Main menu:
I don't often think of using shortcuts on the desktop or file managers, so some of these were a surprise.
First, the ALT key, which generally allows access to those nice menus named things like 'File', 'Edit' and 'View'. If you didn't know, you can then use the cursor keys to navigate around them, and get some functions by pressing the underlined letter (e.g. for Borders you'd press Alt, then navigate to the Format menu, and then hit B. If you look carefully, you'll see that the B of Borders and Shading is underlined).
Alt+Enterproperties for the selected item
Alt+Escthrough items in the order that they had been opened
Alt+F4 the active item or quit the active program
Alt+ Spacebar the shortcut menu for the active window
Alt+Tab between the open items
Take control with these handy uses for the Control button:
Ctrl+[drag]the selected item
Ctrl+Escthe start menu
Ctrl+F4 the active document in programs that let you have multiple documents open
Ctrl+Shift+[drag]a shortcut to the selected item
And shift your perspective (ugh) with some shifty things:
Shift+Insert diskthe CD-ROM from automatically playing
Shift+Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the recycle bin
Shift+F10 the shortcut menu for the selected item
Windows Explorer
Not very exciting, but jolly useful, particularly if you use the Folders explorer bar:
End the bottom of the active window
Home the top of the active window
Left arrow the current selection if it is expanded, or select the parent folder
Num Lock+* all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder
Num lock+- the selected folder
Num lock++the contents of the selected folder
Right Arrowthe current selection if it is collapsed, or select the first subfolder
Microsoft Word
Word is one of those deeply irritating applications that needs more than its fair share of shortcuts, and yet nobody seems to know any of them - beyond Cut (Ctrl+X), Copy (Ctrl+C) and Paste (Ctrl+V),
Annotation, on Alt+Ctrl+M, allows you to quickly put in comments for others to read - great if you're an editor, lecturer, teacher, quality assurance bod or you just like losing friends very quickly. It's also a great way of combating the miserable design of the Comments menu.
In the same vein, you can bung in humorous footnotes and endnotes with Alt+Ctrl+D and Alt+Ctrl+F.
And if you suddenly get the urge to find out all about your PC in the middle of writing to, say, trading standards, you can hit Alt+Ctrl+F1 and read all about it. (Who on earth thought of that?)
Spice up your documents by dropping in the date and time (is this starting to sound like The Price Is Right?) with Alt+Shift+D and Alt+Shift+T. And if you've had enough of that tiresome Tab key, try Ctrl+M, which will automatically do all your indenting for you!
Here's some other stuff you might not have known:
Auto FormatAlt+Ctrl+K
Centre ParagraphCtrl+E
Delete Last WordCtrl+Backspace
Go ToCtrl+G
Go BackShift+F5/Alt+Ctrl+Z
Insert Page BreakCtrl+Return
Everyone knows that Ctrl+Z undoes horrors, but maybe you were unaware that Redo is on Alt+Shift+Backspace. And if for some crazy reason you find yourself wanting to interact with the programme to shift text (just drag it) you can try F2 and be politely asked where you want to go today. Sort of.
Document Management
Pesky things, documents. Until you know how to deal with them. Then you become the Document Master.
Close DocumentCtrl+W/Ctrl+F4
Maximize DocumentCtrl+F10
Move DocumentCtrl+F7
Restore DocumentCtrl+F5
Size DocumentCtrl+F8
Split DocumentAlt+Ctrl+S
Fonts: Saving Much Time and Effort
Formatting fonts, even with the shortcut bar, tends to be the action that I find gets me into the most bother, although goodness knows why. You can eliminate a lot of the messing about that seems to occur by means of some simple and extraordinarily useful key combinations:
All Capital LettersCtrl+Shift+A
Apply Heading1Alt+Ctrl+1
Apply Heading2Alt+Ctrl+2
Apply Heading3Alt+Ctrl+3
Change CaseShift+F3
Double UnderlineCtrl+Shift+D
Font Size SelectCtrl+Shift+P
Small CapitalsCtrl+K
SubscriptCtrl+=
SuperscriptCtrl+Shift+=
Symbol FontCtrl+Shift+Q
Excellent
Excel can be very annoying at the best of times, so here are a few time-saving devices:
To select...
All cells left of the current cellShift+left arrow
All cells right of the current cell Shift+right arrow
Entire column Ctrl+Spacebar
Entire row Entire worksheetCtrl+A
To format...
The active cellF2
As currency with two decimal placesShift+Ctrl+$
As percent with no decimal placesShift+Ctrl+%
Format cells dialogue boxCtrl+1
To formulate...
Apply AutoSumAlt+=
Current dateCtrl+semi-colon
Current timeCtrl+colon
Access: It Hates You
Save recordShift+Enter
Switch from current field to current recordEscape
Switch between edit and navigation modesF2
Switch between form and design viewF5
Display database windowF11
Open window for editing large content fieldsShift+F2
Add a recordCtrl++
Delete a recordCtrl+-
Cut Out 'n' Keep - Donnez-Moi Des Function
You can use those less-than-functional Function Keys in Windows XP. About time they did something.
F2the selected item
F3 up the Microsoft Search Cat (or whatever you have)
F4the address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer
F5the active window
F6through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop
F10 the menu bar in the active program
Cut Out 'n' Keep - Enlargement And Reduction
Selecting the size of a font can go horribly wrong if you're not quite paying attention, which is why these commands should be widely known. Try them out and never come across the message 'This is not a valid number' again.
Grow Font Ctrl+Shift+ full stop
Grow Font One Point Ctrl+]
Shrink Font Ctrl+Shift+ comma
Shrink Font One Point Ctrl+[
The Downright Bizarre
If you can tell me the point to Ctrl+Shift+W for Word Underline, given that Ctrl+U seems to do the job perfectly well, I'd be very interested to hear it.
Cut Out 'n' Keep: The Windows Key - It Does Stuff
Have you ever wondered why there's a Windows key? It is just to keep up with Apple? Well, no.
Windows key the start menu
Windows key + D all windows
Windows key + D (again) all windows up again
Windows key + Ea new Explorer window
Windows key + Fthe find all files box
Windows key + L your computer
Windows key + R Displays the Run command box
Windows key + F1 the Windows Help menu
Windows key + Pausethe System Properties dialogue box
Windows key + Tabthrough the buttons on the task bar
Windows key + Uthe shutdown menu