Windows Guide and Tips

The following document provides information for using Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Please use the following links for helpful tips and information about the Windows operating system.

In this Section:

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

This is a list of the 26 Windows Keyboard Shortcuts associated with each letter of the alphabet.

Shortcut	Function	Shortcut	Function
Ctrl + A	Select All	Ctrl + N	Open New Doc
Ctrl + B	Bold	Ctrl + O	Open
Ctrl + C	Copy	Ctrl + P	Print
Ctrl + D	Duplicate	Ctrl + Q	Quit
Ctrl + E		Ctrl + R	Right Align Text
Ctrl + F	Find	Ctrl + S	Save
Ctrl + G	Go To Page	Ctrl + T	Edit Next
Ctrl + H	Replace	Ctrl + U	Underline
Ctrl + I	Italic	Ctrl + V	Paste
Ctrl + J	Justify Text	Ctrl + W	Close document
Ctrl + K		Ctrl + X	Cut
Ctrl + L	Left Align Text	Ctrl + Y
Ctrl + M		Ctrl + Z	Undo

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

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.