There is no doubt that using a mouse or a touchpad is essential to using computers, but what if a problem or a sudden malfunction made you unable to use the mouse? The solution is simply to use keyboard shortcuts!
Keyboard shortcuts on Windows devices
According to WIRED magazine, on Windows devices, you can simply use keyboard shortcuts instead of the mouse or touchpad and then progress further in knowing and using the shortcuts.
For example, at first, use the Win button to open the start menu.
Alt+Tab to switch between open applications.
Shortcut Alt+F4 to close programs.
If you are on a list, program, or website, you can:
Use the Tab button to move between open sections or cells.
Use the arrow buttons to go up, down, left or right.
You can search on your computer using the Win+S shortcut.
Or open the file explorer interface using the shortcut Win+E.
and use the Enter button to confirm the options.
Use the Esc button to exit menus and windows.
As for controlling the behavior and position of open application windows, you can:
Use the Win+Up shortcut to maximize the window.
Win+Down shortcut to shrink it.
You can also use the shortcut Win+Left or Win+Right to move the current window to the left or right of the screen.
The shortcut Alt+Space gives you more options, such as the ability to move windows (using the arrow buttons).
Other keyboard shortcuts that you may not need often include:
If you’re not typing anything, you can use the space bar to scroll down along a web page or open documents.
And if you need the right mouse button menus without a mouse or touchpad, you can use the shortcut Shift+F10 from the keyboard.
And when you move between the lists, you will find some letters marked with lines below them, to indicate the possibility of using these buttons to choose the item directly; This will save a lot of time instead of using the arrow buttons.
If you want to select text, use the Shift button together with the arrow button; To move a word, use the shortcut Shift+Ctrl and the arrow button.
In addition, some keyboard shortcuts work similarly in all Windows programs, such as:
Ctrl+C shortcut to copy.
Shortcut Ctrl+V to paste.
Shortcut Ctrl+S to save.
Shortcut Ctrl+A to select everything in the partition or on the screen.
The shortcut Ctrl+W closes what is currently open on the screen, whether a browser tab or a document.
And as you dig deeper into each program, you’ll find some shortcuts that are unique to each program.
Final tip: If your keyboard has number side buttons, go to Settings and choose Accessibility and Mouse, then enable Mouse Keys. This allows you to control an on-screen pointer using the side number buttons on the keyboard (number 8 to move the pointer up, number 2 to move the pointer down, and so on).
keyboard shortcuts on mac
According to the Apple Support Center , many keyboard shortcuts work the same way on Windows and Macs, so some of the above will apply to Macs as well.
The matching abbreviations list includes:
Cmd+C shortcut to copy.
Cmd+V to paste.
Cmd+S shortcut to save.
Shortcut Cmd+A Select everything in the current cell or document.
Cmd+W to close the current browser tab, document, or window.
The arrow buttons work the same way on Windows and Mac computers for navigating menus:
The Tab button is used to move between text boxes and program sections.
The space bar is used to scroll down web pages and documents, as long as you’re not typing any text.
Use the Esc button to go back and the Enter button to confirm something is selected.
In order to switch between open applications, you can use:
The shortcut is Cmd + Tab on the Apple operating system.
Cmd+Space shortcut to search on a Mac.
The shortcut Ctrl+F2 to shift focus to the menu bar.
Ctrl+F3 to open the Dock.
Once the focus has shifted, you can use the arrow buttons, the Esc button, and the Enter button as needed.
You can also use the Cmd+ shortcut to open the preferences bar from the current application.
You can use the same Windows hardware shortcuts to select text. You can hold down the Shift button and use the arrow buttons to select text.
If you want to choose a single word, you can use the shortcut Shift+Option with the arrow buttons.
For window management of open programs, you can use Cmd+M to shrink the currently selected window, but there is no built-in keyboard shortcut to maximize windows.
Some menu items within programs will have their own keyboard shortcuts, and they will be displayed within the menus themselves (it’s better if you memorize them because it will save you a lot of time in your daily use).
There is also a way in the accessibility settings on Macs to make it easier to use the keyboard instead of the mouse or the touchpad.
Open System Preferences, then select Keyboard and Shortcuts.
Check the Use keyboard navigation box so the Tab button can be used more to move focus (and Shift+Tab to move focus in the opposite direction).
