on the desktop

Shift + Delete = Bypasses the recycle bin. It's a permanent delete and there is no chance of recovery.

SHIFT+F10 = gives the same options as when your right click, but with out the mouse: P

Keep in mind that these are not the only shortcuts available. You can make your own shortcuts for commonly run apps by looking into their properties and adding the shortcut of your choice

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