So, you are a computer guru right? A Keyboard warrior, Whisperer of all Operating Systems and the Swinger of the gentle cursor.
But wait, how much do you really know about your Windows Shortcuts?
In a productive environment, your shortcuts should be your best friend, saving you the 2 seconds it would normally take to reach for your mouse and find what to click. Yes, you might think it is only 2 seconds and it is negligible right? Maybe.
The question is, how much time do you waste when you do not use shortcuts? Brainscape created a formula to figure this out and they found out that you waste over 64 hours in a year. That is over 3.3% of your overall productivity… Those 2 seconds really does add up quickly!
So, as you know already, TechGistAfrica loves you and we have compiled a list of the top Windows Shortcuts that must definitely be in your muscle memory.
Let’s get the usuals out of the way, Control + C to copy, Control + V to paste and Control + P to print… if you did not know that, maybe you are not really a Keyboard Warrior after all.
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CTRL + SHIFT + T – Open Last Closed Tab
This is important to know when browsing because it opens your last closed tab. It is especially handy if you are clumsy with the mouse key and saves a lot of time that would be otherwise wasted accessing your browser history. It is also a great way to also restore your last session when restarting your Chrome, Firefox or any browsing application you prefer.
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WINDOWS KEY + L – Locks System
This is great for the workplace, if you do not want your colleagues snooping through your workstation, this simple windows shortcut can secure your system in half a second. It is pretty cool… try it.
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WINDOWS KEY + CTRL + SHIFT + B – Restarts Your Graphics Drivers
This is especially useful for Graphic Designers. You have been working on a project for 7 hours and you forget to save. Your computer freezing up on you is certainly the worst thing that can ever happen. Restarting your Graphic Drivers is a great way to ease this and reduce system load. That said, you should always save your project every 10 minutes —- it is not difficult… it is just CTRL + S.
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CTRL + ALT + DEL
This one is quite common and a sure way to access your Task Manager, Sign Out, Change Password at any time. Yes, you might say that CTRL + SHIFT + ESC is an easier way to access the Task Manager, however, the difference between these is that CTRL + SHIFT + ESCAPE is a request and would do nothing if your Computer is freezing up. CTRL + ALT + DEL on the other hand is a command and it take precedence in all situations.
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ALT + TAB – Cycle through open projects
Instead of taking the time to scroll through the taskbar, this is a great way to cycle through your open programs. With it, your multitasking is only a shortcut away from you.
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WIN + D
If you happen to be looking at things you should not be looking at, this shortcut will save your life. And it is so convenient because pressing it again will restore your open windows. Now, we are not encouraging you to laze around while you work… no, we are not! We are only putting it out there. *wink
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SHIFT –
Okay, hear us out. We are well aware that you know about the SHIFT button… but the number of people that use Caplocks while typing is huge and this barbarity needs to stop with immediate effect. The use of the SHIFT button to alternate small and capital letters saves so much time when it becomes second nature to you. Practice and get used to it.
So, there is our top 7. Others include CTRL Z for Undo, CTRL Y for Redo, CTRL F for Find, F2 to rename, ALT + F4 to close out of many others.
We might be Keyboard Warriors and Computer Gurus but we keep learning every day, which ones are your favorite? Drop your comments!
