Many do not realize how many things can be done on the computer only with the keyboard, keeping their hands away from the mouse which is so comfortable, but also, at times, not very fast in certain operations. Just think, for example, of Copy and Paste, so comfortable with the keyboard ( CTRL-C and CTRL-V ) and uncomfortable with the mouse. Without using the mouse it is possible to launch applications, switch from one window to another, edit text and even navigate on Facebook and Gmail without ever moving your hands. In this article we make a summary of the basic shortcuts to use on the keyboard and 8 things that can be done without ever touching the mouse, keeping both hands on the keyboard, working comfortably.
1) Launch applications and other links
There is no need to use the mouse, go to the Windows Start menu and click on the icon of the program to run. Instead, just to start any application, press the Windows key, write the name of the program and press Enter to launch it. You can also press the Windows-1, Windows-2 ... Win-9 keys together to launch the programs on the taskbar (the bottom one), from left to right. You can also assign combinations to other programs by pressing on their icon with the right button, going to the properties and then using the "Shortcut keys" box. The combination will be of the CTRL-ALT-Key type of your choice .
Using external programs you can also start programs with app launchers like Launchy that allow you to do much more than Windows.
2) Highlight and edit text
When working with a program like Word where you write, sometimes you need to go back to make a correction, highlight a portion of text to delete it or do other things. Putting your hand on the mouse, in these cases, is really an inconvenience. It is done much earlier with the keyboard with the right shortcuts. For example, use Shift + Ctrl + Up or Down to select entire paragraphs, holding down CTRL and Shift you can scroll the selected words with the left and right arrows or just press the END key to move the cursor to the end of the current line, always without ever taking your fingers off the keyboard.
In another article you can find keyboard combinations for Word .
3) Shut down the system, Restart or lock the computer
I see people who, when they have to turn off the computer or lock it, start looking for the button with the mouse which, especially in Windows 8, is really uncomfortable. Few people know that it is possible to close Windows with a simple keyboard command (using Alt-F4 and Enter ) or simply by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del and then the shutdown button. You can lock your computer only by pressing the Windows + L keys.
For Windows, you can create fast commands of all kinds with the NirCmd tool.
4) Move between Windows windows
If you work on one window and need to switch to another, instead of putting your hand on the mouse, it is better to press Alt + Tab to scroll quickly through the open windows and select the one to see. You can also do something similar with browser tabs by pressing the CTRL + TAB key combination. You can close a window without having to click the X with the mouse only by pressing CTRL + W (or with ALT + F4 ). The combination of Windows + Up or Down keys minimizes or maximizes a window. Basically, you can manage all windows with a few buttons without having to use the mouse, it's just a matter of habit.
In this regard, see also the main combinations of keys and shortcuts for Windows 7 and XP and the keyboard shortcuts for Windows 8 and key combinations.
5) Surf the web
Each browser has shortcuts that allow you to browse the internet, go back and forth on pages and search without touching the mouse. For example, pressing Ctrl + L brings the cursor to the address bar where you can write the search term and press Enter, with Tab you scroll the search results and with Enter they open. Ctrl + F finds text on a page, while Ctrl + Enter opens a link in a new tab. To know them all, read the list of the most important keyboard shortcuts for the Chrome and Firefox browsers .
6) Move around and use the main sites and e-mail with the keyboard
There is no person in the world who does not browse on at least one site between Gmail, Facebook, Youtube and Twitter. Well, these websites can be navigated from the keyboard in a simple way, without limitations. In another article, the main fast buttons for Facebook, Gmail, Youtube, Twitter are collected.
7) Access menus in any program
When you open any program on the PC, there is a menu that seems to be accessible only via mouse. I speak, for example, of the File menu to save your work or to print. Whatever the action, there is always a combination of keys such as, for example, CTRL + S to save a file or CTRL-P to print. Even if you don't know the keyboard shortcut, for each action you can go to the File - Edit - Tools menu of a program by pressing the Alt-first letter keys, the underlined one that for the File menu is the F, while for the Edit menu is M. Then use the up and down arrows to choose the option.
8) Move the mouse with the keyboard .
As you can see by opening the article, there are different ways of moving the mouse cursor with the keyboard, which is convenient for those with manual problems.
The easiest way is to use the Windows Accessibility Center and enable the numeric keypad to move the mouse cursor.
To conclude we say that on the computer everything can be done with the keyboard, even when it seems impossible.
Through programs like AutoHotkey you can assign any key combination to a specific action.
Even more easily, you can automate repetitive tasks and always the same operations on the Windows PC or even record and repeat actions, mouse and keyboard movements and clicks.
