Keyboard Tips & Tricks:

• Hold down the ALT + Tab keys to view icons of all your open applications. Tap the Tab key to shift between them. (Great to toggle between applications when giving a presentation. E.g. Toggle from PowerPoint to other programs without having to exit slideshow mode.)
• Ctrl + B "bolds" the highlighted selection if it's editable (often, but not universal since it also can open your bookmarks in your browser).
• Ctrl + P allows printing from any open window, whether there is a print icon available or not.
• Ctrl + S = save
• Ctrl + T opens a new tab in a browser (for new browsers).
• Ctrl + Y = redo. This repeats the last action. (You can use this to bold, underline, color fill, change fonts, change case, etc. The Paintbrush tool does this in Excel. One click repeats once, but if you double click the paintbrush it allows you to replicate formatting multiple times.)
• Ctrl + Z = undo.
• Ctrl + Tab toggles between tabs in your browser.
• Shift+Enter creates a line break rather than a new paragraph.
• Use Tab to jump between fields in a form. Hold down Shift + Tab to jump backwards.
• Windows + D takes you to the desktop (Minimize all applications in a jiffy.)
• Windows + E brings up the Windows Explorer box. (Browse for files.)
• Windows + F brings up the desktop search option.
• Click the Windows key + L to lock the computer fast. (Good for when you have to step away from the reference desk to help someone.)
• The Print Screen keycopies what's currently on your monitor to the clipboard.
• You can usually fix stuck keys by popping any sticky keys off and cleaning the underneath area out.

Mouse Tips & Tricks:

• Click the scroll button while hovering over a link and it will open the link in a new tab.
• Click the scroll button anywhere on the tab and it closes that tab.
• Holding down the Ctrl key while rolling the mouse wheelchanges the text size. Rolling the wheel toward you enlarges text and rolling it away from you makes the text smaller.

Other Tips & Tricks:

• In Excel: Ctl + ; = today's date
• In Word: Alt + Shift + D = today's date
• Use the Windows 'Search' from the start menu to look for documents when you can't remember where you filed it or if you only remember part of the file name. You can select 'documents' or 'all' (which will include email).
• This works in Word, Eudora email and probably lots of other programs. I realize others put their frequently used folders on their desktop so they may not like these. I name my favorite files and mailboxes using a-z & 0-9 as the 1st letter then I only have to enter 1 character to open a file or transfer to a mail box. Plus they are alphabetized by that 1st character. You do memorize quicker than you might imagine. EX: I have email folders for Monday - Friday: 1-Monday, 2-Tuesday, 3-Wednesday. I enter "2" to transfer an email to the Tuesday folder. EX: For frequently used files: 0-To-Do, 1-Circ-tips
• To highlight column data in Excel, put your cursor in A2, hold down Shift then press End, then press down arrow.
• Google Earth has a cool built-in flight simulator that you activate and control using the keyboard.

Where to go for more info:

• 529 Computing Tips - Use the menu on the left to navigate
• Google keyboard shortcuts:
• from the Google Help Center
• from a Google fan blog
  
• and another from a Google fan blog
• Keyboard shortcuts instead of a mouse
• Keyboard shortcuts for Windows from Microsoft Help and Support
• Kim Komando newsletters often have great keyboard tricks
• List of the keyboard shortcuts that are available in Windows XP
• Widows XP: Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks QA 76.76.O63 M36244 2003