26 Best Keyboard Shortcuts Everyone Should Know

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Keyboard shortcuts have been around for almost as long as computer keyboards have existed. They allow you to turn multiple mouse clicks into a simple key combination. Using these shortcuts can save you a lot of time and typing, and make it easier to access tools and features that are otherwise buried deep in submenus. Yet a surprising number of people either don’t know they exist or don’t know how to use them. If you work with a keyboard and don’t use shortcuts all the time to save yourself some effort, here are the shortcuts you need to know.

Basics

Keyboard shortcuts are combinations of one or more keys pressed simultaneously that invoke a command that would otherwise have to be pressed in a menu (or typed at the command line). Some keys on the keyboard, such as the function keys (labeled F1, F2, etc. at the top of most keyboards) or the Windows key, invoke commands on their own. Others are combined with the Control key (sometimes labeled CTRL on Windows computers) or the Command key (sometimes labeled CMD on MacOS computers) in various ways to achieve the effect. Other keys commonly used in keyboard shortcuts include the Shift key, the ALT key, and the Option key on MacOS.

There are some “universal” keyboard shortcuts that are almost identical on Windows and macOS (and even Linux), and some that are unique to each of these systems. Additionally, you can create your own keyboard shortcuts by “assigning” commands to keyboard shortcuts yourself. While there are hundreds of keyboard shortcuts available in Windows andmacOS (and in apps ), I’ll focus on the most useful preset shortcuts.

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Universal keyboard shortcuts

Some keyboard shortcuts work on Windows, macOS, and even Linux. These are the absolute must-have keyboard shortcuts you should use to make your life a little easier:

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  • CTRL+Z/CMD+Z: Pressing the Control or Command keys and the “Z” key simultaneously brings up the Undo function , which is perhaps the most powerful and useful tool ever created. If you’ve accidentally deleted an entire paragraph from a text file or an entire folder from your hard drive, CTRL+Z will usually let you undo the action.

  • CTRL/CMD+A: Select everything on the screen.

  • CTRL/CMD+C: Copies the text selected on the screen and saves it to your computer’s clipboard until you need it. In Windows, you can also use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+Insert .

  • CTRL/CMD+V: Paste the contents of the clipboard into a text file or folder. In Windows, you can also use the keyboard shortcut SHIFT+Insert .

  • CTRL/CMD+X: This keyboard shortcut will cut whatever you have selected, deleting it and saving a copy to the clipboard.

  • CTRL/CMD+W: This will close whatever is currently in focus on the screen.

  • CTRL/CMD+F: Opens the Find tool, which lets you search within a document, web page, or application.

  • CTRL/CMD+P: Opens the system Print dialog box to send a file to the printer.

  • CTRL/CMD+N: This keyboard shortcut will create a new window or document, depending on the context. For example, in Word on Windows, CTRL+N will create a new Word document. If you are currently in a browser, it will create a new window.

  • CTRL/CMD+S: Saves the current document. Before AutoSave became standard, pressing this key combination every few minutes was a must. Typically, adding Shift to this shortcut (Shift+CTRL/CMD+S) would save a copy under a new file name.

  • CTRL/CMD+R: When you activate a browser window, this keyboard shortcut will automatically refresh the current page. Adding the Shift key (Shift+CTRL/CMD+R) will force a refresh, reloading all data from the source rather than using cached data to speed up the process.

  • CTRL/CMD+O: Opens the Open dialog box for the current application.

Windows-specific keyboard shortcuts

  • ALT+TAB: Pressing the ALT and TAB keys simultaneously switches between open windows. Hold down the ALT key and press the TAB key until the window you want is highlighted, then release the ALT key to select it.

  • ALT+F4: Pressing ALT and F4 at the same time closes the current application you’re in. This is slightly different from CTRL+W, which closes the current document, although sometimes closing a document also closes the application itself, so there’s some confusing overlap.

  • CTRL+Backspace: Deletes the word to the left of the cursor in a text document or dialog box.

  • WIN+Down Arrow: Minimizes the current window.

  • WIN+D: This key combination will minimize all open windows at once, showing the desktop.

  • WIN+Left or Right Arrow: Snaps the current window to the left or right side of the screen.

  • CTRL+ESC: Pressing the Control and Escape keys simultaneously opens the Windows Start menu. This is especially useful if your keyboard doesn’t have a dedicated Windows key.

  • F2: Pressing the F2 function key will usually open the file rename dialog box.

MacOS-specific keyboard shortcuts

  • CMD+Q: Like ALT-F4 in Windows, this key combination closes the current application.

  • Option+Delete: Like CTRL+Backspace, this key combination deletes the word to the left of the cursor.

  • CMD+D: This will create duplicates of the files you select, essentially combining copy and paste functions into one keyboard shortcut.

  • CMD+H: Hide the current application. Option+CMD+H+M will hide all applications, similar to WIN+D in Windows.

  • CMD+M: Minimizes the current window.

  • CMD+Comma: This keyboard shortcut typically opens the application’s settings menu.

There are actually many more, but if you start using these keyboard shortcuts in your daily work, you will definitely notice an increase in efficiency and a decrease in your computer rage levels.

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