If you've ever used a laptop, you know that the touch pad alternative to a mouse is a bit difficult to use at times. That little red dot in the middle of the keyboard that some manufacturers use is even less helpful. But, if you're like me, you're not going to be giving up your mobility for an easier browsing experience any time soon. So what are we to do? The best solution is to learn some basic keyboard shortcuts. With these shortcuts you can cut, copy and paste text, switch tabs, refresh web pages and other essential computing tasks with relative ease..
We're going to have to arrange this article a bit differently due to the difference in the keyboard layouts for Mac products versus Windows products. Most shortcuts in Windows involve using the "CTRL" or "ALT" keys. I'll give you a moment to find these on your Mac if you'd like. Okay, you're not going to find them. Mac does have a "control" key, but there is no "ALT" key; instead there is a "command" key. Normally, the shortcuts just replace "ALT" for "command", but making generalities is a dangerous thing, so we'll just cover each shortcut for both systems.
I'm betting you're hoping there is a shortcut to stop this introduction and start the good stuff, huh? Well, wish no more, let's get this show on the road. Our first set of shortcuts involve dealing with text. If you'd like to test any of these out, feel free to open a text document and give it a whirl.
Shortcut Name Windows Shortcut Mac Shortcut
Copy CTRL + C Command + C
Cut CTRL + X Command + X
Paste CTRL + V Command + V
Select Text SHIFT + Up, Down, Left or Right SHIFT + Up, Down, Left or Right
Select All CTRL + A Command + A
Undo CTRL + Z Command + Z
Redo CTRL + Y Command + Shift + Z
Save CTRL + S Command + S
Open CTRL + O Command + O
New Document CTRL + N Command + N
Find CTRL + F Command + F
Bold Text CTRL + B Command + B
Italicize Text CTRL + I Command + I
Underline Text CTRL + U Command + U
Print CTRL + P Command + P
Next are some general shortcuts for web browsing, switching tabs and other basic tasks.
Shortcut Name Windows Shortcut Mac Shortcut
Open a New Tab(Browser) CTRL + T Command + T
Close a Tab or Window CTRL + W Command + W
Close All Tabs or Windows CTRL + Shift+ W Command + Option + W
Refresh F5 F5
Minimize One Window Command + M
Minimize All Windows Windows Logo + M Command + Option + M
Restore Minimized Windows Windows Logo + Shift + M
Minimize All Windows Windows Logo + M Command + Option + M
Switch Application(Move Forwards) CTRL + ALT + Tab Command + Tab
Switch Application(Move Backwards) CTRL + ALT + Shift + Tab Command + Shift + Tab
Move to Next Option Tab Tab
Move to Previous Option Shift + Tab Shift + Tab
