Useful Shortcut:

Start + M: Minimizes all open windows

Start + Shift + M: Maximizes All Windows
Start + E: Runs Windows Explorer
Start + R: Open the RUN Dialog Box
Start + F: Open the Search Results Dialog box
Start + CTRL + F: Opens the Search Results-Computer dialog Box (if the computer
is connected to a network)
Start + Pause (Break): Opens the System Properties Dialog Box

Windows System Key Combinations:

F1: Help
CTRL + ESC: Open Start menu
ALT + TAB: Switch between open programs
ALT + F4: Quit program
SHIFT + DELETE: Delete item permanently

Windows Program Key Combinations:

CTRL + C: Copy
CTRL + X: Cut
CTRL + V: Paste
CTRL + Z: Undo
CTRL + B: Bold
CTRL + U: Underline
CTRL + I: Italic

Mouse Click/Keyboard Modifier Combinations for Shell Objects:

SHIFT + right click: Displays a shortcut menu containing alternative commands
SHIFT + double click: Runs the alternate default command (the second item on the
menu)
ALT + double click: Displays properties
SHIFT + DELETE: Deletes an item immediately without placing it in the Recycle Bi
n

General Keyboard-Only Commands:

F1: Starts Windows Help
F10: Activates menu bar options
SHIFT + F10: Opens a shortcut menu for the selected item (this is the same as ri
ght-clicking an object
CTRL + ESC: Opens the Start menu (use the ARROW keys to select an item)
CTRL + ESC or ESC: Selects the Start button (press TAB to select the taskbar, or
press SHIFT+F10 for a context menu)
ALT + DOWN ARROW: Opens a drop-down list box
ALT + TAB: Switch to another running program (hold down the ALT key and then pre
ss the TAB key to view the task-switching window)
SHIFT: Press and hold down the SHIFT key while you insert a CD-ROM to bypass the
automatic-run feature
ALT + SPACE: Displays the main window's System menu (from the System menu, you c
an restore, move, resize, minimize, maximize, or close the window)
ALT +- (ALT + hyphen): Displays the Multiple Document Interface (MDI)child windo

w's System menu (from the MDI child window's System menu, you can restore, move,
resize, minimize, maximize, or close the child window)
CTRL + TAB: Switch to the next child window of a Multiple Document Interface (MD
I) program
ALT + underlined letter in menu: Opens the menu
ALT + F4: Closes the current window
CTRL + F4: Closes the current Multiple Document Interface (MDI) window
ALT + F6: Switch between multiple windows in the same program (for example, when
the Notepad Find dialog box is displayed
ALT + F6: switches between the Find dialog box and the main Notepad window)

Shell Objects and General Folder/Windows Explorer Shortcuts For a selected objec
t:
F2: Rename object
F3: Find all files
CTRL + X: Cut
CTRL + C: Copy
CTRL + V: Paste
SHIFT + DELETE: Delete selection immediately, without moving the item to the Rec
ycle Bin
ALT + ENTER: Open the properties for the selected object
To Copy a File: Press and hold down the CTRL key while you drag the file to anot
her folder.
To Create a Shortcut: Press and hold down CTRL+SHIFT while you drag a file to th
e desktop or a folder.

General Folder/Shortcut Control:

F4: Selects the Go To A Different Folder box and moves down the entries in the b
ox (if the toolbar is active in Windows Explorer)
F5: Refreshes the current window.
F6: Moves among panes in Windows Explorer
CTRL + G: Opens the Go To Folder tool (in Windows 95 Windows Explorer only)
CTRL + Z: Undo the last command
CTRL + A: Select all the items in the current window
BACKSPACE: Switch to the parent folder
SHIFT + click + Close button: For folders, close the current folder plus all par
ent folders

Windows Explorer Tree Control:

Numeric Keypad *: Expands everything under the current selection
Numeric Keypad +: Expands the current selection
Numeric Keypad -: Collapses the current selection.
RIGHT ARROW: Expands the current selection if it is not expanded, otherwise goes
to the first child
LEFT ARROW: Collapses the current selection if it is expanded, otherwise goes to
the parent

Properties Control:
CTRL + TAB/CTRL + SHIFT + TAB: Move through the property tabs

Accessibility Shortcuts:
Press SHIFT five times: Toggles StickyKeys on and off
Press down and hold the right SHIFT key for eight seconds: TogglesFilterKeys on
and off
Press down and hold the NUM LOCK key for five seconds: TogglesToggleKeys on and
off
Left ALT + left SHIFT+NUM LOCK: Toggles MouseKeys on and off
Left ALT + left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN: Toggles high contrast on and off

Microsoft Natural Keyboard Keys:

Windows Logo: Start menu
Windows Logo + R: Run dialog box
Windows Logo + M: Minimize all
SHIFT + Windows Logo+M: Undo minimize all
Windows Logo + F1: Help
Windows Logo + E: Windows Explorer
Windows Logo + F: Find files or folders
Windows Logo + D: Minimizes all open windows and displays the desktop
CTRL + Windows Logo + F: Find computer
CTRL + Windows Logo + TAB: Moves focus from Start, to the Quick Launch toolbar,
to the system tray (use RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW to move focus to items on the
Quick Launch toolbar and the system tray)
Windows Logo + TAB: Cycle through taskbar buttons
Windows Logo + Break: System Properties dialog box
Application key: Displays a shortcut menu for the selected item

Microsoft Natural Keyboard with IntelliType Software Installed:

Windows Logo + L: Log off Windows
Windows Logo + P: Starts Print Manager
Windows Logo + C: Opens Control Panel
Windows Logo + V: Starts Clipboard
Windows Logo + K: Opens Keyboard Properties dialog box
Windows Logo + I: Opens Mouse Properties dialog box
Windows Logo + A: Starts Accessibility Options (if installed)
Windows Logo + SPACEBAR: Displays the list of Microsoft IntelliType shortcut key
s
Windows Logo + S: Toggles CAPS LOCK on and off

Dialog Box Keyboard Commands:

TAB: Move to the next control in the dialog box
SHIFT + TAB: Move to the previous control in the dialog box
SPACEBAR: If the current control is a button, this clicks the button. If the cur
rent control is a check box, this toggles the check box. If the current control
is an option, this selects the option.
ENTER: Equivalent to clicking the selected button (the button with the outline)
ESC: Equivalent to clicking the Cancel button
ALT + underlined letter in dialog box item: Move to the corresponding item
Tricks to use MS Word more swiftly
1. Moving table rows or paragraphs up and down
This is a very efficient trick if you are working with tables in a word document

. But it is equally important in simple documents which do not have tables. This
trick can be used to move a bunch of lines or a paragraph to a desired location
. Suppose if you want to move the 2nd paragraph and you want to make it the firs
t paragraph of your document, then
a) Select the paragraph you want to move (2nd paragraph).
b) Press ALT and SHIFT keys together and use the up arrow key to make it the 1s
t paragraph.
c) Every time you press the up arrow the 2nd paragraph moves one line up. This
includes the spacing between the lines.
d) All the lines on the top of the 2nd paragraph move downwards to make way for
the 2nd paragraph.
The same trick can be used by selecting tables also.

2.
Going back to the last editing location on opening the document
It is not a very important trick but it can be handy sometimes. When you open a
document in word then you notice that you are always on the top of the document.
Even if you had edited something at the end of the document before saving and c
losing it, you will always be at the top while opening the document. If you pres
s the SHIFT+F5 key immediately after opening the document then you will be taken
to the spot where you last edited the document. This key is similar to the Go B
ack shortcut. But in the case of MS Excel you will always find yourselves on the
last edited spot.
3. Use Replace in the Edit tab for more than what we know Most of us only know
how to replace a word or a phrase in a document using Replace in the Edit tab. B
ut, Replace can be used for replacing many more things than just simple words.If
you receive a document which has unnecessary usage of Italics, then you can use
Replace to get rid of them in this manner:
a)

Press CTRL+F to open the Find and Replace dialogue box.

b)
In the dialog box which comes up, select the Replace Tab. Leave the Find W
hat and Replace With fields blank.
c)

Click in the Find What field and press CTRL+I.

d)

Click in the Replace With field and press CTRL+I twice.

e)
Click on Replace All to make the changes. This will non-italicize all ital
icized words.
We can use the same method to remove bold and underlined words by using CTRL+B f
or bold and CTRL+U for underlined words.
4. Quickly transfer formatting from one piece of text to another
This is another simple trick which is used to copy the type of formatting of a
text and then apply it to another piece of text. This can also be done using the
tabs in the toolbar but there is a keyboard shortcut used for achieving this. S
elect the piece of text whose format you wish to copy. Press CTRL+SHIFT+C to cop
y the formatting of that piece of text. Then select the next piece of text where
you wish to copy this style of formatting. Press CTRL+SHIFT+V there. The text a

t the destination will be formatted according to the previous locations format.

This key is very easy to remember as this is very similar to the shortcut keys u
sed for copy (CTRL+C) and paste (CTRL+V). Using this key combination you can cop
y anything like font, alignment, indents etc.
5. Adding page dividers in MS Word
To add various and variety of horizontal dividers in MS word, type three continu
ous special characters (shown below) and give enter.
Hyphens (---)
Underscores (___)
Equal Sign (===)
Tildes (~~~)
Asterisks (***)
Hash sign (###)
For eg: Type ~~~ and give an enter key. It shows as follows:

6. Selecting Vertical block of text:

In order to select a particular block of text vertically then we can use the Alt
key followed by the text selection which is needed.
Consider the following screenshot for vertical selection:
7. Inserting Date and Time:

There is an easy way of inserting Date and Time in MS Word. Here are the shortcu
t keys:
o

Date: Alt + Shift + D

Time: Alt + Shift + T