# Mind Blown (Keyboard Shortcut you didn't know about) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 19, 2013, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mind-blown-keyboard-shortcut-you-didnt-know-about/669233 "2013-09-19T14:59:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2013, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mind-blown-keyboard-shortcut-you-didnt-know-about/669233/41 "2013-09-20T20:52:05Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Because the fraction of a second longer it takes to click Edit-Find each time really piles up over time? CTRL-F works on nearly all applications, even those without an Edit menu option (like browsers). ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2013, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mind-blown-keyboard-shortcut-you-didnt-know-about/669233/42 "2013-09-20T23:46:17Z")
> [@JerrySTL](#): > > I like inserting special characters not on the keyboard. > > Hold down Alt then 2 4 8 = ° degree symbol > > Alt + 0 1 6 2 = ¢ cent sign. Alt-0176 is what I use for the ° symbol. And I sometimes use Alt-0169 for the © symbol. They’re the only two I have memorised. That’s from holding the Alt key down, while simultaneously typing the numerals on the numpad only. I have to memorise a ton of different keyboard shortcuts for other applications. Though app collections like MS Office et al or the Adobe Suite are relatively consistent in design, they will sometimes use different shortcuts for similar features, or the same shortcuts for different features, which can get very confusing. And then there are solitary apps that use different ones again. And if you swap from PC to Mac at any point there’s potentially additional complication. Here’s how I remember some of the basics: Ctrl-Z, X, C, V are all in a row at the bottom of the keyboard, within easy reach of one hand. C is for Copy X is a pair of scissors = Cut V is an arrow pointing down = Paste Z is a scribbling out gesture = Undo Ctrl-S = Save Shift-Ctrl-S = Save As (new file) Ctrl-P = Print Ctrl-O = Open Ctrl-N = New Document Ctrl-A = Select All Ctrl-D = Deselect And there are loads more, including using combos of the F1-F12 function keys, or even the cursor keys. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2013, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mind-blown-keyboard-shortcut-you-didnt-know-about/669233/43 "2013-09-20T23:58:43Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Here’s how I remember some of the basics: > > Ctrl-Z, X, C, V are all in a row at the bottom of the keyboard, within easy reach of one hand. > C is for Copy > X is a pair of scissors = Cut > V is an arrow pointing down = Paste > Z is a scribbling out gesture = Undo Ctrl-Y is Redo if you undid something mistakenly, like backspaced too far, or cut the wrong text. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mind-blown-keyboard-shortcut-you-didnt-know-about/669233/44 "2013-09-21T00:38:12Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > Ctrl-Y is Redo if you undid something mistakenly, like backspaced too far, or cut the wrong text. Though sometimes it’s Shift-Ctrl-Z, and if you don’t know which and choose the wrong one it can mess up your Undo History ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mind-blown-keyboard-shortcut-you-didnt-know-about/669233/45 "2013-09-21T04:05:48Z")
If you’re traveling up Meyer Road going to Northgate, don’t go all the way to Hawthorne Drive. Instead, get off on Route 2. You’ll save about five minutes. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mind-blown-keyboard-shortcut-you-didnt-know-about/669233/46 "2013-09-21T06:51:06Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > If you’re traveling up Meyer Road going to Northgate, don’t go all the way to Hawthorne Drive. Instead, get off on Route 2. You’ll save about five minutes. > mmm “and then by head down Hwy. 101 until you get to the Slauson Cutoff. Get out of the car, cut off your slauson, get back in the car.” MMM, you just gave me a nice memory of Johnny Carson. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mind-blown-keyboard-shortcut-you-didnt-know-about/669233/47 "2013-09-21T20:25:51Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Though sometimes it’s Shift-Ctrl-Z, and if you don’t know which and choose the wrong one it can mess up your Undo History Yeah, in VB it’s delete current line :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Gullible\_s\_Travels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de0a6/32.png) [@Gullible\_s\_Travels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gullible_s_Travels)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mind-blown-keyboard-shortcut-you-didnt-know-about/669233/48 "2013-09-21T20:57:58Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > And if you don’t want to memorize that, you can always right-click on the tab bar and select “Reopen closed tab”. There are some other useful commands in there too. Well. I consider myself ‘okay’ with computers but I didn’t know about this (or the other commands - can’t believe I didn’t know I could ‘bookmark all tabs’) - I’ve never even thought to right click on a tab! Thanks! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mind-blown-keyboard-shortcut-you-didnt-know-about/669233/49 "2013-09-21T22:00:22Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I am now really enjoying the Win-Tab combo. Me, too! That one will come in handy for me at work. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mind-blown-keyboard-shortcut-you-didnt-know-about/669233/50 "2013-09-21T22:14:49Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > Ctrl-Y is Redo if you undid something mistakenly, like backspaced too far, or cut the wrong text. > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Yeah, in VB it’s delete current line :smack: In Office applications CTRL-Y means duplicate what I just did. So if you formatted a cell in Excel or a graphic in PowerPoint and want to repeat it, that’s an easy way. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mind-blown-keyboard-shortcut-you-didnt-know-about/669233/51 "2013-09-21T22:15:25Z")
CTRL-Shift-T re-opens the last tab you closed, in Chrome. Very handy when you accidentally close a tab. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2013, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mind-blown-keyboard-shortcut-you-didnt-know-about/669233/52 "2013-09-22T19:07:31Z")
Seriously, one of the major advances in computer technology was the concept that _most of these keyboard one-key commands (or at least all of the most commonly-used ones), will be the same across all applications._ This revolutionary concept seems to have started about the time that systems with early GUI interfaces started to appear in the world. I’m not sure to what extent Microsoft was the innovator here, but they took the ball and ran with it. Prior to that, in the bad old pre-GUI days of DOS and other plain-text systems, every application (especially third party ones) has its own set of one-key commands, often involving control-characters and various combinations of Shift-, Ctrl-, Alt-, and F keys. Every app (text editors, accounting apps, spreadsheets like Lotus 1-2-3, etc.) typically came with a little laminated cardboard template that you placed on top of your keyboard to tell you what keys to press for what commands – and they were different for every app. One early advance in the concept of universal key commands came with the WordStar editor, the basic command-set of which became widely used in other text editors, including QEdit and the DOS Editor. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2013, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mind-blown-keyboard-shortcut-you-didnt-know-about/669233/53 "2013-09-22T21:56:28Z")
ctrl-alt-del ctrl +/- ctrl c/v I can’t remember the ones I used maybe once, like the copyright/trademark codes. That’s all I got. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2013, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mind-blown-keyboard-shortcut-you-didnt-know-about/669233/54 "2013-09-26T09:06:57Z")
In Windows 7 or higher, Ctrl+ mouse scroll on an icon will change the icon size. This is especially useful in Windows 8, since Microsoft got rid of the advanced appearance options. (On Windows 7, the icon one just doesn’t work quite right.) Also, avoid Ctrl-Shift-Esc on Windows 8, and just right click taskbar, choosing the task manger. For some reason, the keyboard shortcut is much slower. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mind-blown-keyboard-shortcut-you-didnt-know-about/669233.md?page=2)