How2NotFail

Sometimes when using an application in windows you may be thinking “there must be an easier way to do this”, fortunately for us there usually is. To save you the time of figuring them all out yourself, here is a quick list of some of the more usefull shortcuts you may find yourself using frequently once you know what they do:

Windows Key + D – Takes you directly to your desktop and minimizes any open applications.

Windows Key + L - Logs you out of your current Windows user account.

Windows Key + R - Brings up the Run menu, allowing you to easily start applications, such as those listed in the Start-Run Shortcuts list.

Windows Key + F - Opens up the Windows search where you can look for files.

Ctrl + Shift + Esc - Opens up the task manager, usefull when applications crash or stop working and you need to end them.

Prt Scr/Sys Rq - Most people have no idea what this button by their number pad actually does, when pressed it will copy a snapshot of your screen to your clipboard which you can then paste into any editing program such as MSPaint and save as a screenshot.

Alt + Prt Sc - Same as above, only it will capture just the window currently in focus.

Windows Key + Pause/Break - Brings up your system properties dialogue, same as right clicking ‘My Computer’ and selecting Properties.

Ctrl + T and Ctrl + W - Most browsers that support multiple tabs such as firefox will use these shortcuts to open a new tab or close the current tab respectively.

Shift + Enter - Will insert a line break in most applications that would otherwise use Enter as a ‘send’ command, such as messenger programs.

Most of these tips will work on Windows XP or Windows Vista, and some work on other operating systems as well.