Windows 10 Keyboard Shortcuts - Unleash the Power of Keyboard Shortcuts

Some of us like to fancy ourselves as master “multitaskers.” Are you one of those people?  I took a course once on time management (by Dave Crenshaw) that taught me a very valuable lesson related to our ability (or lack thereof) to multitask. If you take part in the voluntary timed trials to try to prove or disprove this lesson, we’d love to hear from you in the comments. Share your times!

If you’re wondering what any of this has to do with keyboard shortcuts, I don’t blame you. Of course you are free at anytime to scroll down and get into the shortcut goodness. But if you have a little time, I want to share this lesson with you because it just might help you too.

So it turns out that our human brain, for all its power and flexibility, is really only good at handling one task at a time. I can already see some of you start to roll your eyes thinking that this is simply not true. I can prove that when you think you’re good at multitasking, what you’re really doing is just “switch tasking.” The bad news is that switch tasking will take its toll on both your accuracy and your efficiency. Don’t believe me?

Accept the Challenge

Here’s what you’ll need to test your hypothesis that you’re a master multitasker and that I’m out of my mind:

1. Stop watch (use your cell phone’s clock app)
2. A pencil (or pen if you’re brave)
3. This handout

You will be doing to timed trials in this experiment. Here are your instructions for each timed trial:

1. In this timed trial, you will complete the sentence writing task AND THEN the number writing task. Record the total time taken to complete both sub-tasks.
2. The second time around, you will switch task. You will write one letter of the sentence, and then one number, then another letter, and then another number. Continue to alternate between tasks until you have completed both tasks. Record the total amount of time required to complete.

What were your results? Were you able to reject the null hypothesis? Would you share your timed trial details with us below?

How Can Keyboard Shortcuts Help You?

Now that you are hopefully convinced that your switch tasking can have drastic results, let’s link this to keyboard shortcuts. When you’re busy working on a computer, you are likely to have both hands on the keyboard. When you stop to grab the mouse, this is a “switch task” that can steal your time and efficiency.

What if you could accomplish the same task without your hands having to leave the keyboard? Of course it’s not likely that you can perform all tasks without your hands having to leave the keyboard, but reducing the amount of switch tasking you do will help improve your efficiency. That is why we think keyboard shortcuts are so fantastic. So, if you’re ready, let’s dive into some great keyboard shortcuts for you to start incorporating into your computer time.

The Control Key

Many keyboard shortcuts will involve holding down the control key in combination with some other key(s) to produce a desired result. We will look at the following control+[some key or keys] keyboard shortcuts:

Ctrl + A | Select All
Ctrl + X | Cut
Ctrl + C | Copy
Ctrl + V | Paste
Ctrl + Shift + V | Paste Special
Ctrl + Z | Undo
Ctrl  + F | Find
Ctrl + P | Print

Select All (Ctrl+A)

If you need to select everything in a page or document, rather than reaching for the mouse to click and drag to highlight, just hit the control key and then press the letter A. All of the text or objects (depending on your application) will be selected. With your text or objects selected selected, you are poised to possibly execute another keyboard shortcut. Maybe that might be…

Cut (Ctrl+X)

If you have something that you want to remove from one place and place somewhere else in your document, cut is the action for you. If you have an object or text selected, hold down the control key and press the X key.  Your text or object will but cut. When you find it a new home, you’re ready for the next keyboard shortcut

Copy (Ctrl+C)

Copy will allow you to duplicate something (rather than just moving something from one place to another) and put "clones" wherever you want. You will usually perform this shortcut and then "paste" shortly after. Good thing that's what we cover next...

Paste & Paste special (Ctrl+V and Ctrl+Shift+V)

Hold down the control key and click the V key. This will place the object at your desired location. When possible, apps will try to paste the object as it was previously formatted. If however, you want to paste and have it match the destination your new friend is Control+Shift+V or “paste special.”  You’ll need to hold down both the control and the shift keys while you then hit the V key.  This will bring your text over into your document but match the formatting of the destination. But what if you don’t like the results? Why not…

Undo (Ctrl+Z)

We all wish life came with an undo function. Sadly, it does not. At least we can take advantage of it with our devices.  So you just performed a task and you’re unhappy with it. Keep your hand of that mouse. Don’t go looking for any back arrows. Instead, hold down the control key and press the letter Z. Presto! You’re back to the way things used to be. Bonus tip. Control+Y usually is the “redo” function if you decide to undo your undo. Where’s the tylenol?

Print (Ctrl+P)

So, you’re creation is ready for prime time and you want to print it. That printer icon is calling you, but you can just hold down control and then press P (Ctrl+P) to get the same result.

The Windows Key

There are many other control key shortcuts you could learn, but we’ll end them here. Next we will take a look at keyboard shortcuts that use the “Windows” key along with another key to perform some functions. These shortcuts are as follows:

Windows + D | Show Desktop
Windows + I | Settings
Windows + S | Search
Windows + Tab | Task View
Windows + W | Ink Workspace

Show Desktop (Win+D)

If you’ve got a lot of windows open and you want to quickly see your desktop, try Windows+D. Do it once to see your desktop, and then once again to go back to the way you were.

Settings (Win+I)

If you need to adjust something, perhaps change your wallpaper, give Windows+I a chance. Depending on the privileges set on your account, your mileage may vary as to what you can change.

Search (Win+S)

Have something on your computer that you can’t find? Is there an app you’d like to run but you can’t find the shortcut? Search just might save your day.  Hold that windows key down and press the S key. Start typing your search query and see what you can find.

Task View (Win+Tab)

Like we said in the “show desktop” shortcut, it’s easy to get a lot of windows up and running. Use Windows + Tab to see what tasks you’ve got running. An additional feature here is that you can create virtual desktops.

Admittedly, virtual desktops are a computer geek’s best friend. It allows you to separate your tasks into separate desktops. Say you wanted your email on one desktop and your spreadsheet on another. Then you could easily switch between the two and they don’t have to share screen real estate.

WIndows Ink Space (Win+W)

This shortcut will allow you do use the sticky notes app, or start drawing, or even start drawing on what’s currently on your screen. This can be handy when you want to share with someone what you’re seeing on your screen. Try the “screen sketch” feature built into Windows Ink space. We think you’ll like it.

Did You Find Something Useful?

That’s a wrap for this post. We hope you found something in here useful for your workflow. We love hearing from you in the comments below. Consider subscribing to this podcast and our YouTube channel so you don’t miss any of our helpful content.