What exactly is the allure of keyboard shortcuts? Do they really save time? I mean, why bother if your mouse is permanently attached to your hand, right?

Well, I like to use keyboard shortcuts quite a bit, especially if someone is watching me, because they make me look like a pro! With just a few key strokes, I can leave a mouse spinning his wheel. So, whatever your motivation, here's a big list of keyboard shortcuts for you to try out. I hope you enjoy them!

General Shortcuts

ALT + F4 – Quit a program/Shut down.

ALT + TAB – Hold down the ALT key and hit the Tab key to cycle through open windows.

CTRL + ESCAPE – Display the Start menu.

SHIFT + TAB – Tab backward through a form.

CTRL + X – Cut

CTRL + C – Copy

CTRL + V – Paste

F1 – Help menu

CTRL + Z – Undo

SHIFT & Restart – To restart just Windows and not your whole computer, hold down the Shift key when you click the OK button on the shutdown screen. This will save you a lot of time.

CRTL + TAB – Navigate tabs on a tabbed screen.

File and Desktop Shortcuts

Hold SHIFT while inserting a CD – Prevents the CD from "autorunning."

If an item is selected:

CTRL while dragging a file copies the file.

CTRL + SHIFT while dragging a file creates a shortcut to the file.

SHIFT + DELETE – Deletes an item without sending it to the Recycle Bin.

ALT + ENTER – Display a file's properties.

F2 – Rename a file.

In Windows Explorer:

LEFT ARROW – Collapse the current selection if it's expanded.

NUM LOCK + MINUS SIGN ( – ) – Collapse the selected folder.

NUM LOCK + PLUS SIGN ( + ) – Expand the selected folder.

RIGHT ARROW – Expand the current selection if it is collapsed or select the first subfolder.

NUM LOCK + * (asterisk sign) – Expand all folders below the current selection.

F6 cialis no prescription – Switch between left and right panes.

In My Computer:

BACKSPACE – View the folder one level up.

ALT + RIGHT ARROW – Move forward to a previous view.

ALT + LEFT ARROW – Move backward to a previous view.

Internet Browser Shortcuts

For Internet Explorer 6 (may work in older versions as well):

Internet Explorer Only

A faster way to type in addresses with Internet Explorer is to just type in the name of the site:

For example, just type "worldstart" into your address bar and hit Ctrl + Enter. The "http://www." and the ".com" parts will be added for you!

Windows Key Shortcuts

The Windows key can be used in conjunction with other keys to act as a keyboard shortcut for faster access to menu commands. Now, while the Alt key tends to open program menus (for example, Alt + F opens the File menu and Alt + E opens the Edit menu) and the Ctrl key performs actual operations (such as Ctrl + C will copy and Ctrl + V will paste), the Windows key will open various Windows tools.

Win key + R will open the Start menu's Run box.
Win key + F will open the Start menu's Find window.
Win key + E will quickly launch Explorer.
Win key + Pause/Break will open the System Properties window.
Win key + M will Minimize all open windows.
Win key + Shift + M will undo the minimize of all open windows.
Win key + D will switch between minimizing all open programs and showing them all.
Win key + Tab will cycle through items on the taskbar.

The Windows key by itself will open the Start menu.

You can also open programs or folders on your desktop by pressing the Windows key + the first letter of the program/folder/shortcut + Enter. Sounds kind of tedious, but if you're in a bind with your mouse, it can come in quite handy!

Arrow Tricks

Here's a cool little arrow trick to try with word processing programs. The next time you're using your arrow keys to go from one area of a sentence to another (left and right arrows), hold down your Ctrl key. Instead of moving one space at a time, you'll go one word at a time.

If you're using the up and down arrows to go from line to line, holding down the Ctrl key will make your cursor jump from paragraph to paragraph (well, from carriage return to carriage return anyway).

One last thing: If you hold down the Shift key while you do this (for instance, hold down Shift + Ctrl at the same time), you select text as you arrow along.

I've tested this in MS Word and Wordpad, but it should work no matter what word processing program you use.

Home/End Key Fun

Do you ever find yourself scrolling through a huge folder? Well, if you need to get to the beginning or the end quickly, just press Ctrl + Home. If you want to get to the end, click Ctrl + End.

And hey, that's not all!

This little trick works on more than just folders. If you use the Home key in a word processor, it goes to the beginning of the line you're currently working on. If you hit the End key, it should head to the end of the current line. If you pair Home and End up with the Ctrl key in a word processor, you will be whisked away to the beginning or end of the document. Again, this should work, but it depends on your word processing program.

Wow, that should be enough to keep you busy for awhile. Have fun!