Keyboard Shortcuts can increase productivity by automating repetitive tasks.

There are many tricks that are hidden in the keyboard shortcuts. This can increase your productivity and also reduce frustration automating repetitive tasks.

In a world of touchscreen and gestures, there are still some useful shortcuts that apply to your laptop or desktop keyboard.

#1 Ctrl+C or Ctrl+Insert and Ctrl+X

Ctrl+C or Ctrl+Insert will copy the highlighted text or a selected item. Select the text or item (works also for pictures), use the suggested keyboard combination and then position your self where you would like to input the copied text or item…

If you want to cut an item instead of copying it, press Ctrl+X. This action removes the text or item storing it in the clipboard for you. You will remove the original and still be able to copy it to the destination.

These keyboard shortcuts consider only the last action to copy or cut what is in the clipboard.

Apple computer users can substitute the Ctrl key for the command (cmd) key on their computers. For example, pressing Cmd+C copies highlighted text.

#2 Ctrl+V or Shift+Insert

With the previous combination, we have stored some text or an item in the clipboard. Both the Ctrl+V and Shift+Insert will paste the text or object that’s stored in the clipboard in the chosen destination.

This keyboard shortcut will paste the last text or item included in the clipboard.

On Apple computers, use Cmd+V instead.

#3 Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y

Pressing Ctrl+Z will undo any change. For example, if you cut text, pressing this key combination will undo the cut.

Pressing Ctrl+Y would redo the undo.

These keyboard shortcuts can also be pressed multiple times to undo or redo multiple changes, based on what is in the clipboard.

On Apple computers, use Cmd+Z and Cmd+Y to undo and redo.

Showing Keyboard Keys

#4 Ctrl+F and Ctrl+G

Pressing Ctrl+F opens the Find field, which allows you to search the text currently displayed in any program that supports it. For example, Ctrl+F can be used in your Internet browser to find text on the current page.

On Apple computers, use command + F to find.

Ctrl+G may be used to repeat a search (from using Ctrl+F) in a document or on a web page.

#5 Alt+Tab or Ctrl+Tab

Pressing Alt+Tab switches between open programs moving forward. For example, if you have your browser window open and other programs running in the background press and hold Alt and then press the Tab key to cycle through each open program.

On Apple computers, instead of using the Alt key use the command key in combination with the tab key, press command + Tab.

How to manage tabs

Press Ctrl+Tab to switch between tabs in a program. For example, if you have multiple tabs open in your Internet browser, press Ctrl+Tab to switch between them.

Adding the Shift key to Alt+Tab or Ctrl+Tab moves backward. For example, if you are pressing Alt+Tab and pass the program you want to use, press Alt+Shift+Tab to move back to that program.

Windows 10 users can also press the Windows Key+Tab to switch through open programs in a full screenshot of the window.

#6 Ctrl+Backspace and Ctrl+Left or Right arrow

Pressing Ctrl+Backspace deletes a full word at a time instead of a single character. This keyboard shortcut works only on Windows PCs.

Holding down the Ctrl key while pressing the left or right arrow moves the cursor one word at a time instead of one character at a time. If you want to highlight one word at a time, hold down Ctrl+Shift, then press the left or right arrow key. Your highlighted selection moves one word at a time in that direction.

On Apple computers, use the alt (option) key instead of the Ctrl key.

#7 Ctrl+S

While working on a document or another file in almost every program, pressing Ctrl+S saves that file. Use this shortcut key frequently if you’re working on anything important in case of an error, lost power, or any other issues that cause you to lose any work since the last save.

On Apple computers, use command + S to save a file.

#8 Ctrl+Home or Ctrl+End

Ctrl+Home moves the cursor to the beginning of the document, and Ctrl+End moves the cursor to the end of a document. These shortcuts work with most documents, as well as web pages.

On Apple computers, use the command + up arrow to get to the beginning or command + down arrow to get to the end of a document or text.

#9 Ctrl+P

Control+P is used to open a print preview of the page or document currently being viewed. For example, press Ctrl+P now to view a print preview of this page.

On Apple computers, use command +P to open the print preview.

#10 Page Up, Page Down, and Spacebar

As you may have guessed, pressing either the page up or page down key moves to the next or previous page.

When browsing the Internet, pressing the spacebar moves the scrollbar down a page. Similarly, Shift+spacebar moves the scrollbar up one page.