Tips & Tricks
Common Shortcut Keystrokes
These come in handy - saving time and clicks but be sure to SELECT your text FIRST!
Common Shortcut Keystrokes
| CTRL + C = Copy |
| CTRL + V = Paste |
| CTRL + X = Cut |
| CTRL + B = Bold |
| CTRL + I = Italics |
| CTRL + U = Underline |
| CTRL + S = Save |
| CTRL + Z = Undo |
| CTRL + A = Select All |
| CTRL + N = New Document (Word, Excel, others) |
| CTRL + W = Closes current File (Word, Excel, others) |
| CTRL + Home = Top of Document (Word, Excel, others) |
| CTRL + End = End of Document (Word, Excel, others) |
| On Internet |
| CTRL + the Plus key = Magnifies the page viewed |
| CTRL + the Minus key = Reduces the page magnification |
Save Command
When saving a file for the FIRST TIME: You can use either the SAVE or
SAVE AS command. Once you have used the SAVE
command – either by going to the File Tab and choosing SAVE
from the list or using the keyboard shortcut of Ctrl + S, a
dialogue box entitled SAVE AS will appear. This dialogue box allows you to enter the 3 major pieces of information
(shown below), that the computer needs in order to SAVE your file the first time.
- Location (folder)
- Label (file name)
- Type (file extension)
NOTE: Once the computer has these 3 pieces of information, you ONLY want to use the SAVE command
(periodically) to save any changes made to the document. Doing so will NOT bring up the SAVE AS dialogue box again.
SAVE AS Command
Is used ONLY when you want to CHANGE any or all of the 3 pieces of information previously given.
When SAVE AS is chosen, it automatically brings up the SAVE AS dialogue box, so the user has access to making changes to
any of the pieces of information previously set such as: the location, name or type of file now wanted.
Copy & Paste Command Steps
- SELECT information you want to affect –
(usually by clicking and dragging to highlight)
- SELECT Command wanted (either COPY or
CUT) (Microsoft Programs have these icons at top left of Ribbon in the Clipboard group)
- COPY Command keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + C
(duplicates by leaving original info in place)
- CUT Command keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + X
(removes data from original site)
- POSITION Cursor by Clicking (this is WHERE you want the information to appear)
- Use PASTE Command (Click on the Clipboard Icon or Press Ctrl + V)
Using Function Keys
F1 = HELP
F4 = Repeats the LAST formatting command used
F5 = Refreshes your window when using the Internet or Email.
F8 = Enables a user to select or "highlight" text without clicking and
dragging the mouse. To do so, follow these steps to use the F8 key to highlight text instead of the mouse:
- CLICK or MOVE the cursor so it sits to the left of the first character of text you want to highlight.
- Tap the F8 function key. This turns on the "extend selection mode".
- Now you can use your arrow keys to extend the selection by individual characters or use your spacebar
to select by words. Pressing F8 multiple times (usually 4 times) will select the entire document.
- DANGER - Be careful when using, as depending on what you
are doing, you may need to use the ESC key (top left of keyboard) to "turn off" this capability.
Sometimes it is still on even after clicking with the Mouse… look at your status bar (in MS Word)
to see if Extend Selection is still there).