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Translatum
Journal Editor
Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows
and Word for Translators
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There
are two important reasons why anybody
should use keyboard shortcuts instead
of mouse.
- The
use of mouse is one of the main triggers
of Repetitive Strain Injury, tendinitis
and other similar muscolosceletal disorders.
Sufferers of these disorders report
that they feel less pain when typing
compared to when mousing. Thus, a desire
to avoid mouse as much as possible.
- Once
keyboard shortcuts have been mastered
then one can work much faster and be
more productive.
Both
the above reasons apply a fortiori
in the case of people who make intense use
of the computer, especially those who do
a lot of word-processing. Obviousty, translators
fall on this category.
Personally I hardly ever touch the mouse
when I use Microsoft Word and I am sure
that my output must have increased manyfold
since the times I performed most of the
tasks through the mouse. It must be noted
however that mice have improved a lot and
an optical mouse with a scroll wheel is
definitely more ergonomic (if used correctly
that is).
Below I will mention the shortcuts I use
more often and I will elaborate on my methodology.
At the end of this article you will find
extensive lists of keyboard shortcuts grouped
in tables for Windows
and Word.
Keyboard shortcuts for Windows
Accessing Windows with keyboard shortcuts
only is not that hard. The first thing one
needs to know is that the Start menu opens
by pressing the Win key (the one
on the left of Alt which has the Windows
icon) or by pressing Ctrl+Esc in
older keyboards. Moreover you can explore
desktop items by using Tab ot Shift+Tab
and launch your favourite application by
pressing Enter.
If what we want is to open a document that
we had been working on then we can go directly
to it by pressing Start->Documents,
and using the arrow keys to reach the one
we want and then press Enter to open
it (Windows stores shortcuts to a number
of recently opened documents from different
applications).
There is an easy way to launch applications
by assigning a keyboard shortctut to a desktop
or menu item. For example if you have a
shortcut for Word on your desktop you right-click
on it an then select Properties.
Then you click in the Shortcut field
and type a shortcut, ie Ctrl+Shift+K
or one of the Function keys, F11/F10/F9
would be a fairly safe options. Then you
click OK and you are done.
There is an extra trick you can use in this
context, you can run the application with
parameters. For example when you right click
on the Word shortcut and click Properties
you will see a Target field which
contains the following string or a similar
one "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\WINWORD.EXE".
If you add to this field the /mFile1
parameter so that it reads "C:\Program
Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\WINWORD.EXE"
/mFile1, then every time you click this
shortcut the last edited document will open
automatically. Hence you
can have one simple shortcut for Word and
another one (perhaps you could rename it
to Word - Last by pressing F2
when the item is highlighted and then typing
the new name) which will open the last edited
document.
If we have many windows open then
we need a way to navigate among them.
This can be done with Alt+Tab. Alt+Tab
is my most used windows shortcut.
Press Alt with your left-hand thumb, and
then quickly press Tab (without lifting
Alt!) and then you will see a square moving
from one icon to the next. Keep pressing
Tab until you find the desired application
and then lift both fingers. If you want
to close one of the open windows you can
use my third most used windows shortcut:
Alt+F4. When there are no active
windows it brings up the "Windows Shut
Down" dialogue box. In this case it
is a quick way to shut down your computer
as all you do is press Alt+F4 and
then Enter (provided the Shut Down
option is selected). In Windows XP
you also have to press the right arrow
once before pressing Enter in order
to move to the Shut Down option.
Hence in order to quickly shut down your
computer if you have Windows XP you press
Alt+F4 ->Right Arrow->Enter.
Last but not least I should mention that
my second most used shortcut is Alt+Shift
(some people prefer Ctrl+Shift for
this one)- a quick way to change languages (a very
common task for a translator). If you do
this and it does not seem to work you should
check your Settings at Start->Settings->
Control Panel->Keyboard->Language->Switch
Languages.
Keyboard Shortcuts for Word
Navigating,
selecting and formatting are three
of the commonest tasks in Word. Thankfully
the programmers have provided all the appropriate
keyboard shortcuts that make life easier.
First of all though a life-saver:
once you've messed up things (and you quite
don't know how you did it) simply press
Ctrl+Z (if needs must more than once).
It will undo your latest actions and hopefully
you will retrieve your lost text! (It will
not work however if what you see is a blank
New Document which you created accidentally
by clicking Ctrl+N by mistake. In
this case simply close the blank document(s)
pressing Ctrl+W and hopefully your
"lost" text will reappear.)
As far as
navigating is concerned the key players
are Ctrl, the arrow keys and
the Home, End, Page Up, Page Down
keys. By using any combination of the above
one can achieve almost anything. One thing
we need to know is that Ctrl adds
an extra boost to whatever we do. For example,
if we simply press the right arrow key
we move one character right; if we
hold Ctrl whilst pressing the right
arrow key we move one word right.
On the same vein if we press the down
arrow key we move one line down;
if we hold Ctrl whilst pressing the
down arrow key we move one paragraph
down. You want to know more? More
navigation keyboard shortcuts.
Once you've mastered navigating, selecting is
a piece of cake. To whatever action you
used to move you add the Shift button
and it will select instead of move. For
example, if we simply press the right
arrow key we move one character
left; if we hold Shift and then press
the right arrow key we select
one character right; See more
selection keyboard shortcuts.
When it comes to selecting text Word
XP has a very helpful new feature which
is called multiple selection, ie
you can select one chunk of text and then
go on to select another one in a different
paragraph for example. This is done with
the aid of the mouse. First we select the
desired text by clicking and dragging the
mouse. Then we hold down the Ctrl
key and keep selecting any other bits of
text we want with the mouse. This technique
can be useful when, for instance, we want
to italicize many different words or phrases
in the same document and we don't want to
repeat the selection process for each and
every one of them.
Now since you've mastered how to move through
the document and select text all you need
to know is how to quickly copy it, paste
it, cut it, format it. By using the Ctrl
key and adding X, C, V you cut,
copy and paste respectively.
By using the Ctrl key and adding
B, I, U you make the text bold,
italics and underlined
respectively. Do you want to justify your
paragraph? No problem. Just press Ctrl+J.
As you see Ctrl is the key to remember!
More formatting shortcuts.
My working methodology could be succinctly
described with the following four shortcuts.
Alt+Tab, Ctrl+C/V, Shift+F5.
First of all I use Alt+Tab in order
to move from one program to another (in
my case from one dictionary to another and
then back to Word). Then I use Ctrl+C
and Ctrl+V in order to copy text
from the dictionaries and paste it in Word.
Moreover, the above two are used quite often
whilst working in the document. For example
if a phrase has been repeated a few lines
or paragraphs up I will locate it by using
Page Up, or Ctrl+F (Find),
select it by using Ctrl+Shift+right arrow,
copy it by using Ctrl+C, then I will
click Shift+F5 in order to return
to the same point in the document and then
click Ctrl+V in order to paste it.
If you work with more than one document
open at the same time then you can use the
Ctrl+F6 shortcut to navigate from
one to another. Its difference from Alt+Tab
is that you can only move from one Word
document to another, whereas with Alt+Tab
you can move through all your open applications/documents.
My all time favourite shortcut in Word (as
well as a number of other programs) is Ctrl+H.
Now most people who are involved with editing
texts know the Ctrl+F (Find)
shortcut (which I already mentioned in the
previous paragraph). However, Ctrl+H
goes a step further displaying the Replace
field as well (saving you an extra click
on the Replace button). Thus we can
quickly perform a Find and Replace
action. An extra shortcut that comes in
handy in case you' ve jumped a word or accidentally
replaced one you shouldn't replace is Shift+F5.
What it does is move you to the previous
part of your document.
I would not want to do lip service to the
many helpful options of the Find/Replace
function, of which you can get an idea by
clicking on the More button on the
bottom left of the Find / Replace
dialogue box. This will be the subject of
a different article.
In case some of the above shortcuts do not
appear to work in your computer don't worry.
There are some reasons why this could be
happening:
- Sometimes
Word does not appear to support the
Ctrl+ Z, Y, X, C, V shortcuts
because it is using as default a set
of slightly different ones (Alt+Backspace=Undo,
Alt+Enter=Redo, Ctrl+Delete=cut,
Ctrl+Insert=copy, Shift+Insert=Paste
etc).
- Another
user might have assigned different shortcuts
to these keys.
To
ascertain which shortcuts work in your system
just run a macro which will list all of
them. How do you do that? Simple: Press
Alt+F8. The Macros window appears.
The second field should read Macros in:
Select Word Commands. Now, scroll
down within the first field (Macro name)
until you locate ListCommands macro.
When you do, select it and click on the
Run button. A dialog box appears
asking you if you want to see the current
commands only or all of them. Choose any.
Moreover, if you want to assign a custom
shortcut click on Tools-> Customize
-> Commands -> Keyboard. In the
Categories box, click the category
that contains the command or other item.
In the box to the right, click the name
of the command or other item. Any shortcut
keys that are currently assigned appear
in the Current keys box. In the Press
new shortcut key box, press the shortcut
key combination you want to assign. For
example, press Alt+ the desired key.
Look at Currently assigned to to
see if the shortcut key combination is already
assigned to a command or other item. If
so, select another combination. Click Assign.
Done!
A
LIST OF WINDOWS SHORTCUTS
Start Windows |
Win Key / Ctrl+Esc |
Close the current window or quit
a program (if no windows are active
it brings up the "Shut Down"
dialog box). |
Alt+F4 |
Display the Close Program (task
manager) dialog box |
Ctrl + Alt + Del (pressing these
keys a second time will re-boot the
computer) |
Display the Find File dialog box |
Win + F or F3 |
Copy a screen-shot to the clipboard |
Print Screen |
Show item properties |
Alt+Enter |
Switch to the window you last used
or
Switch to another window by holding
down Alt while repeatedly pressing
Tab |
Alt+Tab |
Close a My Computer window and all
its parrent windows |
Shift (while clicking the "X", Close
button) |
Cancel the current task |
Esc |
Quit a program that
is not responding (in the Close Program
dialog box, click the program that
is not responding, and then click
End Task) |
Ctrl+Alt+Del |
Bypass Auto run when inserting a
CD |
Shift |
Right-click (make sure the desired
object has the focus) |
Shift+F10 or application key (usually
the third key on the right from the
space bar with a menu and pointer
icon) |
Permanently delete (bypassing Recycle
Bin) |
Shift+Delete |
Click a button if the current control
is a button or
Select or clear the check box if the
current control is a check box or
Click the option if the current control
is an option button |
Spacebar |
Click the corresponding command |
Alt+underlined letter |
Click the selected button |
Enter |
Move backward through options |
Shift+Tab |
Move forward through options |
Tab |
Move backward through tabs |
Ctrl+Shift+Tab |
Move forward through tabs |
Ctrl+Tab |
Open a folder one level up if a
folder is selected in the Save As
or Open dialog box |
Backspace |
Help |
F1 |
Rename an item |
F2 |
Open Save In or Look In in the Save
As or Open dialog box |
F4 |
Show/Hide
Desktop |
Win+D |
Refresh or Save As or Open dialog
box |
F5 |
Create a shortcut |
Ctrl+Shift while dragging the file |
Select all items |
Ctrl+A |
Toggle Languages |
Alt+Shift |
Launch Windows Explorer |
Win+E |
A LIST OF WORD SHORTCUTS
To
move the insertion point |
One character left |
Left arrow |
One character right |
Right arrow |
One word left |
Ctrl+left arrow |
One word right |
Ctrl+right arrow |
One paragraph up |
Ctrl+ arrow up |
One paragraph down |
Ctrl+ arrow down |
One line up |
arrow up |
One line down |
arrow down |
End of line |
End |
One screen up |
Page Up |
One screen down |
Page Down |
Previous page |
Ctrl+Page Up |
Next page |
Ctrl+Page Down |
Beginning of line |
Home |
Previous
point in the document |
Shift+F5 |
Top part of the window |
Ctrl+Alt+Page Up |
Bottom part of the window |
Ctrl+Alt+Page Down |
Page number |
Ctrl+G |
End of document |
Ctrl+End |
Beginning of document |
Ctrl+Home |
To
select |
One character left |
Shift+Left arrow |
One character right |
Shift+Right arrow |
One word left |
Ctrl+Shift+left arrow |
To End of Line |
Shift+End |
To Beginning of Line |
Shift+Home |
One word right |
Ctrl+Shift+right arrow |
One line up |
Shift+arrow up |
One line down |
Shift+arrow down |
One paragraph up |
Ctrl+Shift+arrow up |
One paragraph down |
Ctrl+Shift+arrow down |
One page up |
Shift+Page Up |
One page down |
Shift+Page Down |
To Bottom of document |
Ctrl+ Shift+End |
To Top of document |
Ctrl+ Shift+Home |
Vertically (From Word 2003 onwards) |
Alt+Mouse drag |
All document |
Ctrl+A |
To select
using keys or/and mouse |
Select word |
Double click |
Select sentence
|
Ctrl+click |
Select paragraph |
Triple click
or
Double Click on the left of the paragraph |
Select vertically
/ column |
Alt+click |
Select line |
Click on
the left of the line |
Select
entire sentence |
Hold down
Ctrl and click the mouse anywhere in
the sentence |
Select
entire table |
Alt+Num5 |
Select All |
Triple click
on the left of the document or
Ctrl+ double click on the left of
the document. |
Multiple
Selection (from
XP
onwards) |
hold Ctrl+select
all areas with the mouse one after
another |
To Undo/Redo |
Undo |
Ctrl+Z or Alt+Backspace |
Redo |
Ctrl+Y or Alt+Enter |
To Find/Replace |
Find |
Ctrl+F |
Find/Replace |
Ctrl+H |
Repeat the
last Find or Goto |
Shift+F4
(very useful!) |
To delete |
One character left |
Backspace |
One character right |
Del |
One word left |
Ctrl+Backspace |
One word right |
Ctrl+Del |
To
format |
Bold |
Ctrl+B |
Italic |
Ctrl+I |
Underline |
Ctrl+U |
Underline Words only |
Ctrl+Shift+W |
Double Underline |
Ctrl+Shift+D |
Convert all letters
to capitals /
Toggle cases (lower case/upper case
/ sentence case) |
Ctrl+Shift+A
/
Shift+F3 |
Change Font |
Ctrl+Shift+F |
Increase Font Size |
Ctrl+Shift+> |
Decrease Font Size |
Ctrl+Shift+< |
Convert to Small Capitals |
Ctrl+Shift+K |
Copy formatting |
Ctrl+Shift+C |
Paste formatting |
Ctrl+Shift+V |
Clear formatting |
Ctrl+Spacebar |
Heading 1
(2, 3) |
Ctrl+Alt+1
(2, 3) |
Apply bullets |
Ctrl+Shift+L |
Paragraphs |
Single Line Spacing |
Ctrl+1 |
Double Line Spacing
|
Ctrl+2 |
1.5 Line Spacing |
Ctrl+5 |
New Page |
Ctrl+Enter |
New Line |
Enter |
Align Centre |
Ctrl+E |
Align Left |
Ctrl+L |
Align Right |
Ctrl+R |
Align Justified |
Ctrl+J |
Increase Indent |
Ctrl+M |
Decrease Indent |
Ctrl+Shift+M |
Remove Paragraph Formatting |
Ctrl+Q |
Document |
Open Document |
Ctrl+O |
Close Document |
Ctrl+W |
Save Document |
Ctrl+S |
Save all open documents |
Shift+click on File.
You will see the option Save all |
Close all open documents |
Shift+click on File.
You will see the option Close all |
New Document |
Ctrl+N |
Print Document |
Ctrl+P |
Split Document |
Alt+Ctrl+S
and then press Enter |
Remove Split |
Alt+Shift+C |
Restore Document |
Ctrl+F5 |
Maximize Document |
Ctril+F10 |
Navigate among
Word documents |
Ctrl+F6 and
Ctrl+Shift+F6
(reverse order). The difference here
with Alt+Tab being that the latter
navigates among all open
applications and Word
documents, whereas the former, only
among Word documents. |
Maximize All |
Win+D or Win+Shift+M |
Show/Hide (show hidden text) |
Ctrl+Shift+8 |
Minimize All |
Win+D or Win+M |
To insert |
Current date |
Alt+Shift+D |
Current time |
Alt+Shift+T |
To view |
View or hide non
printing characters |
Ctrl + Shift + * |
Zoom in / Zoom out |
Ctrl + scroll mouse |
Links - More Shortcuts!
Windows
Keyboard
Shortcuts for Windows 98
Keyboard
Shortcuts for Windows 2000
Keyboard
Shortcuts for Windows XP
Word
Keyboard
Shortcuts for Word 97
Keyboard
Shortcuts for Word 2000
Keyboard
Shortcuts for Word 2002 (XP)
© Copyright 2002 Translatum Journal
and the Author
URL: https://www.translatum.gr/journal
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