I don’t know about you, but I’m more of a keyboard user than a mouse user. I can navigate a computer much faster with a keyboard. This is why I’m really big on keyboard shortcuts. I’m not just talking about Copy (Ctrl/Cmd+C) and Paste (Ctrl/Cmd+V). Here’s a random sample of keyboard shortcuts that can make your life easier.

Windows 7

  • Alt + Ctrl + Tab: Similar to Alt + Tab, but when you let go of Tab, your window selector remains there. You can use the Left and Right arrow keys to navigate the selector.
  • WinKey + Space: Makes all active windows transparent letting you see the desktop.
    Note: this setting is used to switch keyboard input in Windows 8.
  • WinKey + D: Minimizes all active windows, showing the desktop
  • WinKey + [number]: Will launch a program from the start bar. Pressing number “x” will launch the xth program from the left.

Firefox 3.6 +

  • Ctrl + Tab: Fast way of switching tabs, will give tab previews like Alt + Tab
  • Ctrl + [number]: Switches to the xth
     tab from the left, x being the number
  • Ctrl + J: Shows the Downloads window

If there’s any more keyboard shortcuts that I missed, leave a comment.

Published by Geoffrey Liu

A software engineer by trade and a classical musician at heart. Currently a software engineer at Groupon getting into iOS mobile development. Recently graduated from the University of Washington, with a degree in Computer Science and a minor in Music. Web development has been my passion for many years. I am also greatly interested in UI/UX design, teaching, cooking, biking, and collecting posters.

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