Common Shortcuts

Why are they special?

Shortcuts introduced in this section are not exactly "Windows keyboard shortcuts". Why not? Because their function is application-specific, which means that they may do different things for you depending on when and where you use them.

The aim here was to create a standard to which applications should adhere, but there is no enforcement ensuring the functionality.

What is more, these shortcuts may not work as expected with non-English language versions of Windows. This is the case with Spanish and French Windows, for instance, and many others.

The clipboard

Okay, let's start with some of the most useful shortcuts for some ubiquitous activities:

Ctr+C
Ctrl+Ins

Copy selected objects (text, images, files) into the clipboard.

This shortcut will create a representation of whatever it is you have selected in Windows clipboard.

The clipboard is a virtual storage in the memory which lets you store small chunks of data temporarily – especially for the purposes of an easy transfer between applications.

Using the clipboard, you can move around or copy text (like internet addresses, telephone numbers, people's names or whatever else you can think of) between your open windows, so that you don't have to re-type everything manually.

Ctrl+V
Shift+Ins

Paste (insert) the contents of your clipboard.

If there is anything stored in your clipboard (because you copied or cut something – or because you pressed PrtSc – pressing Ctrl+V will insert this content into the currently active window. Your content will usually be placed at the location of your typing cursor (caret), and your files should be placed into the currently open folder.

Pasting cut or copied content will not empty your clipboard – you can go ahead and paste your content as many times as you like.
On the contrary, pasting cut files once will normally empty the clipboard, so you will have to select and copy them again to paste them where necessary. (If you just copy files, you can paste them as many times as you wish.)

Ctrl+X
Shift+Del

Cut selected objects (text, images, files) into the clipboard.

Similar to Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V will place the selection into Windows clipboard, but it will (usually) also remove the selection from its original place. This effectively allows you to move content around in and between your documents and applications, or move files around in your folders without duplicating them.

Note: Be careful when using Ctrl+X. In case you cut out a chunk of text from a document, it will be removed from it and placed into the clipboard temporarily. It will, however, immediately be replaced by whatever you copy or cut next – and thus lost.
For that reason, make sure that you always paste your content somewhere before you start copying or cutting something else – so that you don't accidentaly lose your work.
Good news: cutting will normally not let you lose your files like this; when copying and cutting files, Windows only deals with file references and does not touch actual files unless you actually paste them.

Those were some very useful shortcuts you were surely aware of, right? But in case you want to copy text from an "old" text box which does not support Ctrl+C or Ctrl+V (yes, there are some of those still), you will now be empowered with Ctrl+Ins and Shift+Ins!

Copying and pasting (and cutting, for that matter) may not always work in tandem – you can't simply copy a file and paste it into Notepad, because Notepad does not know what to do with a file. In some cases, a lot depends on where you are pasting your content to, and where it is coming from. HTML formatted text from a website, for instance, will paste as plain text into Notepad, but it will paste as richly formatted text into Microsoft Word or PowerPoint. (In some versions of Microsoft Office, your Word, Excel or PowerPoint may even ask you how you want your content pasted.)

Note: The seeming disadvantage of Notepad as a simple text editor can come in very handy when you wish to remove unwanted formatting of a document or a website. At those times, copying text, pasting it into Notepad, copying it again from Notepad and pasting it back into a more advanced text editor will let you strip off all the formatting completely and in a quick and consistent manner. Sometimes, this technique is quite useful when dealing with Microsoft Excel too. In any case, it may be useful to remember if you often edit information and data from various sources and/or create reports.

Undo + Redo

Since we are human and we change our mind all the time, application developers have given us these two powerful shortcuts to keep us from re-writing what we deleted and help us recover our most recent work quickly and efficiently.

At times, you may want to use these shortcuts when you are trying to give your document just the right look and feel – you can experiment with some formatting, for example, and then undo your changes to start over again.

OK, let's see what we've got here:

Ctr+Z
Alt+Backspace

Undo the last user action.

This shortcut will attempt to reverse anything you have just done or recover what you removed, as long as it is not lost forever. Let's go for some examples:

Restore text that you deleted.
Undo most formatting changes or object placement in your documents.
Restore files or emails that you sent to the Recycle Bin (unless you had them completely deleted).
Anything else you can think of?

Sometimes, undo will just undo itself. This is the case with Notepad and other very simple programs, for example.

While Alt+Backspace works well with most text editors, even the oldest ones, it may not work with other programs, such as Windows Explorer.

Ctrl+Y

Redo the action that has just been "undone" or repeat the last action again.

This shortcut will attempt to re-perform the action that has been undone with a Ctrl+Z or a toolbar command. In some application, pressing Ctrl+Y will repeat the last action over and over again (especially if there are no more actions to be undone). You will best understand the ways in which redo works by trying it out on your own.

Okay, so now we know how to utilize the computer's memory for our benefit. But what other interesting and rather standard shortcuts could we use?

Other

The shortcuts listed in the following table are not as consistent among different applications as the ones before. They are, however, very useful and we think you should definitely be aware of them:

Ctr+A	Select All text or objects. This shortcut will help you select everything contained in the active window. It is much better than having to use the mouse to draw the selection across a window and may include items you cannot easily select by your mouse.
Ctrl+S	Save the document you are working on. In most programs, this shortcut will save your last edits to your documents so that they become permanent. Without saving your document, you will lose all changes that you have done to it. It is good practice to press Ctrl+S often while you are working, so that you prevent your work from being erased in case of a system failure. This shortcut will not work in Internet Explorer, which has always been a little mystery to us. If you have an explanation, please let us know.
F12	Invoke the "Save as" command. This shortcut will let you save the document you are currently working on under a different name. You can continue working on your document after a "Save As", but the changes you make will only be reflected in the new file. This is useful if you are editing a template which you do not want to alter, or if you want to create different versions of your document. (This is a shorthand for closing your document, making a copy of it and opening that copy for editing.) Note: This is one of the least standard shortcuts and may have a different function in every software application. In Adobe Reader, for example, the equivalent shortcut for saving a document under a different name is Ctrl+Shift+S.
Ctrl+P	Print the document you are working on or viewing. In most programs, this shortcut will let you print your document. Normally, you will also be presented with printing options, so that you can choose the printer, number of copies, etc.

Okay, now you know how to perform some quick actions with your documents without having to reach for your mouse.

To conclude this section, why not reveal a shortcut that will let you look for more shortcuts and other helpful information in your applications:

Access the help of an application.

Many applications come equipped with a more or less comprehensive help system which may come in handy from time to time. When there is no internet connection, for example, application help may provide some additional information related to our problems.

Some people already shout "F1" rather than "SOS" when in danger.

Good, we are glad that we could show you some more shortcuts. Remember, the shortcuts in this section are only aspiring to become a standard. They may not work in all situations because their function varies with the application that you are running – if you try copying a picture and pasting it into Notepad (a simple text editor), you will hardly be successful.

To continue exploring keyboard shortcuts please choose one of the topics on the top of this page.