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Saturday, April 23, 2011

Save time with computer shortcuts in Microsoft Office programs

If you’re like most people, you’re always looking for ways to save time, even when using Microsoft Office software. Keyboard shortcuts could be your new best friend when it comes to time management.

Fingers on keyboard near clockNot everyone uses shortcut keys to save time, but some people find them easier to use than a mouse, especially when spending long stretches of time at the computer.

Ready-made Microsoft Office tools

If the thought of memorizing key combinations makes you wince, you can still save time and effort while working in all Office programs by using these built-in tools.
  • Shortcut menus. Right-click in any Microsoft Office program to display a shortcut menu that gives you quick access to many of the most commonly used features. If an arrow appears next to your selection, you can click to see more options. For example, right-clicking a Word document displays Paste Options, Look Up, Synonyms, formatting, and other options.

    Microsoft Word document with two shortcut menus displayedNo matter which Microsoft Office program you’re working in, right-clicking is one of the greatest shortcuts available.
  • KeyTips. Introduced in Microsoft Office 2007, KeyTips are built-in keyboard shortcuts available in all programs that have the Ribbon or the Ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar. In Office 2010, KeyTips are also available in the Backstage view. Press Alt to display a letter or number by each Ribbon tab or Quick Access Toolbar command. After you press a letter or number, you get new KeyTips letters and numbers to access each command in the location you selected.

    Office 2010 Ribbon with KeyTips displayedPressing Alt displays KeyTips that you can press to quickly access any command.
  • Quick Access Toolbar. Add the commands you use all the time to your Quick Access Toolbar in all Office programs that have the Ribbon. Just right-click almost any Ribbon command, and then click Add to Quick Access Toolbar. This is also a great way to create custom keyboard shortcuts for your favorite commands across all Office programs, since the KeyTips for your Quick Access Toolbar items remain the same as long as the command remains in the same position in the Quick Access Toolbar.
  • Custom keyboard shortcuts on the Office Ribbon. You can even change shortcut key combinations or create new ones of your own. Here’s how to do it in the latest versions of Microsoft Office.

    In Microsoft Office 2010:


    In Microsoft Office 2007:

    Whether you want to work more easily and efficiently in Internet Explorer, streamline your Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 experience, or key international characters into your email messages to Europe, you’ll find lots of shortcuts to help you. Here is a sampling of commonly used standard-keyboard shortcuts, many of which work across all Office programs—from Outlook to Access and from Visio to PowerPoint. You can find a more complete list of built-in keyboard shortcuts for a particular application by searching keyboard shortcuts in Help.

General keyboard shortcuts

To...Use this shortcut
Open HelpPress F1.
Select all content in a document, window, or text boxPress Ctrl+A.
Search for a file or folderPress F3. In Windows 7, you can also press the Windows logo key to open the Start menu and then type in the Search box.
Rename a file or folderSelect the file or folder, press F2, and then retype the name.
Find out when the file or folder was created, by whom, and how big it isSelect the file, and then press Alt+Enter.
Display the Start menuPress Ctrl+Esc. In Windows 7, you can also press the Windows logo key.
Scroll between open windowsPress Alt+Tab, and then hold down Alt while pressing Tab to reach the desired file or program.
Undo an actionPress Ctrl+Z.
Redo an actionPress Ctrl+Y.
Check the spelling of titles or words in any Office application with the Spelling & Grammar checkerPress F7.
Create a shortcut on your desktop to your favorite file or folderIn Windows 7: Right-click the file or folder. On the shortcut menu, click Send to, and then click Desktop (Create shortcut).
In Windows Vista: Right-click the file or folder. On the shortcut menu, click Create Shortcut. Drag the new shortcut to your desktop.
Capture a screen shotPress Alt+Print Screen, and then press Ctrl+C to copy and Ctrl+V to paste.
Lock the computer, switch users, log off the computer, change a password, start Task ManagerIn Windows 7, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
Lock the computerPress the Windows logo key+L.
Quit programPress Alt+F4.

Working with Microsoft Word

To...Use this shortcut
Select textPress Shift+Right Arrow, Left Arrow, Up Arrow, or Down Arrow to highlight text. To select one word at a time, press Shift+Ctrl+Arrow. To select to the end of the line, press Shift+End.
Copy selected textPress Ctrl+C.
Cut selected textPress Ctrl+X.
Paste selected textPress Ctrl+V.
Bold textPress Ctrl+B.
Search for text in a documentPress Ctrl+F.
Find and replace text in a documentPress Ctrl+H.
Got to a page, line, or bookmark in a documentPress Ctrl+G.
Italicize textPress Ctrl+I.
Underline textPress Ctrl+U.
Subscript textPress Ctrl+equal sign (=).
Superscript textPress Ctrl+plus sign (+).
Center textPress Ctrl+E.
Align text leftPress Ctrl+L.
Align text rightPress Ctrl+R.
Justify textPress Ctrl+J.
Decrease the font sizePress Ctrl+Shift+less than sign (<). If your mouse has a scroll wheel, you can also press Ctrl and scroll down.
Increase the font sizePress Ctrl+Shift+greater than sign (>). If your mouse has a scroll wheel, you can also press Ctrl and scroll up.
Change the fontPress CTRL+SHIFT+F, and then use the arrow keys to reach the new font.
Change font sizePress Ctrl+Shift+P, and then use the arrow keys to reach the new font size. If your mouse has a scroll wheel, you can also press Ctrl and scroll up or down.
Create a page breakPress Ctrl+Enter.
Create a new documentPress Ctrl+N.
Open the My Documents windowPress Ctrl+O.
Close a documentPress Ctrl+W.
Save a documentPress Ctrl+S.
Print a documentPress CTRL+P.
Preview what you're about to printPress ALT+Ctrl+I. In Windows 7, this keyboard shortcut opens the integrated Print and Preview window, which you can also access by pressing Ctrl+P.
Resize a shape (Office 2010)Select the shape, and then press Shift+Arrow.
Rotate a shape (Office 2010)Select the shape, and then hold the Alt key while you press the Left Arrow key or the Right Arrow key.

Accelerating Microsoft Excel

To...Use this shortcut
Open a new workbookPress Ctrl+N.
Move left to right, cell by cellPress Tab, or press the Right Arrow key.
Move right to left, cell by cellPress Shift+Tab, or press the Left Arrow key.
Move down, cell by cellPress Enter, or press the Down Arrow key.
Move up, cell by cellPress Shift+Enter, or press the Up Arrow key.
Move down or up to the last empty or non-empty cellPress Ctrl+Shift+Down Arrow or Up Arrow.
Move to the last empty or non-empty cell to the right or leftPress Ctrl+Shift+Right Arrow or Left Arrow.
Erase data in the current cellPress Backspace.
Insert a return within a cellPress Alt+Enter.
Return to the beginning of the rowPress HOME.
Advance to the next worksheetCtrl+Page Down
Go to the previous worksheetCtrl+Page Up
Enter the datePress Ctrl+Semicolon (;).
Enter the timePress Ctrl+Shift+Colon (:).
Find out about the style within the cellPress Alt+Apostrophe (‘).
Display the Format Cells dialog boxPress Ctrl+1.
Apply the general number formatPress Ctrl+Shift+Tilde (~).
Apply the currency number formatPress Ctrl+Shift+Dollar Sign ($).
Apply the percentage number formatPress Ctrl+Shift+Percent (%).
Apply a borderPress Ctrl+Shift+Ampersand (&).
Remove a borderPress Ctrl+Shift+ underscore (_).
Hide the selected columnsPress Ctrl+0 (zero).
Hide the selected rowsPress Ctrl+9.
Unhide hidden rows within a selectionPress Ctrl+Shift+opening parenthesis.
Find more Excel keyboard shortcuts at the MSDN blog.

Expediting Internet Explorer

To...Use this shortcut
Add sites to your Favorites
  1. Go to the site.
  2. Press Ctrl+D to add to your Favorites.
  3. Click Favorites, and then, to create a separate folder for the site or to add it to an already-formed list, click Add to Favorites.
Select a home page
  1. Go to the webpage that you would like to make your home page.
  2. Open the Tools menu, and select Internet Options.
  3. Under Home page, on the General tab, click Use Current.
Use the History function if you visit a few select sites constantly
  1. Press Ctrl+H to open the History pane.
  2. Select the site that you would like, right-click the site, and then select Add to Favorites.
Customize your toolbar to the tools you use most frequently
  1. Right-click the command bar.
  2. Point to Customize.
  3. Click Add or Remove Commands.
Go to your home pagePress Alt+Home.
Switch between tabsPress Ctrl+Tab.
Move forward through the items on a webpage or the Address barPress Tab.
Move back through the items on a webpage or the Address barPress Shift+Tab.
Find on this pagePress Ctrl+F.
Stop downloading a pagePress Esc.
Use zoom on a webpageIncrease zoom (+ 10%): Press Ctrl+plus sign (+).
Decrease zoom (- 10%): Press Ctrl+minus sign (-).
Increase to 100%: Press Ctrl+0.
Find more Internet Explorer 8 keyboard shortcuts.
For Outlook keyboard shortcuts, read the Outlook team blog.
Shortcuts aren’t limited to Word, Excel, and Internet Explorer, of course. Ample time savers are built into many popular Microsoft programs, including Access, Visio, and PowerPoint. For Outlook keyboard shortcuts, read the Outlook team blog.
Another convenient way to save time is to add Office.com and Microsoft Answers to your Favorites in Internet Explorer, so you’ll always have ready help nearby.
The more you use these tools and make Microsoft work for you, the more time you can save. Have fun exploring the options available to you!
Adapted from an article written by Liz Eustace based upon an original piece from Microsoft Home Magazine.

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