© Paul Cooijmans - certified computer programmer
certified web designer, CCNA
Although working in Windows using the mouse is easy in the sense one does not need to memorize commands or shortcuts, it can be both speeded up and made more ergonomic by learning to perform the most common operations with the keyboard rather than the mouse.
Below is an overview of the operations for which I personally prefer to use the keyboard.
At any time, the desktop can be made to appear with Windowskey-d (d for desktop).
When the desktop has focus, icons can be selected with the arrow keys, or with the letter keys corresponding to their first letter. When there are more icons beginning with the same letter, one can iterate through those by pressing the corresponding key repeatedly.
A selected icon can be activated by pushing Enter.
With Windowskey-Tab one can go through the window buttons on the task bar. More common is to use Alt-Tab to go through the open windows.
Windows - the operating system - can be shut down with Alt-F4 (confirm with Enter after selecting the desired option with the arrow keys). Note that on some keyboards only the left Alt key will perform the operations in this article involving the Alt key. On such keyboards, the right Alt key, combined with any one of a number of regular keys, produces an array of special characters.
The Windows key opens the Start menu, after which arrow keys or letter keys can be used to select the desired option.
Alt-Spacebar opens the system menu of the active window, after which one can maximize or minimize the window or go to "previous size" by pressing the letter key corresponding to the underlined letter for the desired option. This is useful, since windows tend to open in a too small size to work in. So Alt-Spacebar, m, maximizes the too small window.
The regular menus of an active window can be accessed by pressing F10 or (left) Alt, after which arrow keys can be used to go through the menus (letter keys corresponding to the underlined letters of menu options also work). Once the menu opens, options can be chosen with arrow or letter keys. In general, when letter keys can be used, the arrow keys will also work to go through the options. And possible keyboard shortcuts are given behind the options.
A local (context) menu for the current selection, cursor position or active window can be evoked by pressing the key with a depiction of a menu with an arrow, located to the left of the right Ctrl key (on my keyboard).
With Alt-Tab one can switch between the windows one has open. Push Tab repeatedly while holding Alt.
Alt-F4 closes the active window.
Alt-Enter shows the properties of the selected object.
Ctrl-Tab iterates through the tabs of a dialogue or program window.
Alt-d activates the address bar, after which one can type a U.R.L.
F5 reloads the current page. Ctrl-F5 reloads the respective pages in the frames of a frames web site.
Backspace goes to the previous page (as does Alt-Arrow left).
Arrow keys - slow scrolling
PageUp, PageDown - Fast scrolling
Home, End - To top and bottom of page
Tab iterates through the hyper references on a page, which can be followed by pushing Enter. Shift-Tab iterates backward.
Home - Cursor to beginning of line
End - To end of line
Ctrl-Home - To beginning of document
Ctrl-End - To end of document
PageUp - One screen up
PageDown - One screen down
Ctrl-a - Select all
Ctrl-Shift-Home - Select from cursor to beginning of document
Ctrl-Shift-End - Select from cursor to end of document
Ctrl-z - Undo last action
Ctrl-f - Find in document
Ctrl-r - Replace
Ctrl-s - Save
Ctrl-Shift-s - Save as
Ctrl-p - Print
Ctrl-n - New document
Ctrl-o - Open a file
Ctrl-w - Close the present document
Ctrl-c - Copy
Ctrl-x - Cut
Ctrl-v - Paste
Ctrl-i - Italic
Ctrl-b - Bold
Ctrl-u - Underline
Windowskey-e evokes the explorer.
Tab: change between tree view frame and the other frame.
Selection of files and folders: the same as on desktop.
Ctrl-a - select all
Select several consecutive files or folders: Select the first, hold Shift down and mouse-click on the last. Or: hold Shift down while pushing an Arrow key.
Select non-consecutive items: Hold Ctrl down and mouse-click on the desired items.
Backspace goes one level up.