Alt tab keyboard shortcut. Complete list of keyboard shortcuts

Instructions for selecting text using only the keyboard.

When working with a text document of any size and purpose, we inevitably use text selection to copy, move fragments and change formatting. The main and most popular text editor, Microsoft Word, allows you to make selections using both the mouse and the keyboard. Working with a mouse seems more familiar and convenient to everyone, but this is far from true. When typing speed is important when typing a document, it is more advisable to use a keyboard - this saves time because you do not need to constantly change working tools from the mouse to the keyboard and back. It is necessary to know hot keys for selecting text even if you do not have a mouse, for example, it is broken or you prefer to work on a laptop without using additional devices. Selecting text is, of course, possible using the touchpad, but, perhaps, only a virtuoso musician is able to select the desired part with the touchpad the first time.

Text selection methods

To make your work with text documents quick and convenient, we suggest you use the following hotkey combinations.

  • To select the entire document text, press Ctrl+A (A in English layout);
  • To select text, starting from a certain place and until the end of the document, use the Ctrl+Shift+End keys; from a certain place to the end of this page - Ctrl+Shift+Page Down (PgDn). Remember that the cursor must be in the place from which the selection is desired.
  • To select text from a specific place before the beginning of the document, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Home;
  • To select a given page of the document, press four keys Alt+Ctrl+Shift+Page Down at the same time;

For relatively small text fragments, the same keyboard buttons and arrow keys are used.

  • To select a line from beginning to end, first hold down the Home key and, while holding it, press Shift+End; to select from the end to the beginning of a line, hold down End, and while holding it, press Shift+Home;
  • Rows up are highlighted by pressing the Home key, and after Shift+Up Arrow, down rows are highlighted by pressing End+Shift+Down Arrow. Hold this key combination until the required number of lines is highlighted.
  • A paragraph from the beginning to the end is highlighted by holding down the Ctrl+Shift+Down Arrow key, from the end to the beginning - Ctrl+Shift+Up Arrow. The cursor should be at the beginning or end of the paragraph, respectively.
  • Individual words are highlighted from beginning to end with the command Ctrl+Shift+Right Arrow, from end to beginning Ctrl+Shift+Left Arrow. The cursor is also at either the beginning or the end of the word.
  • A single character (letter, number, symbol, space) is selected using the Shift+Right Arrow or Shift+Left Arrow key, depending on the position of the character relative to the cursor.

Highlighting text in tables

Hotkeys for selecting a table and its parts using the keyboard require special attention.

  • To select the entire table, use the keyboard shortcut Alt+5 with Num Lock enabled. The cursor must be anywhere in the table.
  • The next cell is selected using the Tab key, the previous one is selected using Shift + Tab.
  • Select multiple adjacent cells by holding down the Shift key and pressing the right or left arrow according to the number of cells you want to select.
  • To select a column, select the starting or last cell and hold Shift+Down Arrow/Up Arrow.

Microsoft Word also has a selection mode; to activate it, you need the F8 key. Using this mode you can select:

  • next or previous character by pressing the Right Arrow/Left Arrow key;
  • a word, a sentence, a paragraph, or an entire document.

It works on the same principle as the mouse - the volume of selected text depends on the number of clicks. After entering selection mode, press F8: select a word once, twice a sentence, three times a paragraph, four times the entire text.

In general, text selection commands are contained within 5-6 keyboard keys: Ctrl, Shift, Alt, Home and End, arrows, as well as several additional shortcuts for special selection cases.

We hope that our article about text selection will allow you to avoid constantly changing input devices, allow you to stop using a portable mouse when working with a laptop, and save you from suffering with the touchpad. Knowing keyboard shortcuts can significantly reduce the time you spend working with text.

In this lesson, you will find the main Windows 7 hotkeys; after reading, you will use your computer much more efficiently than you used it before.

Hotkeys is a method of interaction between the keyboard and the computer. This method consists of executing commands (operations) on a computer using keys or key combinations to which commands (operations) are programmed.

It’s very difficult to get used to something new, so you shouldn’t start memorizing all the keys. To begin with, take 10-20 pieces to use, and then use others, so to speak, expanding your knowledge. It is also worth paying attention to the fact that each program can use its own hot keys, which were programmed by the developers of this program.

If you use Windows 7 hotkeys daily, at least 10 of them, you will notice how much more efficient your work will become. See the list of hotkeys in Windows 7 below.

List of hot keys

Hotkeys for working with text and files

I advise you to use the hotkeys that are in this section; be sure to learn and use them always.

Ctrl + C– Copy selected elements.

Ctrl+A- Select all. If you are in a text document, then when you press these keys you will select all the text, and if you are in a folder where there are other objects, then you can select all files and folders.

Ctrl + X- Cut out. The command cuts selected items (files, folders or text).

Ctrl + V- Insert. Paste copied or cut items.

Ctrl + Z- Cancel. Cancel actions, for example, if you accidentally deleted text in MS Word, then use these keys to return the original text back (cancel input and actions).

ALT+ ENTER or ALT + Double-click the left mouse button– View properties of the selected element(s) (applicable for files).

CTRL+F4- Close the current window in the program.

Deleting files and text

Delete- Delete the selected element(s). If you use this key in text, then placing the mouse cursor in the middle of the word and clicking on the “Delete” button, deletion will occur from left to right.

Shift+Delete- Delete item(s) bypassing the trash. For files and folders.

Backspace - Deleting text. If you are working in a text editor, then this key can be used to delete text; place the cursor, say, in the middle of a sentence, by clicking on the “Backspace” button, deleting will occur from right to left.

Other

— Open the Start menu or CTRL + ESC, the button is usually located between the buttons CTRL And ALT.

+F1- Reference.

+B- Move the cursor to the tray.

+ M- Minimize all windows.

+D- Show desktop (collapse all windows, and when pressed again, maximize windows).

+ E— Open My Computer.

+F- Open the search window.

+ G– Show gadgets on top of windows.

+ L– Lock the computer. If you move away from the computer, be sure to use these keys to quickly lock the computer. Very useful if you have children or ill-wishers who can read your personal information.

+P– Projector control. If a projector is connected, these keys will quickly switch between the projector and the computer.

+ R– Open the “Run” window.

+ T– One by one, we move the focus sequentially on the icons that are located in the taskbar.

+U– Open the Ease of Access Center window.

+X– Call “Mobility Center” (laptops and netbooks).

+ Tab– Call “Flip 3D”. When clicked, you can use the mouse to select the window.

+ Space– Desktop view (Aero Peak). All windows will become transparent.

+ Arrow– Control the location of the active window. Pressing the up arrow - maximize, down - minimize, left - snap to left edge, right - snap to right edge.

+Pause— Open the “System Properties” window.

+ Home— Minimize all windows except the active window; pressing again will open the minimized windows. + 5, the player will open.

Alt + Tab– Switch between windows and applications.

Shift + Ctrl + N- Create a new folder.

SHIFT+ F10– Displays options for the selected element.

Shift + Arrow – Selection . The arrows used are left, right, down and up. Applicable for text and files.

CTRL- Selection of elements. By holding CTRL you can selectively select elements. For example, while in a folder, left-click on the folders that you want to copy or cut, after selecting, release CTRL and get the folders you selected for further work with them.

Ctrl + Shift + Esc– Open task manager.

CTRL+TAB– Go forward through bookmarks.

Alt + F4– Close the window or exit the application.

ALT + Space- Display the system menu for the current window.

F2- Rename. Select the object and press the F2 button .

F5- Refresh window. It is often used in the browser if the page is frozen or information needs to be updated. Applies also if you are in a folder or program.

F10 - Activate menu.

Esc- Cancel the operation. When you open, for example, the properties of a folder by pressing the ESC button, the Properties window will close.

ENTER– Open the selected element.

TAB- Go forward through options.

P.S. Dessert for today, video about Windows 7 hotkeys.

Is it possible to use a laptop or computer without a touchpad or mouse? Is it possible to open a program without using the menu? At first glance, this seems impossible to accomplish. But nevertheless, you can use the computer to its full capacity without endless clicks. In such cases, keyboard shortcuts come to the rescue. Correct use of their combinations allows you to significantly save time.

What are keyboard shortcuts for?

Hot keys or keyboard shortcuts are the ability to interact with a personal computer using only the keyboard. There is no doubt that for such “communication” far from random combinations of keys on the keyboard are used. The operating system has built-in actions that are triggered when certain keys are pressed.

Hot keys are used for more optimized work with a personal computer. These combinations are also called shortcut keys and keyboard accelerators.

Combinations are used most often in cases where you have to work a lot with the mouse or touchpad. It is much faster to select an item from a drop-down menu by pressing one or two keys than to constantly click on a file and search for the item you need.

The keyboard accelerator also helps with text processing. The Word text editor recognizes several dozen combinations, pressing which will cause a certain action: copy, paste, bold, underline, page break, and so on.

But the combinations also have a disadvantage. It lies in the number of combinations. It is very difficult to remember them all. But even using the most popular ones will help optimize your work with files, text, browser and dialog boxes.

Using modifier keys

Any owner of a personal computer or laptop has noticed that the keyboard has keys that do not perform any function on their own. These include Ctrl, Shift and Alt. By clicking them, it is impossible to change anything in the system, browser window or text editor. But they are precisely the modifier keys, thanks to which almost every key combination on a computer works.

Correct use of modifiers allows you to quickly access operating system settings. But such combinations work both globally and locally. With the right combination of buttons, you can create a new folder, rename a file, or even disable the keyboard.

Changing the keyboard layout: changing the key combination

All owners of personal computers running the Windows operating system know about the key combination that helps change the keyboard layout. In Windows 10, by default, two combinations are used: Win + Space and Alt + Shift. However, this option is not suitable for everyone, so users want to change the key combination to change the keyboard layout.

To change the way the keyboard layout is changed, you must:

  • Open Settings through the Start menu.
  • Select "Time and Language".
  • Go to "Region and Language".
  • In the window, click on “Advanced date and time settings, regional settings.”
  • In the “Language” item, select “Change input method”.
  • In the menu located on the left side of the window, click on “Advanced options”.
  • In the "Switch input methods" group, select "Change language bar keyboard shortcuts."
  • In the dialog box that appears, click on “Change keyboard shortcut” and enter new parameters.
  • Save settings.

After application they will change, and you can change the layout with a new combination.

Entering special characters using a keyboard shortcut

In some situations, it becomes necessary to enter special characters that the standard computer keyboard does not provide. Keyboard and modifier combinations didn't seem to help either.

What should you do if you urgently need to insert a copyright symbol, a down, up or side arrow, a note, or a paragraph into a message or document? There are two ways to enter such characters.

The first way is to work with the Word text editor. In order to insert a special character, you will need to open a new document, go to the “Tab” menu and select “Symbol”. In the list that appears, click on “Special characters”.

Next, a dialog box will pop up in which a list of all special characters will be presented. The user just has to choose the appropriate one. For easier searching, special characters are grouped by topic: monetary units, punctuation marks, geometric shapes, technical symbols, and so on.

To save time, the special characters window can be called up with the combination Ctrl+Alt+“-”.

The second way is using keyboard shortcuts for symbols. To enter special characters from the keyboard, you will need to hold down the Alt button and at the same time enter a set of numbers. For example, Alt+0169 is the code.

All codes are given below.

How to lock your keyboard using a keyboard shortcut

Unfortunately, there is no single key combination on the Windows 7 keyboard that will allow you to lock just the keyboard. On some computers and laptops the combination F11+Esc may work. Sometimes manufacturers introduce special combinations into their products for such tasks. For example, all Acer laptops lock the keyboard when you press Fn+F7.

But it is still possible to partially block the keyboard on the computer. The Win+L key combination locks not so much the keyboard itself as the operating system. After pressing the keys, the user will be transferred to the window for entering the system password and changing the account. Only those who know the password will be able to log in again.

Keyboard combinations for working in Word

There is a whole list of keyboard shortcuts that allow you to optimize your work with documents in the Word text editor.

To create a new document, just use the Ctrl+N keys.

Ctrl+O - opens a new file.

Ctrl+W - closes the file.

Alt+Ctrl+S - splits file windows.

Alt+Shift+C - removes division.

Ctrl+S - saves the document.

Alt + left arrow - move to the next page.

Alt + right arrow - move to the previous page.

Alt+Ctrl+I - preview.

Ctrl+P - print.

To switch to reading mode, you will need to successively press the Alt keys - O and E.

Ctrl+D - opens a window that allows you to change the type, size and properties of the font.

Shift+F3 - changes the appearance of the text: lowercase letters are replaced with uppercase ones.

Ctrl+Shift+F - replace capital letters with lowercase ones.

To make text bold, just press Ctrl+B.

Ctrl+I - tilt text selection.

Ctrl+U - adds an underline.

Ctrl+Shift+W - adds a double underline.

Ctrl+Shift+D - double underline.

Ctrl+Enter - insert a page break.

  • C - copy a specific table, image or text.
  • V - transferring data from the clipboard to the document.
  • X - data is written to the clipboard and deleted from the file.
  • A - data selection.
  • Z - cancel the last data entry.

There are many more hotkeys that allow you to optimize your work with documents. But the list presented above includes the main and most popular combinations that will be useful to every user.

Working with Dialog Boxes

Combining several buttons on the keyboard allows you to quickly navigate through operating system dialog boxes. Using arrows helps you move focus to other buttons in the window. The Backspace button moves the user to a folder that is one level higher. Pressing the Spacebar will clear the checkbox or checkmark.

The Tab button will move to the next active area of ​​the window. To move in the opposite direction, just add the Shift button to the combination.

You can quickly view all open folders and programs by holding Alt+Tab.

Keyboard shortcuts and Windows button

For many people, the Windows or Win key is associated with the Start menu. But in combination with other buttons, it works on a global scale.

Windows button +:

  • A - call the “Support Center”.
  • B - allows you to minimize all windows.
  • Alt+D - enables or disables the appearance of the current date on the desktop.
  • E - quickly opens the conductor.

“Windows” + K - instantly minimizes active windows.

Win+R - call the “Run” function.

Win+S - opens a window that allows you to search for files and programs on your personal computer.

Win+ “+”/ “-” - change the scale of the working surface.

Win and the enter button allow you to launch Narrator.

Win+Esc - closes the Magnifier application.

You can quickly open the Ease of Access Center by holding down Windows and I.

Win in combination with the up or down arrows allows you to resize the dialog box.

Working with Explorer

Pressing Alt+D allows you to move to the address bar.

Ctrl+E - activates the search field.

Ctrl+N is a universal combination that allows you to open a new window in almost any program.

Ctrl combined with scrolling changes the size of files and folders in a specific window.

Ctrl+Shift+E - displays a list of all folders that precede the active one.

Ctrl+Shift+N - creates a new folder.

If you press the F2 button after highlighting a file or folder, you can immediately rename it. The F11 key activates the preview. Pressing it again deactivates it.

Win+Ctrl+D - allows you to create a new virtual desktop. To switch between them you will need to press Win+Ctrl + left or right arrows.

Basic Windows hotkeys 1

So, in fact, it is. When an experienced user switches from one program to another, it is rarely difficult for him to master the new interface and new features. As a rule, everything that worked on old or other versions also works successfully with new software systems.

What is the reason? Very simple. The main attention is paid to the “friendliness” and understandability of the interface. Once in demand, proven technologies for using programs rarely undergo changes.

One of these tricks - “hot keys” in text editors such as MS Word, MS WordPad, OpenOffice.org and many others - requires a separate discussion due to their regular use.

There are several common keyboard shortcuts for managing files from application programs. These are Ctrl+N, Ctrl+O, Ctrl+S, Ctrl+Q. Let's look at the purpose of each combination separately.

To create a new document, be it a text file, an audio file or a video, in the appropriate program press Ctrl+N or select the desired menu item. To open an existing file, use the combination Ctrl+O.

Despite the ability to autosave, computer malfunctions can become a headache if the data you are editing is irretrievably lost. Therefore, it is good practice to periodically press Ctrl+S. This command saves the changes made. Sometimes there is a need to save data to another file, then the F12 key comes to the rescue.

You can print a document using the Ctrl+P command. Try using this combination and you will see that it is much easier than searching for the desired command with your mouse in the menu.

And, of course, to finish working with the program - a pleasant end to the working day - there are many options for hot keys. You can, for example, press Alt+F4 or Ctrl+W, which are standard commands for closing an application, or you can use a specially provided menu command or its hotkey - Ctrl+Q (in OpenOffice.org).

The name itself - a text editor - implies typing and editing texts. Therefore, it is worth looking at general purpose commands for editing documents in more detail.

Firstly, these are the standard operations “Cut”, “Paste”, “Copy”. Although they are described in all guides and articles (even on our website), I consider it necessary to repeat here.

So, to cut the selected object to the clipboard, press Ctrl+X or Shift+Del; to copy the selected object to the clipboard - Ctrl+C or Ctrl+Ins; to paste an object from the buffer - Ctrl+V or Shift+Ins.

Now let's talk about such an interesting feature of MS Word as working with vertical blocks of text. To understand what this is, consider an example where vertical and horizontal blocks are compared:

As a rule, most users do not even know what vertical blocks are and that all the same editing operations apply to them as for ordinary horizontal ones.

To switch to vertical block selection mode, press Ctrl+Shift+F8. Only then select the block with the mouse or the cursor keys. You can do it another way: select a block of text and simultaneously hold down the Alt key. Experiment with vertical blocks. I am sure that they will come in handy someday and will help you save a lot of time and effort.

Often the results of editing do not bring satisfaction from the work done, and you want to go back a step, or even several steps back. To do this, press Ctrl+Z. If you need to repeat the changes made, then there is a very convenient command - Ctrl+Y.

And finally: when working with documents you sometimes have to change the scale of the text. There is a special menu item for this, but it is much more convenient to turn the mouse wheel and simultaneously hold down the Ctrl key. Try it, I think you will like this simple technique.

Let's summarize:

operations with files: Ctrl+N, Ctrl+O, Ctrl+S, F12, Ctrl+P;

working with the clipboard: Ctrl+X, Ctrl +C, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+Y, Shift+Ins, Shift+Del, Ctrl+Ins, Ctrl + selection - for a vertical block of text;

change the scale, display text: Ctrl + rotate the mouse wheel.

The document should look beautiful, so that it is pleasant to look at, so that all tables are neat, the most important thoughts are highlighted, so that there is nothing superfluous on the page and at the same time there are no unreasonably empty spaces. The ideal is not achievable, but there are a number of techniques that make it easier to change a document in order to, through trial and error, get at least a little closer to the cherished perfection.

Font effects play an important role in the perception of text. Let's look at some of them in more detail.

To underline a word, you need to select it and then simultaneously press the Ctrl+U key combination. In this case, both all characters of the selected text and the spaces between them will be underlined. To underline only words you need to use Ctrl+Shift+U. To select a block of text in italics, you can use the combination Ctrl+I. If, to increase clarity, it was decided to highlight some phrases in bold, then for this there is a convenient alternative to the mouse - Ctrl + B.

It is often necessary for a phrase to be typed in capital letters. The easiest way to do this is to immediately type in upper case. However, it is not always possible to do everything correctly, so a special command was developed to convert a selected piece of text into upper or lower case - Shift+F3.

All the key combinations described above work as switches. This means that to return to the previous text input mode, you must press the same key combination again that changed the standard mode. For example, the Ctrl+U command will set the font attribute responsible for the underscore. To remove this attribute and return to the normal style, you must press Ctrl+U again.

Notes and footnotes are an integral part of any creative work. Of course, you can use the menu item of the same name to insert a footnote, but it is much easier to do this by pressing Ctrl+Alt+F.

To insert a page break, it is convenient to use Ctrl+Enter.

Some things can only be done if you use a mouse and keyboard at the same time. The most common example is smooth resizing of table cells. This is achieved by resizing the cell using the mouse and simultaneously pressing the Alt key.

It's no secret that text looks much better on a computer screen or in printed form when it is aligned in width. This alignment is achieved by increasing the length of the space between words. However, such behavior is not always justified. For example, you need to type a sentence that contains a surname and initials. If you put a simple space between them, then when aligning the initials may be located far away

from the surname, which is incorrect. To eliminate this effect, there is a special character - a fixed space. The easiest way to insert it is by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar at the same time.

So, let's summarize.

to change the font effect, use the commands: Ctrl+I, Ctrt+B, Ctrl+U, Ctrl+Shift+W;

to convert letters to uppercase: Shift+F3;

to set a fixed space: Ctrl+Shift+Space;

to break pages: Ctrl+Enter.

It is impossible to know all the keyboard shortcuts for quick access to menus to simplify basic text editing operations. But the main thing is different. The main thing is to learn to use the set of commands that are used most often than others. Each person will have a unique set. Of course, there will be similarities, but in general, everyone will plan their work with documents differently. Through trial and error, you can find how to quickly perform similar operations in order to save time and effort.

Basic Windows 2 hotkeys

Working in Windows can be made more efficient and faster if you use not only the mouse, but also use “hot keys” - special key combinations designed to simplify and speed up work. For example, few people know that the very often used Explorer (whether without it) is launched by simultaneously pressing Win + E. Agree, this is much more convenient!

Note

The Win key is located between the Ctrl and Alt keys on the left side (it has the Windows logo on it).

The Menu key is to the left of the right Ctrl.

The combination “key” + “key” means that you first press the first key, and then, while holding it, press the second.

General purpose hotkeys

Keyboard shortcut

Description

Open the Start menu

Ctrl + Shift + Esc

Calling the "Task Manager"

Launching Explorer

Displaying the “Run program” dialog, analogous to “Start” - “Run”

Minimize all windows or return to original state (switch)

Locking a workstation

Access Windows Help

Opening the System Properties window

Open file search window

Open computer search window

Take a screenshot of the entire screen

Alt + Printscreen

Take a screenshot of the currently active window

Switches between taskbar buttons

Win + Shift + Tab

Move between panels. For example, between the desktop and the Quick Launch panel

Select everything (objects, text)

Copy to clipboard (objects, text)

Cut to clipboard (objects, text)

Paste from clipboard (objects, text)

Create a new document, project, or similar action. In Internet Explorer, this opens a new window with a copy of the contents

current window.

Call a file selection dialog to open a document, project, etc.

Undo last action

CD-ROM autorun lock (hold while the drive reads the newly inserted disc)

Switch to full screen mode and back (switch; for example, in Windows Media Player or in a command interpreter window).

Work with text

Keyboard shortcut

Description

Select all

Copy

Cut

Insert

Moving through words in the text. Works not only in text editors. For example, it is very convenient to use in the address bar

browser

Text selection

Ctrl + Shift + ←

Selecting text by words

Ctrl + Shift + →

Move to the beginning or end of a line of text

Move to the beginning or end of the document

Working with files

Keyboard shortcut

Description

Displays the context menu of the current object (same as right-clicking).

Calling “Object Properties”

Renaming an object

Drag with Ctrl

Copying an object

Drag with Shift

Moving an object

Drag with Ctrl + Shift

Create an object shortcut

Ctrl clicks

Selecting multiple objects in random order

Shift clicks

Selecting multiple adjacent objects

Same as double clicking on an object

Deleting an object

Permanently deleting an object without placing it in the trash

Working in Explorer

Keyboard shortcut

Description

F3 or Ctrl + F

Show or hide the search bar in Explorer (switch).

Navigation through the Explorer tree, folding and unrolling of nested directories.

+ (on numeric keypad)

− (on numeric keypad)

* (asterisk) (on numeric keypad)

Show all folders within a selected folder

Refresh the Explorer or Internet Explorer window.

Working with Windows

Keyboard shortcut

Description

Calling the transition menu between windows and navigating through it

Alt + Shift + Tab

Switch between windows (in the order in which they were launched)

Alt + Shift + Esc

Switching between multiple windows of the same program (for example, between open WinWord windows)

Closing the active window (running application). On the desktop - call the Windows shutdown dialog

Closing the active document in programs that allow multiple documents to be opened simultaneously

Calling the window menu

Alt + − (minus)

Calling the system menu of a child window (for example, a document window)

Exit a window menu or close an open dialog

Call a menu command or open a menu column. The corresponding letters in the menu are usually underlined (either initially, or become

Alt + letter

underlined after pressing Alt). If the menu column is already open, then to call the desired command you need to press the key with the letter,

which is emphasized in this command

Calling the window system menu

Call application help.

Scroll text vertically or move up and down paragraphs of text.

Working with Dialog Boxes

Working in Internet Explorer

Keyboard shortcut

Description

Displaying a list of the Address field

Start another browser instance with the same web address

Refresh the current web page

Opens the Organize Favorites dialog box

Opens the Search panel

Starting the Search Utility

Opens the Favorites panel

Opens the Open dialog box

Opens the Open dialog box, similar to CtrL+L

Opens the Print dialog box

Closing the current window

Switch to full screen mode and back (works in some other applications as well).

Special abilities

Press the Shift key five times: Turn Sticky Keys on or off

Hold down the Right SHIFT key for eight seconds: Turn input filtering on or off

Hold down the Num Lock key for five seconds: Toggle voiceover on or off

Alt Left + Shift Left + Num Lock: Enable or disable keyboard pointer control

Alt Left + Shift Left + PRINT SCREEN: Toggle High Contrast on or off

Instructions for selecting text using only the keyboard.

When working with a text document of any size and purpose, we inevitably use text selection to copy, move fragments and change formatting. The main and most popular text editor, Microsoft Word, allows you to make selections using both the mouse and the keyboard. Working with a mouse seems more familiar and convenient to everyone, but this is far from true. When typing speed is important when typing a document, it is more advisable to use a keyboard - this saves time because you do not need to constantly change working tools from the mouse to the keyboard and back. It is necessary to know hot keys for selecting text even if you do not have a mouse, for example, it is broken or you prefer to work on a laptop without using additional devices. Selecting text is, of course, possible using the touchpad, but, perhaps, only a virtuoso musician is able to select the desired part with the touchpad the first time.

Text selection methods

To make your work with text documents quick and convenient, we suggest you use the following hotkey combinations.

  • To select the entire document text, press Ctrl+A (A in English layout);
  • To select text, starting from a certain place and until the end of the document, use the Ctrl+Shift+End keys; from a certain place to the end of this page - Ctrl+Shift+Page Down (PgDn). Remember that the cursor must be in the place from which the selection is desired.
  • To select text from a specific place before the beginning of the document, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Home;
  • To select a given page of the document, press four keys Alt+Ctrl+Shift+Page Down at the same time;

For relatively small text fragments, the same keyboard buttons and arrow keys are used.

  • To select a line from beginning to end, first hold down the Home key and, while holding it, press Shift+End; to select from the end to the beginning of a line, hold down End, and while holding it, press Shift+Home;
  • Rows up are highlighted by pressing the Home key, and after Shift+Up Arrow, down rows are highlighted by pressing End+Shift+Down Arrow. Hold this key combination until the required number of lines is highlighted.
  • A paragraph from the beginning to the end is highlighted by holding down the Ctrl+Shift+Down Arrow key, from the end to the beginning - Ctrl+Shift+Up Arrow. The cursor should be at the beginning or end of the paragraph, respectively.
  • Individual words are highlighted from beginning to end with the command Ctrl+Shift+Right Arrow, from end to beginning Ctrl+Shift+Left Arrow. The cursor is also at either the beginning or the end of the word.
  • A single character (letter, number, symbol, space) is selected using the Shift+Right Arrow or Shift+Left Arrow key, depending on the position of the character relative to the cursor.

Highlighting text in tables

Hotkeys for selecting a table and its parts using the keyboard require special attention.

  • To select the entire table, use the keyboard shortcut Alt+5 with Num Lock enabled. The cursor must be anywhere in the table.
  • The next cell is selected using the Tab key, the previous one is selected using Shift + Tab.
  • Select multiple adjacent cells by holding down the Shift key and pressing the right or left arrow according to the number of cells you want to select.
  • To select a column, select the starting or last cell and hold Shift+Down Arrow/Up Arrow.

Microsoft Word also has a selection mode; to activate it, you need the F8 key. Using this mode you can select:

  • next or previous character by pressing the Right Arrow/Left Arrow key;
  • a word, a sentence, a paragraph, or an entire document.

It works on the same principle as the mouse - the volume of selected text depends on the number of clicks. After entering selection mode, press F8: select a word once, twice a sentence, three times a paragraph, four times the entire text.

In general, text selection commands are contained within 5-6 keyboard keys: Ctrl, Shift, Alt, Home and End, arrows, as well as several additional shortcuts for special selection cases.

We hope that our article about text selection will allow you to avoid constantly changing input devices, allow you to stop using a portable mouse when working with a laptop, and save you from suffering with the touchpad. Knowing keyboard shortcuts can significantly reduce the time you spend working with text.