February 7, 2007
5 Cool Time-Saving Shortcuts for Windows
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5 Cool Time-Saving Shortcuts for Windows
- by Jim Edwards
© Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved
http://www.thenetreporter.com
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I think most of us feel that expensive operating systems
like Windows can do more things than just keep the computer
running, the problem is we don't know what they are!
Well, over the years I've discovered a few shortcuts that
rate extremely handy for saving time, recovering from
mistakes, or avoiding effort.
Now, a few geeks among us may immediately say I could have
read the manual to discover these instead of tripping on
them over the years, but that would take out all the fun!
And now dear reader, I pass these magical secrets on to you.
The Ultimate "Do Over" -
Does this sound familiar?
You spend 30 minutes typing up and email message, get ready
to hit send, your hand slips, and the message disappears.
You feel a rush of anger, fear and sadness in your gut, take
a deep breath, and start typing again.
Next time something like that happens, just hit the "Ctrl+Z"
keys and it should undo the last action you took in a web
browser, form, word processor, spreadsheet or virtually any
other Windows application.
I can't tell you how many times "Ctrl+Z" has pulled my bacon
out of the fire when I accidentally hit the wrong button or
key.
File Finders -
The more you use your computer, the more files you seem to
create and collect.
Often, finding files you already created rates harder than
just creating a new one, especially after any significant
length of time passes.
Two shortcuts can help you quickly find the files you need
with just a few keystrokes.
<Windows>+F - This combination of the Windows logo key and
the F key at the same time launches the Windows Search
utility.
This enables you to search for files based on partial
filename (because if you could remember the entire filename,
you would have found it already), file type (all your MP3
files), contents of the file (I know the spreadsheet
contains these words), creation date (I created this file
last month), and more.
<Windows>+E - This allows you to open up the Windows
explorer feature in Windows to explore your hard drives,
memory sticks, CD and DVD drives.
Windows Explorer makes it very easy to get your hands on a
file if you know where it is (or, at least where it should
be the last time you used it).
Zoom IN / Zoom OUT -
Okay, I'll admit it.
My eyes seem to suffer from a combination of too much
computer time and the slow creeping wheels of Father Time
(I'm getting older).
Bottom line: sometimes the words on the screen are just too
darn small!
You can solve this problem with <Ctrl>+Mouse Wheel.
Just hold the <Ctrl> key down and roll your mouse wheel up
and down to adjust the zoom.
This little shortcut works in many applications, including
Word, Internet Explorer, FireFox, and Excel.
Shields Down Captain! -
Ever look down at your task bar and see 20 open windows and
realize you need to make your way to the desktop in a hurry?
<Windows>+D will minimize all open windows on your computer
to expose your desktop.
Hit the keys again and your open windows spring back to life
and allow you to continue working.
I've Got a Case! -
Ever need to convert text to all CAPS, or change to Title
Case, or convert to all lower case?
Simply highlight the text in your word processor and hit
<Shift>+<F3> to cycle between all caps, lowercase and title
case.
This shortcut rates very handy when you don't want to retype
blocks of text.
–
Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the
co-author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how
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12 Comments »
February 7, 2007
Dustin Davis :
That last tip only seems to work in MS Office - no other text editor I’ve tried.
Terry Rayburn :
Great tips! Thanks, Jim!
Rick :
Jim,
I love time savers and didn’t know a single one of these shortcuts. Thank you very much and thanks for a superb bootcamp last month in Atlanta.
BigJim :
Hmmm… maybe the last tip only works in MS Word (or Office)… I guess that’s where I’ve always done it because that’s the only Windows word processor I have… but it’s still cool
Jim
Tracy :
Jim,
Thanks so much for the great tips. I’m going to print them out and keep them handy until I memorize how to use them. It’s obvious that you’ve spent a lot of time at the computer. So do I, and these short cuts will help emensely. Thanks!
Debbie :
Thanks for these great tips, I’m sure they will come in handy - but have you a tip on how to remmber these tips?!
Jan :
Thanks for sharing these tips. One of my favorite short cuts in Word is the F4 key. Execute an action - from changing font size and color to a 3-step change to table rows and formatting. Then just hit F4 and the same changes will be applied where you place your cursor. A huge time saver that you’ll find yourself using over and over!
Jan
February 8, 2007
colin :
I really liked your tips about the windows time saving short cuts! They were really cool, especially the “zoom” one and the all windows minimize. Thanks Jim!
PrincessCrafts :
Hi Jim,
I have to agree with the last comment, the last CAP tool only seems to work in MS programs such as office and project.
On the other hand, even as savvy as I am on the PC, I didn’t know about that one or the zoom. So, thanks for making this digital scrapbook business owners life a lot simpler with this one.
February 10, 2007
John Hanevy :
Great article, thanks! I had forgotten about these shortcuts. The Zoom feature is a particularly handy one. I’ve saved this article for future reference.
February 12, 2007
Gail :
Jim these are great shortcuts, I can use just about every one of them every day. I bookmarked this article for future reference.
February 13, 2007
Sally Neill :
Great information, it’s suprising how much you think
you know and what you actually know!
It just takes someone like Jim to come along and show
you, well they do say you learn something new everyday, so
I guess that’s my bit done for today!
Sally