Using keyboard shortcuts can decrease the need for a mouse and maximize the effectiveness of your keyboard. When you limit how often you need to use the mouse, you’re eliminating unbalanced stress on one side of the body. In addition, frequent and repetitive mousing actions can lead to repetitive stress injuries, like carpal tunnel syndrome. Overuse of the wrists and hands during mousing and typing is a leading cause of this type of strain. Whether or not you decide to invest in an ergonomic mouse or ergonomic keyboard, consider increasing your use of hotkeys to minimize your typing and mousing actions.
Formatting Shortcuts
These keyboard shortcuts work for formatting within a particular word document. This works both in word processing programs as well as most online text editors. Press and hold either the “Control” key on a Windows or the “Command” key on a Mac, and then press down the key specified below at the same time:
- A: Highlights the entire document, like the “Select All” feature from the drop-down menu.
- B: Changes the highlighted text to “Bold.”
- C: Copies the highlighted text to the clipboard.
- I: Changes the highlighted text to “Italic.”
- J: Justifies the text.
- V: Pastes text from the clipboard.
- U: Changes the highlighted text to “Underlined.”
- X: Cuts the highlighted text, and moves it to the clipboard.
- Y: Redoes the previous action.
- Z: Undoes the previous action.
- 1: Single-spaces entire document.
- 2: Double-spaces entire document.
- 5: Sets 1.5 spacing for entire document.
- Enter: Inserts a page break.
- Open Bracket Key: Decreases font by one point.
- Close Bracket Key: Increases font by one point.
Shortcuts for Navigation Within a Document
For the commands below, hold down either the “Control” key on a Windows or the “Command” key on a Mac, and hit the specified key:
- Left Arrow Key: Moves the cursor one word to the left.
- Right Arrow Key: Moves the cursor one word to the right.
- Home: Moves the cursor all the way to the beginning of the document (without the “Control” or “Command” key, this command moves the cursor to the beginning of the current line).
- End: Moves the cursor to the end of the document (the “End” key alone moves the cursor to the end of the current line).
- Shift and Left Arrow Key: Selects word to the left of the cursor.
- Shift and Right Arrow Key: Selects word to the right of the cursor.
- Down Arrow Key: Moves the cursor down one paragraph.
- Up Arrow Key: Moves the cursor up one paragraph.
Shortcuts for Navigation Within a Program
The shortcuts below will navigate within the program itself that you’re currently using. They operate all drop-down and pop-up menus.
- Alt+F: Opens the “File” menu.
- Ctrl or (⌘)+N: Opens a new document.
- Ctrl or (⌘)+O: Opens documents.
- Ctrl or (⌘)+P: Prints the document.
- Ctrl or (⌘)+S: Saves the document.
- F12: Pulls up the “Save As” window.
- Alt+F4: Closes programs.
- Alt+E: Brings up “Edit” menu.
- F1: Brings up the “Help” menu.
- Alt+V: Brings up the “View” menu.
- Alt+I: Calls up the “Insert” menu.
- Alt+O: Brings up the “Format” menu.
- Alt+T: Brings up the “Tools” menu.
- Alt+A: Brings up the “Table” menu.
- Esc: Closes any dialog box or menu; cancels an action.
- Ctrl or (⌘)+F4 or Ctrl or (⌘)+W: Closes all open documents.
- “Flying Windows” Key+M: Minimizes all the windows at one time (Windows only).
- Alt+Tab: Toggles between open documents or programs.
These shortcuts minimize overuse and overreaching for the hands and wrists. Therefore, they are an easy step to increase ergonomic compliance in the office.
