Keyboard shortcuts are used to invoke a command in the operating system or software, which can be accessed with a menu or a mouse. These shortcuts offer an easier method of using computer programs. You can access them differently, depending on your computer system. On PC computers, the Alt key, and on Apple computers, the command key is used.
The keyboard shortcuts are for the programs and applications below:
- Word
- Windows
- Mac
- File Explorer
- Windows System Commands
- Firefox
- Finder
- Chrome
- Excel
Keyboard Shortcuts For Windows and Mac
Nowadays, keyboard shortcuts are frequently used. Due to these shortcuts using operating systems and computer software programs becomes much easier and saves time.
Basic Shortcuts
| Description | Windows | Mac OS |
|---|---|---|
| Edit Menu | Alt + E | CTRL + F2 + F |
| File Menu | Alt + F | CTRL + F2 + E |
| View Menu | Alt + V | CTRL + F2 + V |
| Select All Text | CTRL + A | CMD + A |
| Copy Text | CTRL + C | CMD + C |
| Find Text | CTRL + F | CMD + F |
| Find and Replace Text | CTRL + H | CMD + F |
| New Document | CTRL + N | CMD + N |
| Open A File | CTRL + O | CMD + O |
| Print Options | CTRL + P | CMD + P |
| Save File | CTRL + S | CMD + S |
| Paste Text | CTRL + V | CMD + V |
| Cut Text | CTRL + X | CMD + X |
| Redo Text | CTRL + Y | Shift + CMD + Z |
| Undo Text | CTRL + Z | CMD + Z |
Text Editing
| Description | Windows | Mac OS |
|---|---|---|
| Cursor Movement | ||
| Go to right or to beginning of next line break | Right Arrow | Right Arrow |
| Go to left or to end of previous line break | Left Arrow | Left Arrow |
| Go Up One Row | Up Arrow | Up Arrow |
| Go Down One Row | Down Arrow | Down Arrow |
| Go to beginning of current line | Home | CMD + Left Arrow |
| Go to end of current line | End | CMD + Right Arrow |
| Go to beginning of document | CTRL + Home | CMD + Up Arrow |
| Go to end of document | CTRL + End | CMD + Down Arrow |
| Move Up One Frame | Page Up | Fn + Up Arrow |
| Move Down One Frame | Page Down | Fn + Down Arrow |
| Go to beginning of previous word | CTRL + Left Arrow | Option + Left Arrow |
| Go to beginning of next word | CTRL + Right Arrow | Option + Right Arrow |
| Go to beginning of line break | CTRL + Up Arrow | CMD + Left Arrow |
| Go to end of line break | CTRL + Down Arrow | CMD + Right Arrow |
| Text Selection | ||
| Select characters to left | Shift + Left Arrow | Shift + Left Arrow |
| Select characters to right | Shift + Right Arrow | Shift + Right Arrow |
| Select lines upwards | Shift + Up Arrow | Shift + Up Arrow |
| Select lines downwards | Shift + Down Arrow | Shift + Down Arrow |
| Select Words To Left | Shift + CTRL + Left | Shift + Opt + Left |
| Select Words To Right | Shift + CTRL + Right | Shift + Opt + Right |
| Select Paragraphs To Left | Shift + CTRL + Up | Shift + Opt + Up |
| Select Paragraphs To Right | Shift + CTRL + Down | Shift + Opt + Down |
| Select Text between cursor and the beginning of current line | Shift + Home | CMD + Shift + Left Arrow |
| Select Text between cursor and the end of current line | Shift + End | CMD + Shift + Right Arrow |
| Select Text between cursor and the beginning of document | Shift + CTRL + Home | CMD + Shift + Up Arrow or CMD + Shift + Fn + Left Arrow |
| Select Text between cursor and the end of document | Shift + CTRL + End | CMD + Shift + Down Arrow or CMD + Shift + Fn + Right Arrow |
| Select one frame when text above the cursor | Shift + Page Up | Shift + Fn + Up Arrow |
| Select one frame when text below the cursor | Shift + Page Down | Shift + Fn + Down Arrow |
| Select All Text | CTRL + A | CMD + A |
| Find Text | CTRL + F | CMD + F |
| Text Formatting | ||
| Make Selected Text Bold | CTRL + B | CMD + B |
| Make Selected Text Italic | CTRL + I | CMD + I |
| Underline Selected Text | CTRL + U | CMD + U |
| Make Selected Text Superscript | CTRL + Shift + = | CMD + Shift + = |
| Make Selected Text Subscript | CTRL + = | CMD + = |
| Text Editting | ||
| Delete Characters To Left | Backspace | Backspace |
| Delete Characters To Right | Delete | Fn + Backspace |
| Delete Words To Left | CTRL + Backspace | CMD + Fn + Backspace |
| Delete Words To Right | CTRL + Del | CMD + Backspace |
| Indent | Tab | Tab |
| Outdent | Shift + Tab | Shift + Tab |
| Copy Text | CTRL + C | CMD + C |
| Find and Replace Text | CTRL + H | CMD + F |
| Paste Text | CTRL + V | CMD + V |
| Cut Text | CTRL + X | CMD + X |
| Undo Text | CTRL + Z | CMD + Z |
| Redo Text | CTRL + Y | Shift + CMD + Z |
Web Browsers
| Description | Windows | Mac OS |
|---|---|---|
| Navigation | ||
| Scroll down a frame | Space or Page Down | Space or Fn + Down Arrow |
| Scroll up a frame | Shift + Space or Page Up | Shift + Space or Fn + Up Arrow |
| Go to bottom of the page | End | CMD + Down Arrow |
| Go to top of the page | Home | CMD + Up Arrow |
| Go back | Alt + Left Arrow or Backspace | CMD + Left Arrow |
| Go forward | Alt + Right Arrow or Shift + Backspace | CMD + Right Arrow |
| Refresh webpage | F5 | CMD + R |
| Refresh webpage without cache | CTRL + F5 | CMD + Shift + R |
| Stop | Esc | Esc |
| Toggle Full Screen | F11 | CMD + Shift + F |
| Zoom In | CTRL + + | CMD + + |
| Zoom Out | CTRL + - | CMD + - |
| Zoom 100% (Default) | CTRL + 0 | CMD + 0 |
| Open Homepage | Alt + Home | Option + Home or Option + Fn + Left Arrow |
| Find Text | CTRL + F | CMD + F |
| Tab / Window Management | ||
| Open A New Tab | CTRL + T | CMD + T |
| Close Current Tab | CTRL + W | CMD+ W |
| Close All Tabs | CTRL + Shift + W | CMD + Q |
| Close All Tabs Except Current One | CTRL + Alt + F4 | CMD + Opt + W |
| Go to Next Tab | CTRL + Tab | Control + Tab or CMD + Shift + Right Arrow |
| Go to Previous Tab | CTRL + Shift + Tab | Shift + Control + Tab or CMD + Shift + Left Arrow |
| Go to Specific Tab Number | CTRL + 1-8 | CMD + 1-8 |
| Go to Last Tab | CTRL + 9 | CMD + 9 |
| Re-open the last closed tab | CTRL + Shift + T | CMD + Shift + T |
| Open A New Window | CTRL + N | CMD + N |
| Close Current Window | Alt + F4 | CMD + W |
| Go to Next Window | Alt + Tab | CMD + Tab |
| Go to Previous Window | Alt + Shift + Tab | CMD + Shift + Tab |
| Re-open the last closed window | CTRL + Shift + N | - |
| Open links in a new tab in the background | CTRL + Click | CMD + Click |
| Open links in a new tab in the foreground | CTRL + Shift + Click | CMD + Shift + Click |
| Print Current Web Page | CTRL + P | CMD + P |
| Save Current Web Page | CTRL + S | CMD + S |
| Address Bar | ||
| Cycle between toolbar, search bar and page elements | Tab | Tab |
| Go to browser's address bar | CTRL + L or Alt + D | CMD + L |
| Focus and select the browser's search bar | CTRL + E | CMD + E or CMD + K |
| Open the address bar location in a new tab | Alt + Enter | Opt + Enter |
| Display a list of previously typed addresses | F4 | - |
| Adding www. in the beginning, and .com in the end, automatically in the address bar when a text typed | CTRL + Enter | CMD + Enter or Control + Enter |
| Bookmarks | ||
| Open Bookmarks Menu | CTRL + B | CMD + B |
| Add Current Page to Bookmarks | CTRL + D | CMD + Opt + B or CMD + Shift + B |
| Open Browsing History | CTRL + H | CMD + Shift + H or CMD + Y |
| Open Download History | CTRL + J | CMD + J or CMD + Shift + J |
Screenshots
| Description | Windows | Mac OS |
|---|---|---|
| Save whole screen's screenshot as file | - | CMD + Shift + 3 |
| Copy whole screen's screenshot to clipboard | PrtScr (PrintScreen) or CTRL + PrtScr | CMD + CTRL + Shift + 3 |
| Save Window Screenshot as file | - | CMD + Shift + 4 + Space |
| Copy window screenshot to clipboard | Alt + PrtScr | CMD + CTRL + Shift + 4 + Space |
| Copy a wanted area's screenshot to clipboard | - | CMD + CTRL + Shift + 4 |
| Save a wanted area's screenshot as file | - | CMD + Shift + 4 |
Ubuntu Shortcuts
Beside Windows and Mac OS, there are shortcuts in Ubuntu Operating System as well. Find the shortcuts of Ubuntu below.
Desktop Shortcuts
| Description | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open The Applications Menu | ALT + F1 |
| Run an application by typing its name in the box which appears | ALT + F2 |
| Take A Screenshot of All Screen | Prt Sc (Print Screen) |
| Take A Screenshot of Current Window | ALT + Prt Sc |
| Take A Screenshot of Selected Place | Shift + Prt Sc |
Window Shortcuts
| Description | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Switch between currently open windows. Press Alt + Tab and then release Tab (but continue to hold Alt). Press Tab repeatedly to cycle through the list of available windows which appears on the screen. Release the Alt key to switch to the selected window. | ALT + Tab |
| Switch between currently-open windows in all Workspaces. Press Tab repeatedly to cycle through the list of available windows which appears on the screen. Release the Ctrl and Alt keys to switch to the selected window. | CTRL + ALT + Tab |
| Quickly switch between your Workspaces. | CTRL + ALT + Left or Right Cursor |
| Moves the current window (can be moved with mouse or keyboard). It may not work on every device. |
ALT + F7 |
| Resizes current window (again, can be moved with mouse or keyboard). It may not work on every device. |
ALT + F8 |
| Minimises current window. It may not work on every device. |
ALT + F9 |
| Maximises current window. It may not work on every device. |
ALT + F10 |
| Brings up window menu with with 'Always on Top' and 'Minimise' and 'Maximise' and above commands. It may not work on every device. |
ALT + Space |
| Returns window to 'normal' or previous size. It may not work on every application. |
ALT + F5 |
| Closes window. It may not work on every application. |
ALT + F4 |
Desktop Effects enabled shortcuts
| Description | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Spins the 'cube' that your workspaces reside on, allowing you to select the workspace you wish to use. | CTRL + ALT + Left or Right Cursor |
| Enables an 'expose' like feature that presents you with all the windows you currently have open, allowing you to select the one you wish to give focus to. | CTRL + ALT + Up Cursor |
| Unfolds your workspace cube allowing you to see more than one of your workspaces at once, using the left and right cursor keys with this active will allow you to select the workspace you wish to use. | CTRL + ALT + Down Cursor |
| Switch between currently-open windows across all workspaces. | CTRL + ALT + Tab |
| Enables the 'scale' effect, it shows all windows from the current workspace. | Super + W |
| Enables the 'scale' effect, it shows all windows from all workspaces. | Super + A |
| Invert colours of the focused window. | Super + N |
| Invert colours for the whole screen. | Super + M |
| Zooms in on the screen. | Super + Mouse Scroll Wheel |
| Select a region to zoom into, using a rectangle. | Super + Middle Mouse Button |
| Toggles 'Show Desktop'. | CTRL + Super + D |
| Resize focused window. | ALT + Middle Mouse Button |
| Move focused window. | ALT + Left Mouse Button |
| Show window menu. | ALT + Right Mouse Button |
| Zoom out, show workspace switcher. | Super + S |
Common Application Shortcuts
These shortcuts are commonly used but they may not work in every applications.
| Description | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Copy the selected text/object | CTRL + C |
| Cut the selected text/object | CTRL + X |
| Paste/insert the selected text/object | CTRL + V |
| Select all text | CTRL + A |
| Make the selected text bold | CTRL + B |
| Make the selected text italic | CTRL + I |
| Underline the selected text | CTRL + U |
| Open a new document or window | CTRL + N |
| Save the current document | CTRL + S |
| Open another document | CTRL + O |
| Print the current document | CTRL + P |
| Undo the last change you made | CTRL + Z |
| Redo a change that you just undid | CTRL + Shift + Z |
System Shortcuts
| Description | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Restart the computer immediately, without saving open files | CTRL + ALT + Delete |
| Rotate through supported screen resolutions | CTRL + ALT + Plus (Numeric Keypad) |
| Rotate backwards through supported screen resolutions | CTRL + ALT + Minus (Numeric Keypad) |
Application-specific shortcuts
Mozilla Firefox
| Description | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open a new tab | CTRL + T |
| Rotate through each tab | CTRL + Tab |
| Rotate backwards through each tab | CTRL + Shift + Tab |
| Close the current tab (or browser if on last tab) | CTRL + W |
| Enter a new web address | CTRL + L |
| Show a list of your bookmarks | CTRL + B |
| Show your browsing history | CTRL + H |
| Enter a new web search in the search bar | CTRL + K |
| Show a list of downloaded files | CTRL + Y |
| Display the current page full-screen | F11 |
| Stop loading the current page | ESC |
| Reload the current page | CTRL + R |
| Scrolls current tab/window down. | ALT GR + Space |
| Scrolls current tab/window up. You may find Alt Gr+Shift+Space works if Alt Gr+Backspace does not. | ALT GR + Backspace |
LibreOffice Writer
| Description | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Check the spelling of the current document | F7 |
| Find and replace words | CTRL + F |
| Undo the last change | CTRL + Z |
| Redo a change which you just undid | CTRL + Y |
| Align the current paragraph/selection to the left | CTRL + L |
| Align the current paragraph/selection to the center of the document | CTRL + E |
| Align the current paragraph/selection to the right | CTRL + R |
| Show the current document full-screen | CTRL + Shift + J |
Recommendation: Change shortcuts in LibreOffice following these steps: Tools ▸ Customize… ▸ Keyboard.
Practice Your Knowledge
Which of the following are correct keyboard shortcuts for the HTML editor?
Correct!
Incorrect!
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