Keyboard and Mouse Shortcuts
Keyboard and mouse shortcuts are automatically built into your computer's operating system and can greatly increase your efficiency and streamline your workflow.
Keyboard Shortcuts
- There are a lot of resources online to learn shortcuts
- There are subtle differences between Windows and MacOS
- Below is a table of common shortcuts for both Windows and MacOS
Working with Text
| Function | Windows (CTRL +) | MacOS (command +) |
| Cut selected text | X | X |
| Copy selected text | C | C |
| Paste selected text | V | V |
| Select all text on the active window | A | A |
| Bold selected text | B | B |
| Italicize selected text | I | I |
| Underline selected text | U | U |
| Beginning of the current line | Home* | Left Arrow |
| End of the current line | End* | Right Arrow |
| Beginning of the next word | Right Arrow | Option + Right Arrow* |
| Beginning of the previous word | Left Arrow | Option + Left Arrow* |
| Select the next word | Shift + Right Arrow | Shift + Option + Right Arrow* |
| Select the previous word | Shift + Left Arrow | Shift + Option + Left Arrow* |
*Do not require pressing the CTRL/command key
Working with Files and Applications
| Function | Windows (CTRL +) | MacOS (command +) |
| Quit a frozen application | Alt + Delete | Option + Command + Esc* |
| Send selected file to the Recycle Bin | Delete* | Delete |
| Open selected file or application | Enter* | Down Arrow |
| Create a new file | N | N |
| Open an existing file | O | O |
| Print an open file | P | P |
| Save the current file | S | S |
| Undo the previous action | Z | Z |
| Redo the previous action | Y | Y |
| Fine a word or phrase | F | F |
| Zoom out | - | - |
| Zoom in | = | = |
| Quit the current application | Alt + F4* | Q |
| Open the start menu | Windows key* | N/A |
| Close the current file or window | W | |
| Switch between open windows | Alt + Tab* | Tab |
*Do not require pressing the CTRL/command key
Internet Shortcuts
| Function | Windows (CTRL +) | MacOS (command +) |
| Find a word or phrase | F | F |
| Open a new browser tab | T | T |
| Open a new browser window | N | N |
| Reload the current browser page | R | R |
| Skip to the next field in a web form | Tab* | Tab* |
| Bookmark the current page | D | D |
| View bookmarks | B | B |
| View browsing history | H | Y |
| View downloads | J | |
| Scroll to the top of the webpage | Home* | Home* |
| Scroll to the bottom of the webpage | End* | End* |
*Do not require pressing the CTRL/command key
You can customize and add keyboard shortcuts by opening System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts tab.
Mouse Shortcuts
- Mouse shortcuts can vary between what type of mouse you are using as well as whether you are using a laptop trackpad. Feel free to google your specific model and learn more.
- Here are some universal mouse commands:
- Select a word: double-click
- Select a paragraph: triple click
- Select a large chunk of text: Shift+click at the beginning, scroll, Shift+click at the end
- Define a word: Right-click + Look Up "..."