Key, Apple Macintosh shortcut keys, Basic PC shortcut keys, Keyboard Shortcuts,

Key

A key may refer to any of the following:

1. When referring to a computer keyboard, a key is a single button on the keyboard. Letters, numbers, functions, and symbols are all represented on keys. For example, the picture shows the Windows key a keyboard key found on most keyboards today.

Full list of keyboard keys and their explanations.

Not all keys on keyboard work.

How many keys are on a computer keyboard?

Computer keyboard help and support.

2. A key is also a tool used to lock and unlock a computer, computer drive or other computer related device. If you have lost the key to your computer device, we cannot help you to recover it. Contact the manufacturer of the product that is locked.

3. When referring to the computer Microsoft Windows Registry, a Registry key, or key for short, is a term used to identify an item in the Registry, such as HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

4. The term key or keyed may also be used to describe a cable with physical dimensions that causes a cable such as a ribbon cable to be connected only one direction. In some rare cases this may prevent a cable from being properly connected to a drive. For example, the manufacturer of a floppy disk drive may have keyed their connection differently than the cable manufacturer has. In this situation, the user may either be required to purchase a different brand of cable or floppy drive, or modify the key on the cable.

5. When referring to encryption a key is a set of instructions that is used to encrypt and decrypt data.

6. When referring to a unique number or identification a key is sometimes used to describe a CD-Key or Serial Key.

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Keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts

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Top new computer user tips

Top new computer user tips

Being a new computer user can be nerve racking, as there are many things to learn and know about computers and how to use them. Below are learne-world's top 10 tips to help new computer users feel more comfortable about using their computer.

Backup important data

A computer or its hard drive can fail at any time and without warning. When it does all your personal documents, letters, pictures, music, and videos, is lost and in many situations cannot be recovered or costs lots of money to be recovered. Make sure you have backups of all your important data in case your computer fails.

Protect the computer

Make sure to protect your computer from electrical surges, brownouts, and blackouts. At the very least, every computer user should have a decent surge protector on their computer and phone line if they use a modem. Surge protectors can help protect your computer during an electrical storm and could save you hundreds of dollars in repair costs if it were to get damaged. It is also a good idea to have computers on a UPS, which can help prevent damage to a computer during a brownout or blackout.

Keep computer and its programs updated

There is no such thing as a perfect software program or hardware drivers. After the developer has released their program they may discover errors and release updates to fix these problems. In the case of major software programs and operating systems, there can be several hundred updates and service packs released during its lifetime. Making sure your computer and its programs are up-to-date can help prevent problems.
Also, programs with plugins may also need updates, for example, keeping your browser plugins up-to-date is important.

Keep the safe from viruses, spyware, phishing, and spam

Every computer connected to the Internet or other networks need to be protected. If you are using Microsoft Windows, we recommend having some form of antivirus program installed and running on the computer. It is also a good idea to have a malware detection program running on the computer to pickup any spyware or malware that an antivirus may not have detected. Finally, every computer user should also be fully aware of other security risks such as chain mails, phishing, and spam while on the Internet.

Read, understand, and watch for tricks

One of the most common mistakes a new computer user makes is agreeing to dialog text boxes, agreements, or other prompts without reading the dialog text box or understanding it. Before clicking any Ok or Install button, make sure you understand what you are doing. If you do not understand the prompt, click the Cancel button or close the box.

Also, while installing any program watch for any check boxes. Often free programs, plugins, and updates have check boxes that ask if it is ok to install additional programs onto the computer. For example, when installing the Adobe Flash plugin there may be a check box to install additional antivirus, firewall, toolbar, or other programs. If left checked (often checked by default), these programs are installed and may cause problems or frustration because it is not something you wanted.

Clean the computer clean

Keeping the computer physically clean can help keep the computer running smoothly, help prevent issues such as overheating, and help protect you from getting sick. While cleaning the computer, it is also a good idea to clean the data on the computer. Microsoft Windows users can run ScanDisk to check the hard drive for errors and Defrag to keep the data on the hard drive organized. It is also a good idea to go through the installed programs and uninstall anything you no longer use.

Be familiar with free alternatives

Be familiar with and know about free alternatives to popular commercial programs. For example, almost every computer user needs a word processor program installed on their computer. Instead of purchasing Microsoft Office, which costs several hundred dollars, use a free alternative such as Open Office that is just as capable.

Take full advantage of all the mouse buttons and wheels

Many new computer users only use the left mouse button. Use the mouse to its full potential by also using the right mouse button to access the context menu. For example, if you highlight text and then right-click on that text, it brings up a menu that allows you to copy, cut, and perform other functions on that text. Similar functions are available when right-clicking on files.

Although most users already use the mouse wheel to scroll up and down on a web page, this wheel can also often be used as a third-button by pressing down on the wheel. Some computer mice also allow the wheel to be pushed right-and-left to perform additional features, such as moving forward and back on a web page.

Finally, many computer mice also have side buttons, sometimes called thumb buttons, that can be programmed to do any number of features, including going back on a web page or opening a magnifier.

Use included help files and the Internet

Every program has online help that is usually accessed by pressing the F1 function key while in the program or through the file help menu.

Become familiar with and use shortcut keys

Every computer user should become familiar with and use keyboard shortcuts. Knowing these shortcuts can drastically increase your productivity on the computer and make your overall computer experience much more enjoyable.

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100 Keyboard Shortcuts

PowerPoint 2007 

 f5  Start the presentation from the beginning.

 n, enter, page down, 

arrow right, arrow down

, or spacebar  Perform the next animation or advance to the next slide.

 p, page up, arrow left, 

arrow up, or backspace  Perform the previous animation or return to the  previous slide.

 Number + enter  Go to slide number.

 b or .  Display a blank black slide, or return to the presentation  from a blank black slide.

 w or ,  Display a blank white slide, or return to the presentation  from a blank white slide.

 s  Stop or restart an automatic presentation.

 esc or -  End a presentation.

 e  Erase on-screen annotations.

 h  Go to the next slide, if the next slide is hidden.

 t  Set new timings while rehearsing.

 o Use original timings while rehearsing.

 m  Use a mouse click to advance while rehearsing.

 1+enter  Return to the first slide.

 ctrl+p  Redisplay hidden pointer or change the pointer to a  pen.

 ctrl+a  Redisplay hidden pointer or change the pointer to an arrow.

 ctrl+h  Hide the pointer and navigation button immediately.

 ctrl+u  Hide the pointer and navigation button in 15 seconds.

 shift+f10  Display the shortcut menu.

 tab  Go to the first or next hyperlink on a slide.

 shift+tab  Go to the last or previous hyperlink on a slide.

 enter while a hyperlink Perform the "mouse click" behavior

is selected  of the selected hyperlink.

 shift+f5  Start the presentation from the slide

you are currently on.

 Minus1.  Work with Text and Objects

 Alt+shift+arrow left  Promote a paragraph.

 Alt+shift+arrow right  Demote a paragraph.

 Alt+shift+arrow up  Move selected paragraphs up.

 alt+shift+arrow down  Move selected paragraphs down.

 Alt + shift + 1  Show heading level 1.

 Alt+shift++  Expand text below a heading.

 Alt+shift+-  Collapse text below a heading.

 Shift+arrow right  Select one character to the right.

 Shift+arrow left  Select one character to the left.

 Ctrl+shift+arrow right  Select to the end of a word.

 Ctrl+shift+arrow left  Select to the beginning of a word.

 Shift+arrow up  Select one line up.

 Shift+arrow down  Select one line down.

 Esc  Select an object (with text selected inside the object).

 Tab or shift+tab until the 

object you want is selected  Select an object (with an object selected).

 Enter  Select text within an object (with an object selected).

 Ctrl+a (on the Slides tab)  Select all objects.

 Ctrl+a 

(in the Slide Sorter view)  Select all slides.

 Ctrl+a (On the Outline tab)  Select all text.

 Backspace  Delete one character to the left.

 Ctrl+backspace  Delete one word to the left.

 Delete  Delete one character to the right.

 Ctrl+delete  Delete one word to the right.

 Ctrl+x  Cut selected object.

 Ctrl+c  Copy selected object.

 Ctrl+v  Paste cut or copied object.

 Ctrl+z  Undo the last action.

 ctrl+y  Redo the last action.

 ctrl+shift+c  Copy formatting only.

 ctrl+shift+v  Paste formatting only.

 ctrl+alt+v  Paste special.

Basic Text Navigation and Formatting

ctrl+shift+f  Change the font.

ctrl+shift+p  Change the font size.

ctrl+shift+;  Increase the font size of the selected text.

ctrl+shift+;  Decrease the font size of the selected text.

arrow left  Move one character to the left.

arrow right  Move one character to the right.

arrow up  Move one line up.

arrow down  Move one line down.

ctrl+arrow left  Move one word to the left.

ctrl+arrow right  Move one word to the right.

end  Move to the end of a line.

home  Move to the beginning of a line.

ctrl+arrow up  Move up one paragraph.

ctrl+arrow down  Move down one paragraph.

ctrl+end  Move to the end of a text box.

ctrl+home  Move to the beginning of a text box.

ctrl+enter  In Microsoft Office PowerPoint, move to the next title or body text placeholder. If it is the last placeholder on a slide, this will insert a new slide with the same slide layout as the original slide.

shift+f4  Repeat the last Find action.

ctrl+f  Open the Find dialog box.

ctrl+h  Open the Replace dialog box.

shift+f4  Repeat the last Find action.

tab  Move to the next cell in table.

shift+tab  Move to the preceding cell in table.

arrow down  Move to the next row in table.

arrow up  Move to the preceding row in table.

ctrl+tab  Insert a tab in a cell in table.

enter  Start a new paragraph in table.

tab at the end of the last row  Add a new row at the bottom of the table in table.

Change Fonts and Formatting

ctrl+shift+f  Open the Font dialog box to change the font.

ctrl+shift+p  Open the Font dialog box to change the font size.

ctrl+shift+;  Increase the font size.

ctrl+shift+;  Decrease the font size.

ctrl+t  Open the Font dialog box to change the formatting of characters.

shift+f3  Change the case of letters between sentence, lowercase, or uppercase.

ctrl+b  Apply bold formatting.

ctrl+u  Apply an underline.

ctrl+i  Apply italic formatting.

ctrl+=  Apply subscript formatting (automatic spacing).

ctrl+shift++  Apply superscript formatting (automatic spacing).

ctrl+spacebar  Remove manual character formatting, such as subscript and superscript.

ctrl+k  Insert a hyperlink.

ctrl+shift+c  Copy formats.

ctrl+shift+v  Paste formats.

ctrl+e  Center a paragraph.

ctrl+j  Justify a paragraph.

ctrl+L  Left align a paragraph.

ctrl+r  Right align a paragraph.

Manage Open and Save As dialog boxes

alt+1  Go to the previous folder.

alt+2  Up One Level button: Open the folder up one level above the open folder.

alt+3 or delete  Delete button: Delete the selected folder or file.

alt+4  Create New Folder button: Create a new folder.

alt+5  Views button: Switch among available folder views.

alt+L  Tools button: Show the Tools menu.

shift+f10  Display a shortcut menu for a selected item, such as a folder or file.

tab  Move between options or areas in the dialog box.

f4 or alt+i  Open the Look in list.

f5  Refresh the file list.

PowerPoint Task Panes

f6  Move a task pane from another pane in the program window (clockwise direction). You may need to press F6 more than once

tab, shift+tab  When a task pane is active, select the next or previous option in the task pane, respectively.

ctrl+arrow down  Display the full set of commands on the task pane menu.

arrow down or arrow up  Move among choices on a selected submenu; move among certain options in a group of options in a dialog box.

spacebar or enter  Open the selected menu, or perform the action assigned to the selected button.

shift+f10  Open a shortcut menu; open a drop-down menu for the selected gallery item.

home, end  When a menu or submenu is visible, select the first or last command, respectively, on the menu or submenu.

page up, page down  Scroll up or down in the selected gallery list, respectively.

home, end  Move to the top or bottom of the selected gallery list, respectively.

ctrl+spacebar, c  Close a task pane.

alt+h, f, o  Open the Clipboard.

Move around in Tables

tab  Move to the next cell.

shift+tab  Move to the preceding cell.

arrow down  Move to the next row.

arrow up  Move to the preceding row.

ctrl+tab  Insert a tab in a cell.

enter  Start a new paragraph.

tab at the end of the last row  Add a new row at the bottom of the table.

alt, j, d, a, and then pP  Launch the Selection pane.

Manage Smart Tags

alt+shift+f10  Display the menu or message for a smart tag. If more than one smart tag is present, switch to the next smart tag and display its menu or message.

arrow down  Select the next item on a smart tag menu.

arrow up  Select the previous item on a smart tag menu.

enter  Perform the action for the selected item on a smart tag menu.

esc  Close the smart tag menu or message.

Microsoft Office basics applicable to PowerPoint 2007

alt+tab  Switch to the next window.

alt+shift+tab  Switch to the previous window.

ctrl+w or ctrl+f4  Close the active window.

ctrl+f5  Restore the size of the active window after you maximize it.

f6  Move a task pane from another pane in the program window (clockwise direction). You may need to press F6 more than once

shift+f6  Move to a pane from another pane in the program window (counterclockwise direction).

ctrl+f6  When more than one window is open, switch to the next window.

ctrl+shift+f6  Switch to the previous window.

ctrl+f7  When a document window is not maximized, perform the Move command (on the Control menu for the window). Use the arrow keys to move the window and when finished, press ESC.

ctrl+f8  When a document window is not maximized, perform the Size command (on the Control menu for the window). Press the arrow keys to resize the window and when finished, press ESC.

ctrl+f9  Minimize a window to an icon (works for only some Microsoft Office programs).

ctrl+f10  Maximize or restore a selected window.

print screen  Copy a picture of the screen to the Clipboard.

alt+print screen  Copy a picture of the selected window to the Clipboard.

Work with Dialog Boxes

tab  Move to the next option or option group.

shift+tab  Move to the previous option or option group.

ctrl+tab  Switch to the next tab in a dialog box.

ctrl+shift+tab  Switch to the previous tab in a dialog box.

alt+arrow down  Open a selected drop-down list.

First letter of an option in a drop-down list  Open the list if it is closed and move to an option in the list.

arrow keys  Move between options in an open drop-down list, or between options in a group of options.

esc  Close a selected drop-down list; cancel a command and close a dialog box.

spacebar  Perform the action assigned to the selected button; select or clear the selected check box.

alt+ the letter underlined in an option  Select an option; select or clear a check box.

enter  Perform the action assigned to a default button in a dialog box.

home  Move to the beginning of the entry.

end  Move to the end of the entry.

arrow left, arrow right  Move one character to the left or right, respectively.

ctrl+arrow left  Move one word to the left.

ctrl+arrow right  Move one word to the right.

shift+arrow left  Select or cancel selection one character to the left.

shift+arrow right  Select or cancel selection one character to the right.

ctrl+shift+arrow left  Select or cancel selection one word to the left.

ctrl+shift+arrow right  Select or cancel selection one word to the right.

shift+home  Select from the cursor to the beginning of the entry.

shift+end  Select from the cursor to the end of the entry.

Work with the Selection pane.

f6  Cycle the focus through the different panes.

shift+f10  Display the context menu.

arrow up or arrow down  Move the focus to a single item or group.

arrow left  Move the focus from an item in a group to its parent group.

arrow right  Move the focus from a group to the first item in that group.

* (on numeric keypad only)  Expand a focused group and all its child groups.

+ (on numeric keypad only)  Expand a focused group.

- (on numeric keypad only)  Collapse a focused group.

shift+arrow up or shift+arrow down  Move the focus to an item and select it.

spacebar or enter  Select a focused item.

shift+spacebar or shift+enter  Cancel selection of a focused item.

ctrl+shift+f  Move a selected item forward.

ctrl+shift+b  Move a selected item backward.

ctrl+shift+s  Show or hide a focused item.

f2  Rename a focused item.

tab or shift+tab  Switch the keyboard focus within the Selection pane between tree view and the Show All and Hide All buttons.

alt+shift+1  Collapse all groups.

alt+shift+9  Expand all groups.

alt + 1  Align objects left.

alt + 2  Align objects center.

alt + 3  Align objects right.

ctrl + shift + 3  Align left edge to right edge.

alt + R  Duplicate object to the right.

alt + T  Insert textbox.

alt + N  Insert rectangle.

alt + B  Make objects same width / equalize width.

alt + H  Make objects same height / equalize height.

ctrl + 3  Resize/stretch object width to right edge.

alt + F  Select format painter.

F1  Zoom in object.

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