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Keyboard shortcuts that make working with a computer easier

Site Owner
02 Apr, 2024
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The keyboard is - of course, alongside the mouse or touchpad - a basic tool for operating the computer and entering data into it. The market offers thousands of keyboard models — from minimalist, basic sets of keys, through visually refined electronic 'works of art', to elaborate gaming sets equipped with additional function buttons and futuristic design.

Besides programmable extra buttons, all keyboards with a specific layout (in Poland, the most commonly used version is the classic QWERTY keyboard) are equipped with the same set of keys. Such standardization allows the use of keyboard shortcuts, which significantly facilitate working on the computer.

What is a keyboard shortcut?

translated text:"A keyboard shortcut is a combination of two or more keys, which when pressed simultaneously (or less commonly sequentially) perform a specific action. This means we don't have to search for the appropriate option in the interface using the mouse, and a good knowledge of the shortcut library allows for significantly speeding up the execution of tasks visible on the screen. Using keyboard shortcuts can be invaluable, both at work and in everyday life."

translated text:"Keyboard shortcuts save time by eliminating the need to manually move the cursor and click."
translated text:"Using keyboard shortcuts can increase work efficiency because it allows focusing on the task without having to interrupt it to look for the appropriate functions in the menu"
Keyboard shortcuts can also reduce the strain on the joints of the hands and fingers, which can help prevent injuries associated with prolonged computer use.

Basic keyboard shortcuts in Windows

Below is a list of both the most popular and less known keyboard shortcuts that can be used in different versions Microsoft Windows operating system. Wbrew pozorom nie wszyscy wiedzą, co robi alt f4 czy jaki jest skrót klawiszowy “kopiuj”.

Wyjaśnienie: przyciski w kombinacji są poniżej oddzielone znakiem plus (+).

Ctrl + Z

Cofnij ostatnio wykonaną akcję. Część programów pozwala na zapisanie wielu przeszłych akcji, a nie tylko jedną — nie jest to jednak regułą. Dzięki temu często naciskając Ctrl Z, kilka razy można cofnąć się do stanu sprzed kilku minut.

Ctrl + Y

Repeat the last undone action

Ctrl + C

Copy the selected item — it can be a piece of text, an image, a file, a folder, or even a section in a video editing program

Ctrl + X

Wytnij zaznaczony element — i tak jak powyżej, może być to zarówno plik czy folder, jak i na przykład fragment dokumentu.

Ctrl + V

Paste from clipboard — pastes a previously cut or copied element. If it was cut, the paste option will be one-time only, while copied elements can be pasted multiple times.

Ctrl + Shift + V

Pastes the cut or copied text fragment into the editor but removes its formatting.

Ctrl + F

Find a text fragment — after pressing this keyboard shortcut, a window appears where you can enter the text you want to search for. It works both in text editors, such as Microsoft Office, as well as in web browsers.

Ctrl + S

Save the current file or document — saves the current state of the edited file. In most cases, if the file has not been previously saved, the program will display a dialog window to choose the name and save options after pressing this combination.

Ctrl + A

Zaznacz wszystko. Zaznacza wszystkie elementy w obrębie danej sekcji — czyli wszystkie komórki w arkuszu Excel, wszystkie pliki i foldery widoczne na pulpicie i tak dalej.

Ctrl + P

Starts printing the currently open document.

Alt + Tab

Pozwala na przełączanie między oknami. W poprzednich wersjach Windows spora część aplikacji miała z tym spore problemy, a użycie tej kombinacji w najgorszym wypadku powodowało nawet zawieszenie programu. Dziś na szczęście jest z tym dużo lepiej.

Alt + F4

Zamyka aktualnie aktywne okno lub program.

Ctrl + Shift + Escape

Launches the Windows Task Manager, which allows you to check which open applications are using the most resources. It also enables you to forcibly close any open application, even if the above Alt + F4 combination did not 'work' - for example, when the selected program has frozen.

Ctrl + Shift + N

Creates a new folder in File Explorer — works both inside folders and on the desktop.

Alt + Enter

Pokazywanie właściwości zaznaczonego elementu. Działa z prawym oraz lewym klawiszem Alt.

Alt + F

Opens the File menu in most applications.

Ctrl + Esc

Opens the Start menu. This keyboard shortcut works exactly like pressing the Windows key once.

Win + R

Opens the Run dialog box. You can enter a string there to launch various programs — for example, typing 'cmd' will open the command prompt.

Win + E

Opens the File Explorer window.

Win + L

Locks the computer and opens the user profile selection window. This shortcut is especially useful when we are not the only user of a given computer. NOTE — contrary to many guides, this is not a logout. The Windows + L keyboard shortcut only locks the computer but does not close applications running in the background. To log out of a profile, there is no specific keyboard shortcut — probably to prevent accidental pressing of the combination and losing unsaved data. However, in Windows 11, when on the desktop, you can press the combination Alt + F4 (which will open the shutdown menu), then press the up arrow key twice (to reach the Log out option), and complete the sequence by pressing the Enter key.

Win + D

Minimizes or restores all open windows by switching to the desktop. It works the same way as the ‘Show Desktop’ button located in the bottom right corner of the screen. Pressing this shortcut again while already on the desktop will restore the windows.

Windows + M

Minimizes all windows — so it works similarly to the Win + D combination shown above, but pressing it again will not restore minimized windows. To do that, press Win + Shift + M.

Ctrl + R

Refreshes the given folder or window, as well as, for example, a browser tab.

Win + A

Otwiera menu szybkich ustawień w systemie Windows 11. Znajdują się tam między innymi ustawienia głośności, ułatwienia dostępu czy możliwość włączenia trybu nocnego.

Win + H

Launches the dictation tool, based on a speech recognition system.

Win + N

Opens the notification center (by default in Win11 it is located on the right side of the screen). It contains notifications from messengers, email clients, and the calendar.

Win + P

Otwiera menu zarządzania ekranami (tzw. menu prezentacji). Skrót ten jest przydatny zwłaszcza wtedy, kiedy do komputera mamy podłączony więcej niż 1 monitor lub na przykład rzutnik.

Win + Shift + S

Launches the screenshot tool. This way we can cut out only the part of the screen we intend to save, unlike using the Print Screen key, which automatically takes a snapshot of the entire screen.

Windows + . (period) and Win + ; (semicolon)

Opens the emoji menu.

Win + Ctrl + F

Searches for computers on the network.

Win + Tab

Allows switching between virtual desktops.

Win + Ctrl + Enter

Launches the Narrator tool, which helps visually impaired and blind users to use the computer.

Windows + + (plus)

Włącza narzędzie lupy, które przybliża ekran.

Windows + - (minus)

Zooms out the screen using the magnifier.

Win + i

Otwiera okno z ustawieniami systemu.

Win + F

Opens Feedback Hub along with an automatically taken screenshot. Feedback Hub is a feature built into Windows 11 that allows you to send a screenshot along with text directly to Microsoft.

Useful keyboard shortcuts in MacOS

Also Apple computer users can use keyboard shortcuts, although these differ significantly from the combinations known from the Windows system. Some of them include:

Command + C

Kopiowanie zaznaczonego tekstu lub elementu

Command + V

Pasting copied text or element

Command + Q

Closing the active program

Command + Space

Otwarcie wyszukiwarki Spotlight

Command + Tab

Przełączanie się między otwartymi programami

Command + A

Selecting everything (text, elements)