16 Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows Users

The next time you sit down at your computer keyboard, think about what you can do to get more done in less time. This doesn’t mean increasing your typing speed but instead taking advantage of handy keyboard shortcuts built into Windows and Mac.

These shortcuts can be faster than using a mouse, whether you’re looking to highlight text, copy and paste content or find where you left off while browsing the web. They’re also fun and can be more accurate than maneuvering a mouse. To get you started, we’ve assembled 16 Windows shortcuts here. Mac users have their own set of 16 shortcuts, too.

Note: We use a (+) to identify a combination of keys to hold down for an action to take place, for example, CTRL + (and) another key.

Windows shortcuts

 The Control (CTRL) key on Windows is your gateway to productivity. It, along with ALT and the Windows key, make formatting and other actions simple and easy.

1. CTRL + B: Bold

2. CTRL + I: Italic

3. CTRL + U: Underline

Not only can you quickly format words to bold (CTRL B), italic (CTRL I) and underline (CTRL U), but applying the same combinations removes the bold, italic and underlined text.

4. CTRL + A: Select all items

If you’re looking to select all content in a word document or a group of documents in a folder, there’s no need to drag the cursor over the entire screen. Instead, press CTRL + A and it will immediately select everything in one fell swoop. You can then cut and paste it somewhere else, copy everything or format the content using the bold, italic and underline tricks above.

5. CTRL + C: Copy

6. CTRL + V: Paste

7. CTRL + X: Cut

If you’re looking to duplicate information somewhere else, once you’ve selected and highlighted text on the screen, you can copy that information using CTRL + C. Then paste the information to your desired location using CTRL + V. This keeps the original content intact.

Alternatively, if you want to remove content from one place altogether, you can delete content using CTRL + X. If you want to use that information in another location, use CTRL + V to paste it.

8. CTRL + F: Search for text

When you’re looking for a specific word in a document or on a website, Excel spreadsheet or PowerPoint deck, rather than manually combing through all the text, press CTRL + F as a shortcut to find a word or series of words. Type in what you’re looking for and press Enter to begin the search.