Technology can make finding and sharing information easy, but with so many possibilities at your fingertips, it can become overwhelming. Over the next few weeks, we will post a tech tip each week to help you simplify your life. For our first tip, keyboard shortcuts are a small way you can make your time on your computer more efficient.

Keyboard shortcuts become muscle memory after a few uses and streamline your computer use. Even simple shortcuts to cut (Ctrl + X), copy (Ctrl + C), and paste (Ctrl + V) can make a world of difference when writing, using social media, cloud computing, and more. Here are a few more useful shortcuts:

  • Take a screenshot or record your screen without installing additional software.
    • On Windows PCs: Shift + Windows Logo + S captures a screenshot of all or a portion of your screen. Windows Logo + G opens the Xbox Game Bar, which can record a selected window.
    • On Mac: Shift + Cmd + 3 takes an instant screenshot of your whole screen, Shift + Cmd + 4 lets you select a portion of your screen for a screenshot, or Shift + Cmd + 5 can capture an image or video in the size of your choice.
  • Reopen a closed browser tab with Ctrl + Shift + T.
  • Search within a page or document to pinpoint exactly what you’re looking for with Ctrl + F.
  • Use key combinations Ctrl + Z and Ctrl + Y to undo and redo respectively. If you are already familiar with these shortcuts, you may be surprised how often you can use them to fix mistakes, so it is worth a try in many situations. Also, if you find it easier, Ctrl + Shift + Z redoes undone actions.
  • Paste text without its formatting with Ctrl + Shift + V. Often, when you copy and paste text, the pasted text will be formatted as it was copied. This shortcut pastes unformatted text.
  • Zoom in or out with Ctrl + the plus sign or minus sign on web pages and in several other programs. Ctrl + 0 resets your view to its original size.
  • Ctrl + A selects everything in a window, including text, images, or files.
  • Ctrl + P opens a window with print options when in your browser and other printable pages.

Unless otherwise indicated, Mac users simply substitute the Command (Cmd) key for the Ctrl key in the above shortcuts.

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