🪀 If you want to get super nerdy: This Windows PowerToys upgrade displays keyboard shortcuts right on your screen so you can learn more. Neat-o!
Time-saving tricks using your keyboard
I spend hours and hours (and hours) online every week looking for the latest in tech for my national radio show, podcasts and, of course, newsletter.
I rounded up eight browser keyboard shortcuts I use so you can spend less time clicking around for the right button, too.
4 if you’re always in Word or Google Docs
These tricks make work (or writing the novel you always wanted to get to) so much faster and easier.
- Just the text: Drop in text from somewhere else — without all the formatting coming with it. Use Ctrl + Shift + V to paste in whatever text you’ve copied, stripped completely of the source formatting.
- Swift selections: Make sure your cursor is before (or after) the text you’d like to select, then hold down Shift and use the left or right arrows to expand your selection, one character at a time. Ctrl + Shift + the left or right arrows will allow you to select the remainder of a line.
- Get in the mode: Need to track your changes? Switch between editing modes by holding down Ctrl + Shift + Alt, then tap X to suggest changes, Z to edit directly or C to just view the document, not edit it.
- Do it in style: Easily change your text formatting by holding down Ctrl + B for bold, Ctrl + I for italics and Ctrl + U for underlining. You already knew that? OK, but what about holding down Shift + X for strikethrough text, Shift + . (period) to superscript something and Shift + , (comma) for subscripting? I thought so!
3 tricks for tabs
These genuine timesavers work in most popular browsers, including Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari.
- Closing time: Hit Ctrl + W (Windows) or Cmd + W (macOS) to shut down the browser tab you’re currently looking at. If you close a tab by accident, use Ctrl + Shift + T (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + T (macOS) to bring it back.
- Tab cycling: On Windows and macOS, you can use Ctrl + Tab to scroll through open tabs (yeah, all 200 of them). Hold down Shift as well to go in the opposite direction.
- Turn over a new tab: Hit Ctrl + T (Windows) or Cmd + T (macOS) on your keyboard to open a new tab and jump straight to it. If you want a new window, use Ctrl + N (Windows) or Cmd + N (macOS).
2 ways to stay in the flow
- Keep scrolling, scrolling, scrolling: Engrossed in something online? Tap the spacebar to scroll down the page and keep reading without looking away. Shift + spacebar takes you back in the other direction.
- Eyes on the prize: Follow an interesting link without losing focus while reading. Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (macOS) when you click on a web link to open it in a new tab while you stay on your current tab. Add the Shift key to open a link in a new tab and jump straight to it.
2 ways to re-trace your steps
- Follow the breadcrumbs: You know those “back” and “forward” buttons in your browser? You can do the same with your keyboard, no clicking required — hold down Alt (Windows) or Cmd (macOS), then tap the left or right arrow button to explore your browsing history in the current tab.
- Save your page: Press Ctrl + D (Windows) or Cmd + D (macOS) to bookmark the current webpage so you can get back to it later. Your browser will throw up a dialog box you can use to sort the bookmark into a folder.
Windows and Mac tricks you'll use all the time
There are some tech tricks that you only know if someone clues you in.
Take the humble USB cord. If you’re constantly plugging in the wrong way, here’s the secret: The symbol on one isn’t just branding or decoration. That symbol will point up if you’re plugging in horizontally. If you plug a cable vertically, the USB symbol will face you.
Tech trick: Pin important messages on your iPhone so you don’t forget about them
Social media platforms let you pin a post to the top of your page so your audience always sees it first. You don’t have to be an influencer to unleash the power of pinning.
Now you can do the same thing on your iPhone and computer. Go ahead and save entire conversations or pin just important links and computer programs.
How to take full-page screenshots on your PC or Mac
Taking a screenshot on your iPhone is as easy as pressing two buttons. But what if you wanted to save an entire webpage to view it later? Here’s a trick to avoid taking dozens of screenshots.
Taking full-page screenshots on your computer is even easier. If you want to capture the entire screen, you can use quick keyboard shortcuts or built-in programs. We’ll show you precisely what to do.
I’m feelin’ the keyboard shortcuts lately: Here’s a faster way to navigate when you have lots of tabs open. In Windows, hit Ctrl + 1 (or 2 or 3 and so on) to go to that tab number. On Mac, it’s Cmd + [number]. To cycle through your open tabs, hit Ctrl + Tab (Windows) or Cmd + Tab (Mac).
5 things you didn't know your keyboard's Shift button can do
More than 2 billion people visit YouTube monthly, and more than 500 hours of content are posted every minute. Finding precisely what you want can be challenging, and that’s where shortcuts come in. Tap or click here for Kim’s advice on saving time on the world’s most popular video hosting site.
10 ways you should be using your iPad
One great thing about Apple devices is that the built-in browser blocks cross-site tracking. You don’t have to worry about being followed when you use Safari. Here’s how to enable this critical privacy feature on your iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Setting up a new PC? 5 must-do steps for seniors
Social media platforms are aimed at a demographic, commonly teenagers. What about other groups such as seniors? The AARP backs a platform designed for seniors to interact and share common interests. Tap or click here to learn more.
This one hidden Google shortcut will save you time every single day
Most of us know at least some basic keyboard shortcuts. Ctrl + C for copy, Ctrl + V for paste, and the infamous Ctrl + Alt + Delete for when things aren’t going so well.
That’s not all. You can use your keyboard to paste text without its original messy formatting, take a picture of your screen, and create a virtual desktop to keep work and life separate. Tap or click here for seven shortcuts that will help you save even more time.
Here are 7 Windows key shortcuts you'll use everyday
Keyboard shortcuts make our lives easier, but they’re not always so obvious. Did you know the Shift key does more than just capitalize letters? It actually reverses your other keyboard shortcuts! Tap or click here for five ways to use the Shift key that you may not know about.
Google Sheets shortcuts to double your productivity
You open up Google Sheets for work, only to find thousands of lines and a seemingly endless array of columns. There’s so much information to organize and input. How are you going to get through it all?
The solution is shortcuts. You can double productivity even with a full page if you know the proper time-saving methods. Keep reading for everything you need to know. Oh, and having a desktop calculator will help speed things up, too.
Google trick: Shortcuts to quickly open Docs, Sheets and your calendar
Most everyone knows some basic keyboard shortcuts. Ctrl + C for copy, Ctrl + V for paste, Alt + F4 to close an application or other active item and the infamous Ctrl + Alt + Delete for when things aren’t going so well.
You’re using your keyboard wrong — 7 smart keyboard shortcuts to save time
Anyone using Windows knows the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Alt + Delete or Command + Option + Esc on a Mac. These shortcuts can help force stop apps or programs. Two more popular keyboard shortcuts are Ctrl + C to copy and Ctrl + V to paste on Windows.
10 secret keyboard tricks to save you time every single day
Touchscreens are ubiquitous in modern tech, but physical keyboards are still prominent in gaming and office work applications. Along with a tactile feel, keyboards offer shortcuts to help you get more done in less time.
This genius iPhone trick will save you time texting
It is hard to imagine that the world record for typing the alphabet on a mobile phone is only 3.5 seconds. Taking that one step further, a Brazilian teen set a new Guinness World Record for fastest texter in 2014 when he typed a 25-word message in under 19 seconds.
Tech tip: 5 smart keyboard shortcuts everyone should know
Slow typing can cost you the most precious resource of all: time. According to Lifehack, the average person spends at least three hours a day typing away at their keyboards. If you speed it up, you could save up to 35 minutes a day — or 21 days a year.
10 Mac tricks to boost your productivity
From smartphones to tablets to desktops, we love our tech gadgets. And no matter how long you’ve used yours, there’s always something new to learn thanks to advancing technology and rolling updates.
Apple’s iPad is among the most popular tablets out there. If you use one, we’re willing to bet there are tricks you’ve never tried, like the split keyboard or Focus mode. Tap or click here for more iPad tips to help you get the most out of the mighty little tablet.
Upgrading to Windows 11 is killing these laptops - Here's what to do
Drivers tell computer components how to function by communicating with the operating system. Updates to these files are necessary and can add new functions or compatibility.
But everything doesn’t always go according to plan, as many laptop users recently discovered. It seems many people who upgraded their operating system to Windows 11 are encountering a driver problem that eats away at the available system memory.
How to get the new and improved Windows Media Player
If you have been around computers for a while, there is a good chance that Windows Media Player was your preferred application for music listening. Everybody has now shifted towards streaming, and you can even see your most-played songs of the year in Spotify and Apple Music.