Seven More Keyboard ShortcutsYou don't have to break your workflow to reach for the mouse.
Regular readers know of my love for keyboard shortcuts. And who can blame me? When I'm typing along in, say, Word or a blog tool, the last thing I want to do is reach for the mouse. Totally interrupts my workflow. (We writer types are all about the workflow.)
Of course, there are times when I need to select, copy, cut, and/or paste text--all functions that would seem to mandate a little mouse action. But no: You can accomplish all those tasks with a few simple keyboard shortcuts. These may seem old and obvious to some users, but trust me: Not everybody knows them.
These shortcuts work in just about every text editor known to man, from Word to WordPad to WordPress.
- Ctrl-Shift-Right Arrow: Selects the word immediately to the right of the cursor.
- Ctrl-Shift-Left Arrow: Selects the word immediately to the left of the cursor.
- Shift-Home: Selects all text from the cursor's current position to the beginning of the line.
- Shift-End: Selects all text from the cursor's current position to the end of the line.
- Ctrl-C: Copies selected text to the clipboard.
- Ctrl-X: Cuts (i.e. temporarily deletes) selected text and copies it to the clipboard.
- Ctrl-V: Pastes whatever text has been copied to the keyboard.
Once you master these shortcuts, I guarantee you'll find yourself working much more quickly in Word and similar programs. So put down that mouse and keep your hands on the keys where they belong.
