Windows Guide and Tips

Windows XP SP2 Guide

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

Windows Tips and Tricks

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.
Full Menu