Please use the following links for helpful tips and information about the Windows operating system.
Shortcut Key Combinations
Key Combination
Result
[Alt] and [Esc]
Switch between running applications
[Alt] and [Tab]
Toggle between running applications
[Alt] and letter
Select menu item by underlined letter
[Ctrl] and [Esc]
Open Program Menu
[Ctrl] and [F4]
Close active document or group windows (does not work with some applications)
[Alt] and [F4]
Quit active application or close current window
[Alt] and [-]
Open Control menu for active document
[Alt] and [Spacebar]
Open Control menu for active application
[Ctrl] Lft., Rt. arrow
Move cursor forward or back one word
[Ctrl] Up, Down arrow
Move cursor forward or back one paragraph
[Ctrl] and X
Cut selected text or object(s)
[Ctrl] and C
Copy selected text or object(s)
[Ctrl] and V
Paste copied text or object(s)
[F1]
Open Help for active application
Windows+E
Open Windows Explorer
Windows+F
Open Find
Windows+M
Minimize all open windows
Shift+Windows+M
Undo minimize all open windows
Windows+R
Open Run window
Windows+F1
Open Windows Help
Windows+Tab
Cycle through the Taskbar buttons
Windows+Break
Open the System Properties dialog box
Windows Keyboard Shortcuts
This is a list of the 26 Windows Keyboard Shortcuts associated with each letter
of the alphabet.
Windows Keyboard Shortcuts
Shortcut
Function
Ctrl + A
Select All
Ctrl + B
Bold
Ctrl + C
Copy
Ctrl + D
Duplicate
Ctrl + E
Center Align Text
Ctrl + F
Find
Ctrl + G
Go To Page
Ctrl + H
Replace
Ctrl + I
Italic
Ctrl + J
Justify Text
Ctrl + L
Left Align Text
Ctrl + M
Enter Mark mode
Ctrl + N
Open New Doc
Ctrl + O
Open
Ctrl + P
Print
Ctrl + Q
Quit
Ctrl + R
Right Align Text
Ctrl + S
Save
Ctrl + T
Edit Next
Ctrl + U
Underline
Ctrl + V
Paste
Ctrl + W
Close document
Ctrl + X
Cut
Ctrl + Y
Redo
Ctrl + Z
Undo
Extend a Selection Keyboard Shortcuts
To extend a selection...
Press these keys
One character right
SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW
One character left
SHIFT+LEFT ARROW
To end of a word
CTRL+SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW
To beginning of a word
CTRL+SHIFT+LEFT ARROW
To end of a line
SHIFT+END
To beginning of a line
SHIFT+HOME
One line down
SHIFT+DOWN ARROW
One line up
SHIFT+UP ARROW
To the end of a paragraph
CTRL+SHIFT+DOWN ARROW
To the beginning of a paragraph
CTRL+SHIFT+UP ARROW
One screen down
SHIFT+PAGE DOWN
One screen up
SHIFT+PAGE UP
To the end of a window
ALT+CTRL+PAGE DOWN
To the beginning of a document
CTRL+SHIFT+HOME
To include the entire document
CTRL+A
Windows Terms
Term
Description
Objects
Objects are the basic components in Windows XP. The desktop is a display area for objects. Microsoft uses icons to represent objects.
Files
A file is a collection of data that is stored under a single name.
Data files
Data files are the documents you create and save, such as a MS Word document.
Program files
Program files execute a program, for example Microsoft Word.
Container
A container stores your files. Containers come in different forms; an example is a disk drive or a folder.
Shortcuts
Shortcuts on the desktop make it easier to access frequently used objects, such as a favorite program or file.
Tooltips
Tooltips are small pieces of text information that display randomly in Windows XP and it's application. Tooltips provide information about the icon when you place the mouse pointer over the object, button, or link.
Primary Mouse Button
Typically the left mouse button (for a right-handed mouse) used to select an object.
Secondary Mouse Button
The secondary mouse button is typically the right mouse button. The secondary mouse button produces a shortcut menu of options most likely to be used based on where the right click occurred.
Taskbar
The taskbar at the bottom of the desktop contains the Start button. The taskbar is a base of operations.
Start Menu
Click the Start button to display the Start Menu, a list of commands.