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Increasing ease of use with keyboard shortcuts [1]

November 28, 2023 by ES and UIS Communications [2]

By learning more keyboard shortcuts, you can perform actions with ease, enabling seamless navigation across your tabs and maximized functionality. Windows and Mac have their own click-and-key combinations for many of the same functions.

Windows keyboard shortcuts:

The Find function is a fantastic tool for finding a specific word or phrase on a page without having to scroll through trying to find it.

  • Find: CTRL + F

Selecting text with your cursor can be clunky. Using the Shift + Arrow function will automatically select text as you press an arrow key.

  • Highlight Text: Shift + Arrow
  • NOTE: You can select entire words at a time with this function by holding down CTRL in addition to Shift + Arrow.

The back button in a browser is used to restore the previously visited webpage. There’s also a keyboard shortcut for that!

  • Go back one page: ALT + Left Arrow
  • Go forward one page: ALT + Right Arrow

If you find yourself with a cluttered desktop and need to filter through what’s open? Do it easily by minimizing all tabs and opening them one by one.

  • Minimize all tabs: Windows Key + M

Done for the day? Close your open tabs with a simple hotkey.

  • Close tabs: ALT + F4

Accidentally closing an important tab is frustrating and it is not always easy to retrieve it from browser history.

  • Restore the most recently closed tab: CTRL + SHIFT + T

Renaming files is commonplace when working in Windows. Navigating through the right-click menu can feel like it’s wasting time, especially when you cannot find the rename function. Use this quick hotkey instead.

  • Rename file: Left Click + F2
  • NOTE: You may have to press Fn + F2 for the rename function to work.

Mac keyboard shortcuts:

The Find function is a fantastic tool for finding a specific word or phrase on a page without having to scroll through trying to find it.

  • Find: Cmd + F

Adding hyperlinks to text can be tricky. Using the Cmd + K function will automatically create a hyperlink on the selected text.

  • Add hyperlink: Cmd + K

The back button in a browser is used quite often to restore the previously visited webpage. Mac devices have their own key for that!

  • Go back one page: ⇤ (backtab)
  • Go forward one page: ⇥ (tab)

If you find yourself with a cluttered desktop and need to filter through what’s open? Do it easily by minimizing all tabs and opening them one by one.

  • Minimize all tabs: Cmd + Option + M

Done for the day? Close your open tabs with a simple hotkey.

  • Close tabs: Cmd + W

Accidentally closing an important tab is frustrating and it is not always easy to retrieve it from browser history.

  • Restore the most recently closed tab: Cmd + Shift + T

Renaming files is commonplace when working in Windows. Navigating through the right-click menu can feel like it’s wasting time, especially when you cannot find the rename function. Use this quick hotkey instead.

  • Rename file: Left Click + Return
keyboard shortcut [3]
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Source URL:https://www.cu.edu/blog/tech-tips/increasing-ease-use-keyboard-shortcuts

Links
[1] https://www.cu.edu/blog/tech-tips/increasing-ease-use-keyboard-shortcuts [2] https://www.cu.edu/blog/tech-tips/author/110439 [3] https://www.cu.edu/blog/tech-tips/tag/keyboard-shortcut