Posted on 05/20/2015 10:54:01 AM PDT by lulu16
Turns out, there are a few savvy (and super-easy) keyboard tricks that can do just that. Your desktop, browser, Gmail, and even Facebook all have simple keyboard-based shortcuts you can press to more quickly accomplish things you do all the time — things like creating a new tab in Chrome or favoriting a tweet.
We’ve rounded up 10 super-handy keyboard hacks that will help you zip through your daily grind, so you can spend more time on things that matter — or at least save your index finger from repetitive stress syndrome. And, we've organized them from the most basic and well-known to the most advanced. Even if you’re already a keyboard-shortcut pro, keep scrolling; we're sure we’ve got a keyboard trick you never knew existed.
I discovered my favorite Windows shortcut by accident. The Windows logo key (bottom row to the left of Alt) can be combined with many keys to do many things. I’ve used Windows Logo key + E to open File Explorer for years.
This is what I recently discovered and love - Try Windows Logo key + Left Arrow Key. (I think this was added in Windows 7). Your current application will move to the left half of your screen. Press that key combo again, and it will move to the right half of the screen. Press it a third time and it will go back to the original location. Using the Right Arrow Key combo does the same thing, only starting to the right. This is invaluable when I want to have two apps open, one on the left of my screen, one on the right.
Alt/Tab is a quick and useful way to switch from FR to a boring spreadsheet when your boss walks by your desk.
since when is a shortcut a hack?
Yeah... That annoying bug has been there since DOS...
They should fix it. ;-)
That’s one of the first ones I learned ;)
What’s it supposed to do?
It brings up a screen to start the task manager, switch user, log off, lock the computer and change password.
“Try Windows Logo key + Left Arrow Key.”
Thanks, that’s quite helpful.
There used to be macros. People used to program keys to type things. I have not heard about macros for years. Are they still possible.?
I know these things can be done by mouse or keyboard shortcuts or key combos. MOST times the keyboard is faster than grabbing the mouse, moving over and hovering to hit the right spot. By the time I’ve grabbed the mouse, I could have already hit the keys.
MY hand is always on the mouse! I hate having to move it from the mouse to type out a code on the keyboard!
bkmk
Remember how heavy those CRT screens were and how we had to bring them to a dumpster in a business park in the middle of the night because the trashman wouldn't take them?
Hitting the “Space Bar” can be the same as the “Enter” key or mouse click on a “highlighted/active” button.
I learned the hard way.
While running a live Stock Trading platform that sent orders with a single click.
I had to leave the machine for a period of time and the screen saver kicked in (I will never use a screen saver again). Apparently, my “active” function was on “submit order” when I walked away.
I returned to my machine and in order to break out of the “Screen Saver” I have a habit of tapping the “Space Bar” twice.
That sent two rather large orders that got filled instantly on a currency pair that I had no intention of trading.
What a mess.
bfl
I always use Windows + L to lock my computer before I get up so nobody can look at my screen while I am gone.
Unless you were trying to hail a cab or were referring to a bad writer or cutting something up...
Why is everything called a hack now? I do tech support. It is common for me to tell people about short cuts. But these are just well know key strokes for people who care to know and they ain’t changing my life.
I just came up to speed with the term hack too. Beauty sites now refer to their tips as “hacks.”
I avoided beauty hacks because I thought they involved painful things. Now I have to use the word hack to talk to other young women about how tos.
Here is an example of a beauty hack.
“Do the Bang Wash
If you want to skip shampooing but don’t want to leave the house with stringy bangs, just wash your bangs. It’s easy: pull the rest of your hair back in a ponytail, wet your hands with a small dime-size amount of conditioner, run it through your fringe, and rinse it out under the faucet. If you have straight hair, it’s probably not necessary to blow-dry, as they’ll air-dry in minutes. If your hair is a little more unruly, quickly blow-dry and style your bangs as you normally would.”
I can remember when a hack job was the completion of a task in the quickest possible time with no regard to quality or attention to detail. I hack was a person who worked like this. Or for people who lived in big cities a cab driver. No connection.
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