10 Little-Known Keyboard Shortcuts That Will Help You Save Time Every Day

Touchscreens are ubiquitous in modern tech, but physical keyboards are still prominent in gaming and office work applications. Along with a tactile feel, keyboards offer shortcuts to help you get more done in less time.

YouTube is the most popular video-sharing platform in the world. With tons of content to browse and watch, it helps to have a little know-how. Tap or click here to check out YouTube keyboard shortcuts that will help you enjoy it even more.

When it comes to computers, there are well-known keyboard tricks like copy/paste and ctrl-alt-delete. These have been around for a long time, but there are many more shortcuts, and new ones are implemented as operating systems are updated. Read on for 10 keyboard shortcuts to use on your PC or Mac.

1. Switch between open windows
   How often do you find yourself having multiple windows open simultaneously? You work in one application while keeping the others on hold for easy access. You may be running an antivirus scan in the background or have your email app open. Sometimes you might have forgotten what you have running in the background.

A keyboard shortcut lets you quickly see what’s open and access what you want at any time:

To switch between open windows on PC, press Ctrl + Alt + Tab.
To switch between open windows on Mac, press Command + Tab.

2. Lock your computer Every time you leave it unattended you should turn it off or lock it. If you intend to return to it soon, you can lock it instead of shutting it down. Even if your device is set to lock automatically after a predetermined amount of time, you should still do this manually.

To prevent unauthorized access, your lock screen should require a password to unlock. Using your keyboard, you can lock your screen as follows:

On a PC, press Windows + L; on a Mac, press Ctrl + Command + Q to lock your screen.

3. Take a partial screenshot On your smartphone, you can take a screenshot of the entire screen; however, on a computer, you can only take a partial screenshot. You might want to share an image or some text with others or keep it for yourself.

Press Windows + Shift + S on a PC, and Shift + Command + 4 on a Mac, to take a partial screenshot.
Tapping the Print Screen key is similar to this shortcut. A small menu will appear at the top of your computer screen as a result.

Select Rectangular, Freestyle, Window or Fullscreen Cut from the menu, then pick the screen region you need to catch. Your clipboard will be saved with the screenshot. Copy the screenshot into a program like Word or Paint. The screenshot can be edited and saved in any location you choose.

4. Zoom in
   Whether your visual perception isn’t what it used to be or you need to see something on your screen more meticulously, zoom is there to help. Using the keyboard and the mouse wheel, you can zoom in and out as necessary and pinpoint a specific location with your mouse.

On a PC or Mac, press Ctrl + the mouse wheel to zoom in or out. To zoom in, turn the wheel up, and to zoom out, turn it down.

5. Open Spotlight or Search You can search your computer at any time to locate files, settings, or apps. Use it to look up contacts, music, and even the web.

On a PC, press Windows + S to open Search; on a Mac, press Command + space to open Spotlight.

6. High difference
   Text with low difference can be challenging to peruse for individuals with disabled vision. Colors with a lot of contrast can make reading on a computer screen easier and faster. Note: There is a keyboard shortcut for the PC, but there is no equivalent for the Mac.

Press left Shift + left Alt + Print on your personal computer to enable high contrast. A menu will open, and you’ll be asked to confirm your decision to enable the setting.
Press left Shift + left Alt + Print on your computer to disable high contrast.

7. Undo/Redo: We all make mistakes, and the undo feature is for fixing those mistakes. Be that as it may, once in a while, disposing of a blunder is itself a misstep and we want to bring back our unique expectation. Redo’s role comes into play here. There is a quick method for putting these commands into action so that you don’t have to slow down too much:

On Windows and Mac, press Ctrl + Z to undo an action, and on Windows and Mac, press Ctrl + Y to redo an action. Create a virtual desktop to help you keep track of everything if you use your PC for multiple tasks or if you use multiple apps at once. Multiple distinct desktops with their own windows and applications can be created.

8. Create a virtual desktop to help you keep track of everything if you use your PC for multiple tasks or if you use multiple apps at once. Multiple distinct desktops with their own windows and applications can be created.

You can chip away at your PC while keeping a virtual work area open to play a game. You can open windows and applications for one errand, like video altering, on one work area and utilize the other work area for photograph altering.

On a PC, press Windows + Ctrl + D, and on a Mac, press Control + up to create a virtual desktop.

9. Return to desktop With a single command, you can quickly return to the desktop if you have multiple windows open on your computer and want to minimize all of them at once. Additionally, this is useful for troubleshooting. This keyboard shortcut can be useful in situations where your screen freezes and you are unable to use the taskbar.

To get back to your PC work area, press Windows + D.
To get back to your Macintosh work area, press Order + Choice.

10. Close windows There is a keyboard shortcut for completely closing an application you are working on. This is particularly helpful when you have numerous windows open all the while. Note: You will lose any changes you made to an application or window that you didn’t save.

Press Alt + F4 to close windows on your computer. The current app or item can be closed using this shortcut.

On your Mac, press Command + W to close all open windows. For more keyboard-related advice, tap or click here.