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Stop right now if you are reading this article inside a web browser.

Press the F11 key on your keyboard.

Do not fret! Press the F11 key again to restore the web browser display.

This keyboard shortcut is called the Full Screen shortcut and is available in many apps.

Another common web browser keyboard shortcut is F5. That shortcut refreshes the current web page. No need to use a mouse or trackpad

Keyboard shortcuts are big time savers. Learning keyboard shortcuts often eliminates the need to pause and grab the mouse or touchpad. Learning keyboard shortcuts is especially useful when using apps involving a lot of typing, such as a word processor or text editor.

While each app might have a slew of keyboard shortcuts unique to that app, happily many shortcuts are universal. That is, the shortcuts will be the same regardless of the operating system or app.

Here is a sample of common computer keyboard shortcuts.

Using an app’s Help documentation: F1

Close or quit an apps: Alt+F4 or sometimes Ctrl+Q
Open a file: Ctrl+O
Save a file: Ctrl+S
Close a file: Ctrl+W
Print a file: Ctrl+P

Move the cursor to the beginning of a line: Home
Move the cursor to the end of a line: End

Move the cursor to the beginning of a page or document: Ctrl+Page Up
Move the cursor to the end of a page or document: Ctrl+Page Down

Cut text: Ctrl+X
Copy text: Ctrl+C
Paste text: Ctrl+V

Undo: Ctrl+Z
Redo: Ctrl+Y
Select All: Ctrl+A
Select desired text: Shift+Up Arrow or Shift+Down Arrow

Formatting text with Bold: Ctrl+B
Formatting text with Italics: Ctrl+I
Formatting text with Underlines: Ctrl+U

A quick caveat when using the F1 key to access an app’s help documentation. Many software vendors these days do not include help documentation installed directly on a computer. Instead, pressing F1 results in a web browser opening and viewing the documentation online.

In addition to keyboard shortcuts are menu accelerators or menu access keys. These shortcuts become visible when pressing the computer’s Modifier key concurrently with another key. On Windows and Linux systems this modifier key usually is the Alt key. Press this modifier key while observing an app’s menu. These acceleration or access keys will be identified by underlining a specific letter or character in an app’s menus. For example, in many apps pressing Alt+F will open an app’s File menu. Once the menu is open, additional letters or characters will be underlined. Accessing those menu options does not require using a mouse or trackpad. Just press the keyboard key noted by the letter or character that is underlined.

Most options in an app menu will have an accelerator or access key.

Other shortcuts might be less obvious. For example, no mouse or trackpad is needed when using dialogs with OK and Cancel buttons. Just press the Enter key to select the OK button or press the Esc key to select the Cancel button.

When a dialog contains many text boxes, such as a dialog to search and replace text, there is again no need to use a mouse or trackpad to select a text box. Use the Tab key to move the cursor from one text box to the next. Or press Shift+Tab to move the cursor in the opposite direction.

When using dialogs in this manner, deleting or editing text in a text box again requires no mouse or keyboard. Use the Tab key to select the desired box. The text in the text box will become highlighted. To delete all of the text just press the Delete key. To edit the text, press the Left or Right arrow key to deselect the text and position the cursor. Then use the Delete or Backspace keys to remove characters.

Another useful shortcut using the Tab is to change the focus of which app is being used. Selecting a different app that is already open is easy while reading an article in a web browser. Just use Alt+Tab. The Alt+Tab shortcut sometimes is called a window switcher or task switcher shortcut. That handy keyboard shortcut presents a dialog showing all open apps. When the dialog appears, continue pressing the Alt key and then press the Tab until selecting the desired app. When releasing the keys the desired app will move to the front and have the desktop focus.

There are many tutorials online to help learn keyboard shortcuts, which a quick search will find. Yet the easiest way to learn these shortcuts is simply pay attention to the menus in an app. In addition to menu accelerator keys, many menu options will include the respective keyboard shortcut.

Technical trivia: The world’s oldest known analog computer is approximately more than 2,000 years old. The Greek mechanical Antikythera mechanism was used to predict astronomical and calendar events.

Next issue: Basic Computer Security

Time for some toe tapping.

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Backwoods Geek

Backwoods Geek wrote his first computer program in 1977. He started using desktop computers in 1982 to write training and job aids. These days his home includes routers, switches, computers, a home theater PC, a laptop, and bluetooth phones. His professional career includes instrumentation and controls, computers, industrial training, technical writing, and teaching computer classes. Pastimes include sitting on the front porch, observing wildlife, cutting firewood, reading, watching movies, and tinkering with computers. He is uncomfortable around morning people until afternoon, likes dry and off-the-wall humor, and usually tells jokes with a straight face. He is a believer in the old adage that, "No matter where you go, there you are."

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