Computers are a big part of everyday life, and they can’t really be avoided — especially in school or the workplace. This post is being written on a computer, and you might be reading it on a monitor or laptop as well. With these machines being so impactful in our day to day functions, we need to make sure that the technology doesn’t run away from us; so here are six basic keyboard shortcuts for nearly any computer:
1.) Ctrl + Alt + a.
Press these keys on your keyboard all relatively at the same time, and this will highlight all of the text in the window that’s open, whether it be in a word processor or a web page. If you are using an Apple product, such as an iMac or MacBook, then the shortcut is simply “command + a”.
2.) Ctrl + Alt + c.
This will copy the text that you previously selected. It’s usually more convenient for quick quote transfers, or when using a track pad on a laptop, since they are touchy. On the macOS (Apple laptop or desktop hardware), “command + c” will get you the same result. These shortcuts copy the text, rather than take the original from its source.
3.) Ctrl + alt + v.
This is the “paste” option, which allows you to place a duplicate of the text you have either copied or cut from another window. The original formatting is usually the same, meaning it will most likely look exactly like the other, but sometimes programs don’t support that. “command + v” for Mac.
4.) Ctrl + shift + n.
This shortcut works on both Windows and Mac (“command” instead of “ctrl”) users, and will take you to something called an “incognito” window. The purpose of the incognito window is essentially privacy; it won’t save search history, won’t save cookies (which are pieces of information stored in your web browser from certain websites, which, in turn, help generate ads and suggested websites based on your past visits), and it won’t remember information entered on private forms, such as applications of profile information.
5.) Ctrl/Cmd + plus/minus keys.
This will make for a more comfortable reading or inspection of a photo on any website! You have the ability to go up to 500% magnification, which is just like looking at the logo of a website, but blown up by a lot. If you want to go back to the default setting (100%), then just hit ctrl/cmd + 0, and it’ll take you right there.
6.) Ctrl + alt + t.
This open a new tab in your web browser; command + t on macOS. If you want to alternate between one or more tabs in a window without using a mouse or track pad, then Ctrl/Cmd + number (1-9) will take you to the first, second, third, and so on tabs. The number nine will always take you to the last tab, though, no matter how many you may have open.