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The next time you sit down at your computer keyboard, know there’s so much you can do to get more done in less time.

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And no, I’m not just referring to working on your typing speed by resting your fingers on the “home row” keys – anyone remember learning that in school? – but you can take advantage of handy keyboard shortcuts built into Windows and Mac.

In fact, getting to know combo keys is even faster than using a mouse, whether you’re looking to highlight text, copy and paste, search for something, or snapping open apps into place.

So, the following are a few favourite keyboard shortcuts – for both Windows 10/11 users and for those on a Mac – and should work whether you’re typing on a laptop or desktop.

WINDOWS SHORTCUTS

CTRL + A: Select All Items

If you’re looking to select all the content on the screen – whether it’s a bunch of documents in a folder (say, in Windows Explorer), words and photos on a website, or all the video files in an editing program – you don’t need to hold down the right mouse button and drag the highlight down or across the screen.

Instead, just press CTRL + A and it will immediately select everything in one fell swoop.

You can then copy (CTRL + C), cut (CTRL + X) and paste (CTRL + V) somewhere else, or apply formatting, like underlining (CTRL + U), bolding (CTRL + B) or italicizing (CTRL + I).

CTRL + F: Search for Text

This is handy when you’re looking for a specific word in a word processing document, on a website, in your notes program, in a presentation or spreadsheet, and so on.

For example, perhaps you’re looking for the word “profit” in your PowerPoint deck?

Rather than manually combing through all the text, simply press CTRL + F as a shortcut to find a word or words. Type in what you’re looking for and press Enter to begin the search. Super convenient, no?

CTRL + Z: Undo, CTRL + Y: Redo

If you want to undo your previous action – such as if you accidentally deleted a bunch of text you need – then press the CTRL + Z button to “undo” what you just did. This is certainly better than trying to remember what you wanted and manually typing it all in again.

And to redo the previous action, to bring back something (like text) you wanted from before, then you can press CTRL + Y, which reverses the undo command.

Windows + Arrow: Snap windows

One of my very best tips for Windows users is to “snap” open windows (apps/programs) into place, to split the screen evenly between two to four applications.

For instance, you can have a web browser on one half of the monitor, while playing videos on the other half. Or have your Zoom/Teams video call with colleagues on one half and type out notes on the other side of the monitor. If your screen is big enough, snap your apps into quarters.

To snap apps into place, select the window you want to snap and press the Windows Logo Key + Left Arrow or the Windows Logo Key + Right Arrow to snap the window to the side of the screen, respectively.

Similarly, press Windows + Up Arrow or Windows + Down Arrow after you snap it to the left or right and it will move into the corner.

Windows + Period (.) to Insert Emojis

Want to quickly add those cute emojis into something you’re typing on your PC? They’re not just regulated to your smartphone’s keyboard.

Press the Windows logo key and the period button (.) at the same time to pull up emojis, animated .gifs, special characters and more.

MAC SHORTCUTS

While Windows shortcuts often require pressing one of its modifier keys (like CTRL, ALT, or the Windows logo button), Mac users also have an assortment of special keys to master (in combination with a letter or number. This includes the Command (or Cmd) key (which may look like this: ⌘), as well as Shift ⇧, Option or Alt (which may look like this: ⌥), and others.

Command + A: Select All Items

If you’re looking to select all the content on the screen – whether it’s a bunch of documents in a folder (say, in Finder), words and photos on a website, or all the video files in an editing program – you don’t need to hold down the right mouse button and drag the highlight down or across the screen.

Instead, just press Command + A and it will immediately select everything in one fell swoop. You can then cut (Command + X), copy (Command + C) and paste (Command + V) somewhere else, copy everything, or apply formatting, like underlining (Command + U), bolding (Command + B) or italicizing (Command + I) text.

Command + F: Search for Text

This is handy when you’re looking for a specific word in a word processing document, on a website, in your notes program, in a presentation or spreadsheet, and so on. For example, perhaps you’re looking for the word “profit” in your Keynote deck?

Rather than manually combing through all the text, simply press Command + F as a shortcut to find a word or words. Type in what you’re looking for and press Enter to begin the search. Super convenient, no?

Command + Z: Undo, Shift + Command + Z: Redo

If you want to undo your previous action – such as if you accidentally deleted a bunch of text you need – then press the Command + Z button to “undo” what you just did. This is certainly better than trying to remember what you wanted and manually typing it all in again.

And to redo the previous action, to bring back something (like text) you wanted from before, then you can press these three keys: Shift + Command + Z. this reverses the undo command.

Control + Command + Space to Insert Emojis

Want to quickly add those cute emojis into something you’re typing on your Mac? They’re not just regulated to your smartphone’s keyboard.

Press Control + Command + Space (spacebar) at the same time to pull up emojis and other special characters.

– Marc Saltzman is the host of the Tech It Out podcast and is the author of the book, Apple Watch For Dummies (Wiley)

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