Saturday, May 30, 2009

Useful Keyboard Shortcuts for Writers (Windows)

computer And now for something completely different.  This post is for writers like me who are impatient with clicking between open windows and open programs, or who want to quickly move through their manuscript. 

There are really dozens of such shortcuts, but here are the ones I find myself using most often. I use Windows, but there’s a link below for the Mac lovers, too.

 

ALT+TAB: Switch between open programs

CTRL+Z: Undo

CTRL and either + or - :makes text larger or smaller on websites for easier viewing on eyes that are getting older.

CTRL and click a website link :opens links in a new window

CTRL + TAB: switch between open windows that are all in a line

Useful Keyboard Shortcuts for Microsoft Word:

CTRL  N :quickly opens a new document (great for those times you want to jot down a note, but keep writing on your current scene.)

CTRL end :moves the cursor to the end of a document (when you suddenly want to change your ending)

CTRl home :moves the cursor to the beginning of a document (when you suddenly want to change your beginning.)

These are shortcuts that I find the most useful for me, but there are tons more.  If you’re interested, there’s a shortcut list for Word and one for Windows in general.  If you’re on a Mac, their website lists some helpful shortcuts, too.