Ten Essential Windows and Firefox Shortcuts

Once you've taken steps to physically speed up your computer, there are still small steps you can take to speed up your computing experience. Practicing touch-typing, memorizing shortcut keys, and organizing your files for easier access are all great ways to enjoy your computer more. You will accomplish more yet spend less time at the computer.

I'd like to share my favorite Windows and Firefox shortcuts. The idea is to keep your hands on the keyboard and spend less time fiddling with your mouse.

Useful Windows Shortcuts:

1. Windows Key + D will minimize all windows and bring up the desktop. Very useful.
2. Alt+F4 will close whatever program/window currently has focus. When you've minimized to the desktop, hit Alt+F4+S to put your computer into Standby. Alt+F4+U will shut down your computer.
3. Windows Key by itself will bring up the Start Menu. This one is simple and will make you feel much more efficient.
4. Alt + TAB is great if you tend to have many programs running at once. It displays the open programs and allows you to switch between them instantly.
5. Ctrl + A will select all the text in an open window, or all the files in an open folder. This is great for moving all the files from a folder efficiently, or deleting all the files within a folder or text within a document fast and easily. If you want to select a group of files except for a few, hit Ctrl + A and continue to hold Ctrl as you click the few files you don't want highlighted.

Here is the complete list from Microsoft.

Favorite Firefox Shortcuts:

1. Ctrl + F is one of the best shortcut keys to have memorized. After hitting this you can immediately search within a body of text. This is essential to being an efficient web-surfer. Once you've entered a search, tapping Enter will cycle through your results. Alt + A will highlight all the results. Hitting Esc will end the search.
2. Ctrl + T will open a new Tab--memorize this one for sure. Ctrl + Shift + T will open the last tab you closed, great for backtracking if you accidentally closed the window. This shortcut key alone really validates Tab-based browsing. Ctrl + W closes a tab.
3. Ctrl + K will bring the focus to the search in the upper-right corner. I have mine set to search Wikipedia. Ctrl + E does the same thing.
   
4. Alt + D or F6 brings the focus to the address bar of your current tab. Another great time-saver. You can immediately enter a new address that you'd like to surf to.
   
5. Middle Mouse Button (or Wheel) + Hyperlink should open a link in a new tab. This can be an incredibly useful tool.
   

For fun... F11 will make Firefox full screen. Good for large websites, if you'd like to look at something without the distraction of the address bar/toolbars at the top of the screen.

Here is Mozilla's complete list of Firefox shortcuts.

These ten shortcuts alone will make your computer feel much faster--without tweaking your computer at all. When your hands can quickly and automatically communicate through the keyboard what you'd like to do, you seriously enjoy navigating around the web.