Computer Shortcut Keys A-Z Basic

When you’re using a computer, tasks like selecting text, copying, pasting, and deleting are common
and essential. Instead of relying solely on your mouse, it’s beneficial to use Computer Keyboard
Shortcut Keys. The table below lists all the basic shortcut keys that you can use daily, covering a range
from A to Z.

Shortcut Function/
Common Use
Key Action

Ctrl + A Select All Selects all text or items in a document

Ctrl + B Bold Makes selected text bold

Ctrl + C Copy Copies of selected text or item

Ctrl + D Duplicate Creates a duplicate of the selected item

Ctrl + E Edit Opens the editing options

Ctrl + F Find Searches for a specific word or phrase

Ctrl + G Go to Navigates to a specific location

Replaces one set of characters with

Ctrl + H Replace
another

Ctrl + I Italicize Makes selected text italic

Ctrl + J Justify Aligns text to both the left and right

Insert
Ctrl + K Adds a hyperlink to selected text
Hyperlink

Ctrl + L Align Left Aligns text to the left

Ctrl + M Minimize Minimizes the active window

Ctrl + N New Creates a new document or file

Ctrl + O Open Opens an existing document or file

Ctrl + P Print Prints the active document

Ctrl + Q Quit Closes the active application

Ctrl + R Refresh Reloads or updates the current page

Ctrl + S Save Saves the active document or file

 Shortcut Function/
Common Use
Key Action

Ctrl + T Cut Removes and copies selected text or item

Ctrl + U Underline Underlines selected text

Ctrl + V Paste Pastes copied or cut text

Ctrl + W Close Closes the active window or application

Ctrl + X Cut Removes and copies selected text or item

Ctrl + Y Redo Redoes the last undone action

Ctrl + Z Undo Undoes the last action

These shortcut keys are commonly used to perform tasks quickly and efficiently while working on a
computer.

Computer Shortcut Keys MS Office Shortcut

Microsoft Office is a comprehensive suite of productivity software applications that has become an
integral part of both personal and professional computing. Developed by Microsoft, this suite includes
essential tools such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more.
Each application within Microsoft Office is designed to fulfill specific tasks, ranging from word
processing and spreadsheet management to creating visually compelling presentations and managing
emails.
Having a complete knowledge of Shortcut keys in MS Office makes the use of Microsoft Office more
efficient. Let us have a look at the general shortcut keys of MS Office:

MS Office Shortcut Keys

Shortcut
Function
Key

Ctrl + N New Document

Ctrl + O Open Document

Ctrl + S Save Document

Ctrl + p Print Document

Ctrl + C Copy

Ctrl + X Cut
 Ctrl + V Paste

Ctrl + Z Undo

Ctrl + Y Redo

Ctrl + A Select all

Ctrl + F Find

Ctrl + H Replace

Ctrl + B Bold

Ctrl + I Italic

Ctrl + U Underline

Open print
Ctrl + P
dialog

Ctrl + F2 Print preview

Computer Shortcut Keys MS Word

Now, Let us have a look at the general shortcut keys of MS Word:

MS Word Shortcut Keys

Shortcut
Function
Key

Ctrl + F3 Cut to the Spike

Ctrl + F4 Close the active document

Ctrl + F5 Restore the document window size

Ctrl + F6 Switch between open documents

Activate the Spelling and Grammar

Ctrl + F7
check

Ctrl + F8 Extend a selection

Ctrl + F9 Insert an empty field

Ctrl + F10 Maximize the document window

Ctrl + F11 Lock a field

 Ctrl + F12 Open the “Save As” dialog box

Computer Shortcut Keys MS Excel

Now, Let us have a look at the general shortcut keys of MS Excel:

MS Excel Shortcut Keys

Shortcut Key Function

Ctrl + Arrow Move to the edge of data

keys region

Ctrl + Space Select entire column

Ctrl + Shift +
Select entire row
“+”

Ctrl + “-“ Insert new worksheet

Ctrl + Shift +
Delete the selected cells
“$”

Ctrl + Shift +
Apply currency format
“%”

Ctrl + Shift +
Apply percentage format
“#”

Ctrl + E,S,V Apply date format

Ctrl + D Paste special

Ctrl + R Fill right

Computer Shortcut Keys PowerPoint

Now, Let us have a look at the general shortcut keys of MS PowerPoint:

PowerPoint Shortcut Keys

Shortcut Key Function

Ctrl + Enter Insert a new slide

Ctrl + M Insert a new slide in slide sorter view

F5 Start the presentation

Start the presentation from the current

Ctrl + F5
slide
 Alt + Shift + Left Arrow Promote a paragraph

Alt + Shift + Right

Demote a paragraph
Arrow

Ctrl + Shift + “+” Insert a new slide

Ctrl + D Duplicate the selected slide

Ctrl + E Center align text

Computer Shortcut Keys other than MS Office

Here are some commonly used shortcut keys outside of Microsoft Office applications:

General Windows Shortcut Keys

Here are some of the most commonly used Shortcut keys in Windows:
Ctrl + C: Copy
Ctrl + X: Cut
Ctrl + V: Paste
Ctrl + Z: Undo
Ctrl + Y: Redo
Ctrl + A: Select All
Ctrl + F: Find
Ctrl + S: Save
Ctrl + P: Print
Alt + F4: Close the active window
F2: Rename a selected item
F5: Refresh the current window or webpage

File Explorer Shortcut Keys

Here are some of the most commonly used Shortcut keys in File Explorer:
Win + E: Open File Explorer
Alt + Enter: Open the Properties of a selected item
Ctrl + Shift + N: Create a new folder

Web Browsing Shortcut Keys (in most browsers)

Here are some of the most commonly used Shortcut keys in Web Browsers:
Ctrl + T: Open a new tab
Ctrl + W: Close the current tab
Ctrl + Shift + T: Reopen the last closed tab
Ctrl + Tab: Switch between tabs
Ctrl + N: Open a new browser window
Ctrl + D: Bookmark the current page

System Shortcut Keys

Here are some of the most commonly used Shortcut keys in the system:
Ctrl + Alt + Del: Open the Task Manager
Win + L: Lock your computer
Win + R: Open the Run dialog box
Alt + Tab: Switch between open applications

Multimedia Shortcut Keys

Here are some of the most commonly used Shortcut keys in Multimedia:
Spacebar: Play or pause a video or music file
Ctrl + Arrow keys: Jump between words in a text document
Ctrl + Shift + Esc: Open Task Manager directly

Dialog Box Shortcut Keys

Here are some of the most commonly used Shortcut keys in the Dialog Box:
Tab: Move to the next control in the dialog box
Shift + Tab: Move to the previous control in the dialog box
Enter: Activate the selected button or option

Screen Capture Shortcut Keys

Here are some of the most commonly used Shortcut keys for Screen Capture:
Print Screen: Capture the entire screen
Alt + Print Screen: Capture the active window
Snipping Tool or Snip & Sketch: Windows tools for capturing and annotating screenshots
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Computer Shortcut Keys FAQs

Q1. What are the 20 shortcut keys?

Ans. Here are 20 commonly used computer shortcut keys:

Ctrl + C: Copy
Ctrl + X: Cut
Ctrl + V: Paste
Ctrl + Z: Undo
Ctrl + Y: Redo
Ctrl + A: Select All
Ctrl + S: Save
Ctrl + P: Print
Ctrl + N: New (File or Document)
Ctrl + O: Open
Ctrl + F: Find
Ctrl + B: Bold (Text formatting)
Ctrl + I: Italicize (Text formatting)
Ctrl + U: Underline (Text formatting)
Ctrl + T: Open a new tab (Web browsers)
Ctrl + W: Close the current window
Ctrl + Shift + N: Create a new folder
Alt + Tab: Switch between open applications
Alt + F4: Close the current program or window
Windows key + D: Show or hide the desktop

These shortcuts can be used in various applications and software, making tasks more efficient.