The idea of getting more hours in the day is something professionals dream about. Finishing work at a faster pace is the only way to stretch your time out and something that holds a lot of people back is their technology. User error, or simply not utilizing technology to its full potential is a pitfall of employees of all pay grades.
One vastly underutilized tool everyone has in their office is their keyboard. Whether you use a Mac or a PC, keyboard shortcuts are hiding right beneath your fingertips. If you know them well, you can increase your efficiency by not wasting time squinting at your computer screen attempting to find the right buttons to click.
Common tricks like copy/cut/paste are typically common knowledge, so this list consists of little-known shortcuts that can be useful for professionals prone to multitasking.
Here are some keyboard shortcuts all PC users should know:
- F5 : refresh active window
- Alt + Tab : Switch between open apps open on the desktop
- Alt + Left Arrow : Go back one page
- Alt + Right Arrow : Go forward one page
- Ctrl + A : highlight all items in a document or window
- Ctrl + F or F2 : Search the document or window
- Ctrl + Y : Redo an action
- Ctrl + Z : Undo an action
- Ctrl + Scroll Mouse : Zoom in or out
Here are keyboard shortcuts all Mac users should know:
- Command + Q : Quit an app
- Command + R : Refresh window
- Command + Tab : Switch to last used app
- Command + [ : Go back one page
- Command + ] : Go forward one page
- Command + A : highlight all items in a document or window
- Command + F : Search the document or window
- Command + Shift + Z : Redo an action
- Command + Z : Undo an action
- Shift + Command + (plus sign) : Zoom in
- Shift + Command + (minus sign) : Zoom out