In today’s work environment, employees are often asked to take on more projects than they hoped for. This increased workload can place a serious strain on an already full “to-do list.” These situations require finding ways to improve productivity and thereby create more time for these additional tasks. If this sounds like you, then you are in luck.
In this article, we will cover 15 Windows shortcuts that users can incorporate to improve their productivity and save valuable time. We have a lot to cover, so let’s get started.
Basic Windows Shortcuts
First, let’s cover some of the more basic Windows shortcuts that most users know. While these shortcuts may be basic, they can really help boost your productivity at the office and should be used when you have several tasks to complete quickly.
Alt+Tab
If your work requires you to have several applications running simultaneously, this shortcut can be a huge time-saver. By pressing the Alt and then Tab buttons on your keyboard, you can quickly flip through all the windows you currently have open on your monitor.
Ctrl+Z
Did you make a mistake on a document you are trying to finish? To waste time by “mousing” to the “undo” icon on the menu bar, simply hit the Ctrl button and the “Z” button to undo your most recent action. The great thing about this keyword shortcut is that it works in just about every program you will likely use. It also works when you accidentally delete a file by mistake.
Ctrl+A
Have a large Word doc that you need to copy and paste? Pressing the Ctrl and “A” keys will instantly highlight everything in the document. This saves you from using the navigation options in the toolbar or highlighting everything using your mouse.
Ctrl+W
This is another shortcut that works just about everywhere you might be working. Pressing the Ctrl and the “W” keys will close whatever window you are viewing.
Ctrl+Esc
Need to open the Start menu? Pressing Ctrl and Esc will do it for you, and you won’t have to bother with the mouse. You can also forgo the mouse by using the Tab, Shift+Tab, and cursor keys to navigate once the Start menu is open.
Shift+Tab and Tab
Using the Tab key allows you to move forward in options menus, and using Shift and Tab allows you to move backward.
Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab
When you have multiple tabs in the options menu to work with, you can use the Tab key with the Ctrl key to move through them. Pressing the Ctrl and Tab keys will move you forward to the next tab, and the Ctrl, Shift, and Tab keys will move you backward through the tabs.
Win+D
When you need to view your desktop but have several windows open, simply press the Win and “D” keys. This Windows shortcut instantly minimizes all open windows so you can view your desktop.
Win+Tab
This shortcut is similar to the Alt+Tab shortcut mentioned above, except that it shows you thumbnails of all of the programs you have open.
Win+Left or Right Arrow
Using this shortcut lets you “snap” a window. Snapping lets you place a window on one side of the screen, left or right while placing another window on the opposite side. This lets you view two windows at the same time.
Advanced Windows Shortcuts
With the basic Windows shortcuts covered, let’s move on to the more advanced keyword shortcuts that can help increase productivity.
Win+X
This shortcut opens a hidden menu that lets you access key areas of your system. This menu, called the Quick Link menu, can let you quickly access the Device Manager or other areas, such as the PowerShell command prompt.
Ctrl+Shift+Esc
Do you need to see what is running on your system? Pressing the Ctrl, Shift, and Esc keys will open the Task Manager and let you do just that. This Windows shortcut works on whatever application you currently use and saves you some “mousing.”
Win+L
If you must step away from the computer, pressing the Win and “L” keys will instantly lock your system. This will prevent anyone from snooping on your system unless they have the password for your user account.
F2
If you discover that you have named a field incorrectly, don’t waste time navigating through all the menus with your mouse. Pressing the F2 key while the field is highlighted will make the process faster. This shortcut is a great time saver in programs such as Excel, where you must work with many fields.
Win+PrtScn
If you need to save a screenshot, simply press the Win and PrtScn keys. This will save a snapshot of the whole screen as a PNG file in your Pictures folder on your computer.
Time is a valuable asset that you cannot waste. Using these 15 shortcuts should help you maximize this asset by helping you to be more productive. I hope you enjoyed this post, and please feel free to leave any feedback or other Windows shortcuts that may have been left out but can help boost productivity.