Elevate Your Efficiency: Master Keyboard Shortcuts Essential for Small Business Owners
Keyboard Shortcuts
Mastering keyboard shortcuts can transform your productivity in the digital era! With a plethora of commands readily available, from navigating the address bar to swiftly moving between tabs using the left and right arrows, these time-saving techniques can revolutionize your workflow. However, many of these shortcuts often go unnoticed by the average user. Leveraging simple keyboard and computer shortcuts in the workplace can enhance productivity and alleviate strain caused by repetitive motions.
Whether you’re managing multiple tasks within the active window or effortlessly organizing bookmarks, familiarity with common keyboard shortcuts such as Ctrl combinations or Mac shortcuts can streamline your daily operations. Most shortcuts are designed to eliminate additional steps that typically involve using your mouse or navigating through extra menus.
Windows Keyword Shortcuts
- Alt + A – Set focus to the first icon in the Suggested actions menu.
- Alt + Shift + arrow keys – When a group or tile is in focus on the Start menu, move it in the direction specified.
- Ctrl + A – Select all items in a document or window.
- Ctrl + arrow keys – Resize the Start menu when it’s open.
- Ctrl + C (or) Ctrl + Insert – Copy the selected item.
- Ctrl + D (or) Delete – Delete the selected item and move it to the Recycle Bin.
- Ctrl + E – Open Search (in most apps).
- Ctrl + Esc – Open Start.
- Ctrl + F4 – Close the active document (in apps that are full-screen and let you have multiple documents open at the same time).
- Ctrl + Shift + arrow keys – When a tile is in focus on the Start menu, move it into another tile to create a folder.
- Ctrl + Shift + V – Paste as plain text
- Ctrl + Shift with an arrow key – Select a block of text.
- Ctrl + Shift – Switch the keyboard layout when multiple keyboard layouts are available.
- Ctrl + Up arrow – Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph.
- Ctrl + V (or) Shift + Insert – Paste the selected item.
- Ctrl + X – Cut the selected item.
- Ctrl + Y – Redo an action.
- Ctrl + Z – Undo an action.
- Esc – Stop or leave the current task.
- F2 – Rename the selected item.
- F3 – Search for a file or folder in File Explorer.
- F4 – Display the address bar list in File Explorer.
- F5 – Refresh the active window.
- F6 – Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop.
- F10 – Activate the Menu bar in the active app.
- Left arrow – Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu.
- Right arrow – Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu.
- Shift + Delete – Delete the selected item without moving it to the Recycle Bin first.
- Shift with any arrow key – Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document.
- PrtScn – Take a screenshot of your whole screen and copy it to the clipboard.
- Alt + Esc – Cycle through open windows.
- Alt + F4 – Close active window. (If no active window is present, a shutdown box appears.)
- Alt + F8 – Reveals typed password in Sign-in screen.
- Alt + Left arrow key – Go back.
- Alt + Page Down – Move down one screen.
- Alt + Page Up – Move up one screen.
- Alt + Right arrow key – Go forward.
- Alt + Spacebar – Open context menu for the active window.
- Alt + Tab – Switch between open apps while pressing Tab multiple times.
- Alt + Underlined letter – Runs command for the underlined letter in apps.
- Ctrl + Alt + Tab – View open apps.
- Ctrl + Arrow keys – Change Start menu size.
- Ctrl + Arrow keys (to select) + Spacebar – Select multiple items on desktop or File Explorer.
- Ctrl + Click a grouped app button – Cycle through windows in the group from the Taskbar.
- Ctrl + Down arrow key – Move the cursor to the beginning of the next paragraph.
- Ctrl + F5 (or) Ctrl + R – Refresh current window.
- Ctrl + Left arrow key – Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous word.
- Ctrl + Right arrow key – Move the cursor to the beginning of the next word.
- Ctrl + Shift – Switch keyboard layout.
- Ctrl + Shift + Arrow key – Select block of text.
- Ctrl + Shift + Click app button – Run app as administrator from the Taskbar.
- Ctrl + Shift + Esc – Open Task Manager.
- Ctrl + Spacebar – Enable or disable Chinese IME.
- Ctrl + Up arrow key – Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph
- Shift + Arrow keys – Select multiple items.
- Shift + Click app button – Open another instance of an app from the Taskbar.
- Shift + F10 – Open context menu for selected item.
- Shift + Right-click app button – Show window menu for the app from the Taskbar.
- Shift + Right-click grouped app button – Show window menu for the group from the Taskbar.
- Windows Key – Open Start menu.
- Windows Key + A – Open Action center.
- Windows Key + Alt + D – Open date and time in the Taskbar.
- Windows Key + Alt + Number (0-9) – Open Jump List of the app in number position in the Taskbar.
- Windows Key + B – Set focus notification area in the Taskbar.
- Windows Key + C – Open/Close Copilot.
- Windows Key + Comma (,) – Temporarily peek at the desktop.
- Windows Key + Ctrl + D – Create a virtual desktop.
- Windows Key + Ctrl + Enter – Open Narrator.
- Windows Key + Ctrl + F – Open search for the device on a domain network.
- Windows Key + Ctrl + F4 – Close active virtual desktop.
- Windows Key + Ctrl + Left arrow – Switch to the virtual desktop on the left.
- Windows Key + Ctrl + Number (0-9) – Switch to the last active window of the app in the number position in the Taskbar.
- Windows Key + Ctrl + Q – Open Quick Assist.
- Windows Key + Ctrl + Right arrow – Switch to the virtual desktop on the right.
- Windows Key + Ctrl + Shift + B – Wake up the device when black or a blank screen.
- Windows Key + Ctrl + Shift + Number (0-9) – Open another instance as an administrator of the app in the number position in the Taskbar.
- Windows Key + Ctrl + Spacebar – Change previous selected input option.
- Windows Key + D – Display and hide the desktop.
- Windows Key + Down arrow key – Minimize app windows.
- Windows Key + E – Open File Explorer.
- Windows Key + Esc – Exit magnifier.
- Windows Key + F – Launch Feedback Hub app.
- Windows Key + Forward-slash (/) – Start IME reconversion.
- Windows Key + G – Launch Game bar app.
- Windows Key + H – Open dictation feature.
- Windows Key + Home – Minimize or maximize all but the active desktop window.
- Windows Key + I – Open Settings.
- Windows Key + J – Set focus on a tip for Windows 10 when applicable.
- Windows Key + K – Open Connect settings.
- Windows Key + L – Locks computer.
- Windows Key + Left arrow key – Snap app or window left.
- Windows Key + M – Minimize all windows.
- Windows Key + Minus (-) – Zoom out using the magnifier.
- Windows Key + Number (0-9) – Open the app in number position in the Taskbar.
- Windows Key + O – Lock device orientation.
- Windows Key + P – Open Project settings.
- Windows Key + Pause – Show System Properties dialog box.
- Windows Key + Period (.) or Semicolon (;) – Open emoji panel.
- Windows Key + Plus (+) – Zoom in using the magnifier.
- Windows Key + PrtScn – Capture a full screenshot in the “Screenshots” folder.
- Windows Key + R – Open Run command.
- Windows Key + Right arrow key – Snap app or window right.
- Windows Key + S (or Q) – Open Search.
- Windows Key + Shift + Down arrow key – Maximize or minimize active windows vertically while maintaining width.
- Windows Key + Shift + Left arrow key – Move active window to monitor on the left.
- Windows Key + Shift + M – Restore minimized windows on the desktop.
- Windows Key + Shift + Number (0-9) – Open another app instance in the number position in the Taskbar.
- Windows Key + Shift + Right arrow key – Move active window to monitor on the right.
- Windows Key + Shift + S – Create part of the screen screenshot.
- Windows Key + Shift + Up arrow key – Stretch desktop window to the top and bottom of the screen.
- Windows Key + Shift + V – Cycle through notifications.
- Windows Key + Spacebar – Change keyboard layout and input language.
- Windows Key + T – Cycle through apps in the Taskbar.
- Windows Key + Tab – Open Task View.
- Windows Key + U – Open Ease of Access settings.
- Windows Key + Up arrow key – Maximize app windows.
- Windows Key + V – Open Clipboard bin.
- Windows Key + W – Open the Windows Ink Workspace.
- Windows Key + X – Open Quick Link menu.
- Windows Key + Y – Change input between desktop and Mixed Reality.
- Windows Key + Z – Switch input between the desktop experience and Windows Mixed Reality.
- Backspace – Delete characters to the left
- Ctrl + = – Make selected text subscript
- Ctrl + A – Select all text
- Ctrl + B – Make selected text bold
- Ctrl + Backspace – Delete words to the left
- Ctrl + C – Copy text
- Ctrl + Del – Delete words to the right
- Ctrl + Down Arrow – Go to end of line break
- Ctrl + End – Go to the end of the document
- Ctrl + F – Find text
- Ctrl + H – Find and replace text
- Ctrl + Home – Go to the beginning of the document
- Ctrl + I – Make selected text italic
- Ctrl + Left Arrow – Go to beginning of previous word
- Ctrl + Right Arrow – Go to beginning of next word
- Ctrl + Shift + = – Make selected text superscript
- Ctrl + U – Underline selected text
- Ctrl + Up Arrow – Go to beginning of line break
- Ctrl + V – Paste text
- Ctrl + X – Cut text
- Ctrl + Y – Redo text
- Ctrl + Z – Undo text
- Delete – Delete characters to the right
- Down Arrow – Go down one row
- End – Go to the end of the current line
- Home – Go to the beginning of the current line
- Left Arrow – Go to the left or to the end of previous line break
- Page Down – Move down one frame
- Page Up – Move up one frame
- Right Arrow – Go to the right or to the beginning of next line break
- Shift + Ctrl + Down – Select paragraphs to the right
- Shift + Ctrl + End – Select text between the cursor and the end of the document
- Shift + Ctrl + Home – Select text between the cursor and the beginning of the document
- Shift + Ctrl + Left – Select words to the left
- Shift + Ctrl + Right – Select words to the right
- Shift + Ctrl + Up – Select paragraphs to the left
- Shift + Down Arrow – Select lines downwards
- Shift + End – Select text between the cursor and the end of the current line
- Shift + Home – Select text between the cursor and the beginning of the current line
- Shift + Left Arrow – Select characters to the left
- Shift + Page Down – Select one frame at a time of text below the cursor
- Shift + Page Up – Select one frame at a time of text above the cursor
- Shift + Right Arrow – Select characters to the right
- Shift + Tab – Outdent
- Shift + Up Arrow – Select lines upwards
- Tab – Indent
- Up Arrow – Go up one row
Mac Keyword Shortcuts
- Command-X: Cut the selected item and copy it to the Clipboard.
- Command-C: Copy the selected item to the Clipboard. This also works for files in the Finder.
- Command-V: Paste the contents of the Clipboard into the current document or app. This also works for files in the Finder.
- Command-Z: Undo the previous command. You can then press Shift-Command-Z to Redo, reversing the undo command. In some apps, you can undo and redo multiple commands.
- Command-A: Select All items.
- Command-F: Find items in a document or open a Find window.
- Command-G: Find Again: Find the next occurrence of the item previously found. To find the previous occurrence, press Shift-Command-G.
- Command-H: Hide the windows of the front app. To view the front app but hide all other apps, press Option-Command-H.
- Command-M: Minimize the front window to the Dock. To minimize all windows of the front app, press Option-Command-M.
- Command-O: Open the selected item, or open a dialog to select a file to open.
- Command-P: Print the current document.
- Command-S: Save the current document.
- Command-T: Open a new tab.
- Command-W: Close the front window. To close all windows of the app, press Option-Command-W.
- Option-Command-Esc: Force quit an app.
- Command–Space bar: Show or hide the Spotlight search field. To perform a Spotlight search from a Finder window, press Command–Option–Space bar. (If you use multiple input sources to type in different languages, these shortcuts change input sources instead of showing Spotlight. Learn how to change a conflicting keyboard shortcut.)
- Control–Command–Space bar: Show the Character Viewer, from which you can choose emoji and other symbols.
- Control-Command-F: Use the app in full screen, if supported by the app.
- Space bar: Use Quick Look to preview the selected item.
- Command-Tab: Switch to the next most recently used app among your open apps.
- Command–Grave accent (`): Switch between the windows of the app you’re using. (The character on the second key varies by keyboard. It’s generally the key above the Tab key and to the left of the number 1.)
- Shift-Command-5: In macOS Mojave or later, take a screenshot or make a screen recording. Or use Shift-Command-3 or Shift-Command-4 for screenshots. Learn more about screenshots.
- Shift-Command-N: Create a new folder in the Finder.
- Command-Comma (,): Open preferences for the front app.
- Command-D: Duplicate the selected files.
- Command-E: Eject the selected disk or volume.
- Command-F: Start a Spotlight search in the Finder window.
- Command-I: Show the Get Info window for a selected file.
- Command-R: (1) When an alias is selected in the Finder: show the original file for the selected alias. (2) In some apps, such as Calendar or Safari, refresh or reload the page. (3) In Software Update, check for software updates again.
- Shift-Command-C: Open the Computer window.
- Shift-Command-D: Open the desktop folder.
- Shift-Command-F: Open the Recents window, showing all of the files you viewed or changed recently.
- Shift-Command-G: Open a Go to Folder window.
- Shift-Command-H: Open the Home folder of the current macOS user account.
- Shift-Command-I: Open iCloud Drive.
- Shift-Command-K: Open the Network window.
- Option-Command-L: Open the Downloads folder.
- Shift-Command-N: Create a new folder.
- Shift-Command-O: Open the Documents folder.
- Shift-Command-P: Show or hide the Preview pane in Finder windows.
- Shift-Command-R: Open the AirDrop window.
- Shift-Command-T: Show or hide the tab bar in Finder windows.
- Control-Shift-Command-T: Add selected Finder item to the Dock (OS X Mavericks or later)
- Shift-Command-U: Open the Utilities folder.
- Option-Command-D: Show or hide the Dock.
- Control-Command-T: Add the selected item to the sidebar (OS X Mavericks or later).
- Option-Command-P: Hide or show the path bar in Finder windows.
- Option-Command-S: Hide or show the Sidebar in Finder windows.
- Command–Slash (/): Hide or show the status bar in Finder windows.
- Command-J: Show View Options.
- Command-K: Open the Connect to Server window.
- Control-Command-A: Make an alias of the selected item.
- Command-N: Open a new Finder window.
- Option-Command-N: Create a new Smart Folder.
- Command-T: Show or hide the tab bar when a single tab is open in the current Finder window.
- Option-Command-T: Show or hide the toolbar when a single tab is open in the current Finder window.
- Option-Command-V: Move the files in the Clipboard from their original location to the current location.
- Command-Y: Use Quick Look to preview the selected files.
- Option-Command-Y: View a Quick Look slideshow of the selected files.
- Command-1: View the items in the Finder window as icons.
- Command-2: View the items in a Finder window as a list.
- Command-3: View the items in a Finder window in columns.
- Command-4: View the items in a Finder window in a gallery.
- Command–Left Bracket ([): Go to the previous folder.
- Command–Right Bracket (]): Go to the next folder.
- Command–Up Arrow: Open the folder that contains the current folder.
- Command–Control–Up Arrow: Open the folder that contains the current folder in a new window.
- Command–Down Arrow: Open the selected item.
- Right Arrow: Open the selected folder. This works only when in list view.
- Left Arrow: Close the selected folder. This works only when in list view.
- Command-Delete: Move the selected item to the Trash.
- Shift-Command-Delete: Empty the Trash.
- Option-Shift-Command-Delete: Empty the Trash without confirmation dialog.
- Command–Brightness Down: Turn video mirroring on or off when your Mac is connected to more than one display.
- Option–Brightness Up: Open Displays preferences. This works with either Brightness key.
- Control–Brightness Up or Control–Brightness Down: Change the brightness of your external display, if supported by your display.
- Option–Shift–Brightness Up or Option–Shift–Brightness Down: Adjust the display brightness in smaller steps. Add the Control key to this shortcut to make the adjustment on your external display, if supported by your display.
- Option–Mission Control: Open Mission Control preferences.
- Command–Mission Control: Show the desktop.
- Control–Down Arrow: Show all windows of the front app.
- Option–Volume Up: Open Sound preferences. This works with any of the volume keys.
- Option–Shift–Volume Up or Option–Shift–Volume Down: Adjust the sound volume in smaller steps.
- Option–Keyboard Brightness Up: Open Keyboard preferences. This works with either Keyboard Brightness key.
- Option–Shift–Keyboard Brightness Up or Option–Shift–Keyboard Brightness Down: Adjust the keyboard brightness in smaller steps.
- Option key while double-clicking: Open the item in a separate window, then close the original window.
- Command key while double-clicking: Open a folder in a separate tab or window.
- Command key while dragging to another volume: Move the dragged item to the other volume, instead of copying it.
- Option key while dragging: Copy the dragged item. The pointer changes while you drag the item.
- Option-Command while dragging: Make an alias of the dragged item. The pointer changes while you drag the item.
- Option-click a disclosure triangle: Open all folders within the selected folder. This works only when in list view.
- Command-click a window title: See the folders that contain the current folder.
- Command-B: Boldface the selected text, or turn boldfacing on or off.
- Command-I: Italicize the selected text, or turn italics on or off.
- Command-K: Add a web link.
- Command-U: Underline the selected text, or turn underlining on or off.
- Command-T: Show or hide the Fonts window.
- Command-D: Select the Desktop folder from within an Open dialog or Save dialog.
- Control-Command-D: Show or hide the definition of the selected word.
- Shift-Command-Colon (:): Display the Spelling and Grammar window.
- Command-Semicolon (;): Find misspelled words in the document.
- Option-Delete: Delete the word to the left of the insertion point.
- Control-H: Delete the character to the left of the insertion point. Or use Delete.
- Control-D: Delete the character to the right of the insertion point. Or use Fn-Delete.
- Fn-Delete: Forward delete on keyboards that don’t have a Forward Delete key. Or use Control-D.
- Control-K: Delete the text between the insertion point and the end of the line or paragraph.
- Fn–Up Arrow: Page Up: Scroll up one page.
- Fn–Down Arrow: Page Down: Scroll down one page.
- Fn–Left Arrow: Home: Scroll to the beginning of a document.
- Fn–Right Arrow: End: Scroll to the end of a document.
- Command–Up Arrow: Move the insertion point to the beginning of the document.
- Command–Down Arrow: Move the insertion point to the end of the document.
- Command–Left Arrow: Move the insertion point to the beginning of the current line.
- Command–Right Arrow: Move the insertion point to the end of the current line.
- Option–Left Arrow: Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word.
- Option–Right Arrow: Move the insertion point to the end of the next word.
- Shift–Command–Up Arrow: Select the text between the insertion point and the beginning of the document.
- Shift–Command–Down Arrow: Select the text between the insertion point and the end of the document.
- Shift–Command–Left Arrow: Select the text between the insertion point and the beginning of the current line.
- Shift–Command–Right Arrow: Select the text between the insertion point and the end of the current line.
- Shift–Up Arrow: Extend text selection to the nearest character at the same horizontal location on the line above.
- Shift–Down Arrow: Extend text selection to the nearest character at the same horizontal location on the line below.
- Shift–Left Arrow: Extend text selection one character to the left.
- Shift–Right Arrow: Extend text selection one character to the right.
- Option–Shift–Up Arrow: Extend text selection to the beginning of the current paragraph, then to the beginning of the following paragraph if pressed again.
- Option–Shift–Down Arrow: Extend text selection to the end of the current paragraph, then to the end of the following paragraph if pressed again.
- Option–Shift–Left Arrow: Extend text selection to the beginning of the current word, then to the beginning of the following word if pressed again.
- Option–Shift–Right Arrow: Extend text selection to the end of the current word, then to the end of the following word if pressed again.
- Control-A: Move to the beginning of the line or paragraph.
- Control-E: Move to the end of a line or paragraph.
- Control-F: Move one character forward.
- Control-B: Move one character backward.
- Control-L: Center the cursor or selection in the visible area.
- Control-P: Move up one line.
- Control-N: Move down one line.
- Control-O: Insert a new line after the insertion point.
- Control-T: Swap the character behind the insertion point with the character in front of the insertion point.
- Command–Left Curly Bracket ({): Left align.
- Command–Right Curly Bracket (}): Right align.
- Shift–Command–Vertical bar (|): Center align.
- Option-Command-F: Go to the search field.
- Option-Command-T: Show or hide a toolbar in the app.
- Option-Command-C: Copy Style: Copy the formatting settings of the selected item to the Clipboard.
- Option-Command-V: Paste Style: Apply the copied style to the selected item.
- Option-Shift-Command-V: Paste and Match Style: Apply the style of the surrounding content to the item pasted within that content.
- Option-Command-I: Show or hide the inspector window.
- Shift-Command-P: Page setup: Display a window for selecting document settings.
- Shift-Command-S: Display the Save As dialog, or duplicate the current document.
- Shift–Command–Minus sign (-): Decrease the size of the selected item.
- Shift–Command–Plus sign (+): Increase the size of the selected item. Command–Equal sign (=) performs the same function.
- Shift–Command–Question mark (?): Open the Help menu.
To use these vision shortcuts, first choose Apple menu > System Settings (or System Preferences), then click Keyboard. Click Keyboard Shortcuts, select Accessibility on the left, then select “Invert colors” and “Contrast” on the right.
- Control-Option-Command-8: Invert colors.
- Control-Option-Command-Comma (,) and Control-Option-Command-Period (.): Reduce contrast and increase contrast.
- Use these shortcuts to change keyboard focus. To use some of these shortcuts, first choose Apple menu > System Settings (or System Preferences), then click Keyboard. Click Keyboard Shortcuts, select Keyboard on the left, then select the shortcut’s setting on the right.
- Control-F2 or Fn-Control-F2: Move focus to the menu bar. You can then use the arrow keys to navigate the menu, press Return to open a selected menu or choose a selected menu item, or type the menu item’s name to jump to that item in the selected menu.
- Control-F3 or Fn-Control-F3: Move focus to the Dock.
- Control-F4 or Fn-Control-F4: Move focus to the active window or next window.
- Control-F5 or Fn-Control-F5: Move focus to the window toolbar.
- Control-F6 or Fn-Control-F6: Move focus to the floating window.
- Control-Shift-F6: Move focus to the previous panel.
- Control-F7 or Fn-Control-F7: Change the way Tab moves focus—between navigation of all controls on the screen, or only text boxes and lists.
- Control-F8 or Fn-Control-F8: Move focus to the status menu in the menu bar
- Command–Grave accent (`): Activate the next open window in the front app.
- Shift–Command–Grave accent (`): Activate the previous open window in the front app
- Option–Command–Grave accent (`): Move the focus to the window drawer.
- Tab and Shift-Tab: Move to next control, move to previous control.
- Control-Tab: Move to the next control when a text field is selected.
- Control-Shift-Tab: Move to the previous grouping of controls.
- Arrow keys: Move to the adjacent item in a list, tab group, or menu, or move sliders and adjusters (Up Arrow to increase values, Down Arrow to decrease values)
- Control–Arrow keys: Move to a control adjacent to the text field.
- Other accessibility shortcuts:
- Option-Command-F5 or triple-press Touch ID: Show the Accessibility Shortcuts panel.
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