Keyboard Tips & Tricks

Even more stuff on keyboards

What has gone before ....

How keyboards are made

The evolution of QWERTY
Different sorts of layout etc
Different sorts of keyboard e.g. Wireless,
rollup etc

Cleaning your keyboard

Health issues
What the F keys are and do....

The stuff most asked for..

How to type the Euro sign
Make sure that your keyboard is set to
English UK (be aware that the keyboard
may be set to English US even if the
programme you are working in is set to
UK English)
Hold down the Alt key (or ALT GR) that is
to the right of the space bar whilst
hitting the $ sign (usually shares the
number 4 key)

Stuff most asked for....

How to stop the and @ keys
interchanging
This is a function of the keyboard language. If
your keyboard is of American origin, or
intended for the American market the at key
(@) will, typically, share the number 2 key and
the quotation mark () will be next to the
Enter key; as long as your keyboard language
is set to English US then these will type
correctly.
If you set English UK then they swap position
because your computer assumes you are also
using a European keyboard which has these

Stuff most asked for....

It is also very easy to inadvertently swap
keyboard languages; if you accidentally
hit Shift whilst Alt is held down then
your keyboard will change to any other
language that is loaded and most
people have at least the two forms of
English enabled even if they dont
realise it (and even if all their
programmes are set to run in UK
English).

Stuff most asked for....

The Function (F1, F2 etc) keys at the
top of your keyboard
These keys dont have set uses but are
available for use by the programme you
are using as shortcut keys to various
appropriate functions
Almost universal is F1 as a shortcut to
the Help function

Stuff most asked for....

On laptops the F keys are usually assigned to extra
functions because there are fewer keys and less space than
on stand alone keyboards. To access the additional function
look for a Fn key, usually at the bottom right of the keyboard
(and sometimes a different colout), this will give you access
to the functions that are usually indicated by symbols.
Most of the symbols are fairly easy to understand but others
may need a bit of deciphering check your manual if
necessary. You must also be aware that individual
programmes may also assign functions to the F keys that
are different to the basic keyboard ones

Making things bigger

or smaller

In most programmes if you hold

down the CTRL key while using the
scroll wheel on your mouse you can
ZOOM IN or ZOOM OUT
If you have a lot of windows open
and you want to access the desktop
quickly use the Windows key + D to
display the Desktop or Windows key
+ M to Minimize all open windows
(note there are also icons on the task
bar for doing this)

Stuff most asked for....

Keyboard Shortcuts
The well known ones are :

CTRL + C = Copy
These shortcuts are often
CTRL + V = Paste
available even when the
CRTL + X = Cut
shortcuts accessed by Right
Clicking are not.
CRTL + P = Print
CTRL + S = Save
CTRL + I = Italics
CTRL + B = Bold
CTRL + U = Underline
CTRL + Z = Undo

More useful stuff

The PRTSC or Print Screen key only
works if you hold down the CTRL key
first ( you then paste it into a
document in the same way as
anything you copy)
If you are filling out an form with
. Dots in the area you need to
type, use the INS key, but make sure
it is switched of before continuing to
type.

Uses for the arrow keys

The arrow keys can be used to scroll
through words without deleting or
selecting them
The arrow keys can be used to
highlight a single letter by holding
down SHIFT while using the arrow
key
The arrow keys can be used to scroll
down menu items without selecting
them

Ones you may not know

CTRL+F = Find
This works in most programmes and
allows you to find a word, either once or
multiple times and if necessary replace
it with another word

Alt + Tab
To scrolls through any open windows

Tab dont forget that tab and/or the

arrow keys can be used to scroll through

menus etc

Have you noticed

All the items on the menu bar have a
letter underlined?
To access the menu hold down Alt and
type the letter, e.g. to open the File
menu, hold down Alt and type F
To close the menu without choosing
anything press ESC at the top left of the
keyboard
Note that even more ways to access the
menu items are shown as shortcuts
AlT + Spacebar also opens the systems
window

Home, PGUP, PGDN, END

These keys can be used for long
documents or large excel sheets etc.
or even on web pages
Home takes you back to your starting
page, cell or the top of a web page
End takes you to the last page, final
cell on the sheet or the bottom of a
web page
PGUP stands for Page Up, PGDN for
Page Down the arrow keys can

Windows Key
The Windows Key
Opens the start menu, then use arrows keys
If you are playing a game which doesnt show a
task bar then the windows key will minimize
the game without closing it
Windows Key + E opens Windows Explorer (can
also access by right clicking on the start
button)
Windows Key + Pause/Break opens System
Properties
Windows Key + Run open the Run dialog
Windows Key + L logs off, or locks the
keyboard

Menu Key
The menu key is usually situated to
the right of the space bar between
AltGr and CTRL.
This is the equivalent of using Rt Click
on a item, it will open a context menu
Use the arrow keys to highlight the item
you want
Use enter to activate your menu choice
Use the ESC key to close the menu

Tab keys
These can be used to create lists or
columns at specific set locations in
Word etc
They can be used to jump from one
cell in a form to another, and create
the next line
They can be used to jump from your
User Name to the Password box
Holding Alt down then pressing Tab
scrolls between open windows!)

Shortcuts specific to Word

ALT+CTRL+S splits the screen in
Word so that you can see different
pages of a document you are
working in .. For example if you
wanted to see a recipes ingredients
at the same time as the instructions
CTRL + G brings up the
find/replace/go to box which is really
useful to return to the same spot in a
large document

CTRL + ALT + DEL

This is the famous short cut to the
Task Manager from which is it
possible to access the applications
tab and (sometimes) stop runaway
programmes
But if all you want is the Applications
Tab then use

INTERNET EXPLORER
NAVIGATION

Internet Explorer Navigation

CTRL+B(Open the Organize Favorites dialog box)
CTRL+E(Open the Search bar)
CTRL+F(Start the Find utility)
CTRL+H(Open the History bar)
CTRL+I(Open the Favorites bar)
CTRL+L(Open the Open dialog box)
CTRL+N(Start another instance of the browser with the
same Web address)
CTRL+O(Open the Open dialog box, the same asCTRL+L)
CTRL+P(Open the Print dialog box)
CTRL+R(Update the current Web page)
CTRL+W(Close the current window)
Why would you use them. You dont need to clutter up the
page with an extra toolbar

New Stuff in Windows 7

To snap an active window to the side
of the desktop using the keyboard,
press either Windowslogo key +
Left Arrow orWindowslogo key +
Right Arrow.