Keyboard shortcuts – what they are and how they may help you

A keyboard shortcut is a seemingly basic concept. It is a combination of keystrokes that shortens a task, such as opening up a browser or saving a document. Surprisingly, a lot of people don’t take advantage of these simple time-savers.

Plenty of programs, such as Microsoft Office and most web browsers, have built-in keyboard shortcuts. These shortcuts can shorten and simplify tasks such as: 

• Opening up a new browser window
• Searching for a document
• Saving a document
• Attaching a document to an email

While these tasks aren’t too time-consuming when performed with a mouse, the combined time you could possibly save by using keyboard shortcuts is fairly substantial.

If you find yourself performing a lot of repetitive tasks, knowing their shortcuts could certainly be worth the effort. If there isn’t already a built-in shortcut for that task, creating your own shortcuts can be rather easy, depending on the program.

For tips on how to create your own keyboard shortcuts, check out these articles on: 

• Windows XP keyboard shortcuts
• Microsoft Outlook keyboard shortcuts
• Firefox keyboard shortcuts