Constantly having to switch back to your mouse to perform simple tasks can eventually add up to a lot of extra time.
Learning keyboard shortcuts can help you gain some of this time back. Even better, most shortcuts can be used across multiple programs and software.
Below are some commonly used shortcuts. Note these are for Windows users although is most cases using Command on a Mac device instead of Control will achieve the same outcome.
| Press this key | To do this |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + X | Cut the selected item |
| Ctrl + C (or Ctrl + Insert) | Copy the selected item |
| Ctrl + V (or Shift + Insert) | Paste the selected item |
| Ctrl + Z | Undo an action |
| Ctrl + Y | Redo an action |
| Ctrl + A | Select all items in a document or window |
| Ctrl + B | Make selected text bold |
| Ctrl + I | Make selected text italic |
| Ctrl + U | Make selected text underlined |
| Alt + Tab | Switch between open apps |
| Alt + F4 | Close the active item, or exit the active app |
| F2 | Rename the selected item |
| F3 | Search for a file or folder in File Explorer |
| F5 | Refreshes the active window |
You can view a full list of shortcuts on the Microsoft page.