People who want to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently know that one of the most productivity-enhancing tools in computing is keyboard shortcuts. You may know some of these and use them regularly, yet others may be new to you, we thought a solid review of the most common ones would be helpful.

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Our favorite keyboard shortcut is CTRL-F. Supported by many programs, including web browsers, document editors, and spreadsheet programs, CTRL-F opens up a search/find box in the program, allowing users to find occurrences of a word or phrase. This is especially helpful when working with long documents or, in our case, source code for websites.

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Keyboard shortcuts save users so much time because they eliminate the need to move a hand away from the keyboard to use the mouse. Without needing to locate the mouse pointer, move it, click on the necessary area, and then return to the keyboard, users can streamline their workflow significantly. By avoiding the mouse, a great deal of time can be saved and focus can be maintained.

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Our Keyboard Shortcut Honorable Mentions (for Windows)

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CTRL-C

Copies the selected item to the clipboard

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CTRL-V

Pastes the item from the clipboard

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TAB

Advances the cursor to the next field (such as in an online form)

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ALT-TAB

Switches between open programs

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CTRL-TAB

Switches between views in a program (e.g., between tabs in a web browser, or sheets in an Excel workbook)

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CTRL-SHIFT-TAB

Same as CTRL-TAB, but in reverse order

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Windows Key + M

Minimizes all windows and displays the desktop

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CTRL-X

Cuts the selected item and places it on the clipboard

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CTRL-W

Closes the current window

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CTRL-N

Opens a new document or window in the current program

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CTRL-T

Opens a new tab in web browsers

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Many more shortcuts can be found in the Microsoft Support article on keyboard shortcuts. Additionally, users can search Google for "keyboard shortcuts" plus the name of their favorite program to discover more.

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What is your favorite keyboard shortcut?