In this article I want to show you how you can navigate your computer using your keyboard only. We will have a look at how to navigate windows folders, move
windows arround, navigate across tabs in the browser and even on websites using just the keyboard – no more mouse!
Using a computer mouse greatly slows down your work as you have to constantly move one hand from the keyboard to the mouse and back.
Moreover, using a mouse is putting quite a bit of strain in your tendons
(much more than an ergonmic keyboard anyways). I had developed a mild case of tendinitis (just enough to make working with a mouse annoying). Figuring out
these keyboard shortcuts, helped me a lot. Maybe it will help you too?
Note: For Linux/Mac there are alternative commands. Just checkout the windows version and then google your way to the unix equivalent.
Windows explorer
The windows explorer helps you orangize your files on your PC. Usually you would use your mouse to click your way through the folder structure, double
click an item or right-click it to interact with it. We can do all that using just our keyboard:
Win + E: Opens a new windows explorer window
Ctrl + W: Closes explorer window
Alt + ↑/↓: Move folder structure up or down
Alt + ←/→: Go back/forward
Ctrl + L: Jump to nagivation pane
F4 + Tab: Jump between context (e.g. jump from navigation pane, to folder items, to short cuts,…). Use this to get to the folder elements
Shift + F10: This is right click equivalent. Calls the context menu on either an item in the folder or of the folder.
F2: Rename a file/folder
Ctrl + Shift+ N: Create a new folder
F5: Refresh all elements (e.g. if you are waiting for a file to appear)
Win + M: Minimize all windows. Can be useful in certain situations 😉
Most programs (like IDEs) have a file menu, or an edit function which can you can all pressing
Alt+…: To get underlined which letter you need to press to get to the respective menu, turning this
into this:
Moreover, in the Microsoft Office Suite,
you can press Alt to have short keys being displayed to go from this
to this:
Now you know how you can interact with windows explorer using just your keyboard. But how can you move entire windows or change the focus?
Windows + ←/→/↑/↓: Moves the window to the left, right, up or down. Just play a bit with it. Super useful once you get the hang of it.
You can move across screens like this too!
Alt + Tab: Opens an overview of all active windows from where you can pick one.
Outlook
Most software has some additional short cuts available. I find the ones in outlook nice as I use it a lot in my daily work:
Ctrl + 1/2/3/…: Open Mail/Calendar/Contacts/…
Ctrl + N: Create new email
Ctrl + F: Forward email
Ctrl + R: Reply to sender
Ctrl + A: Reply to all
Ctrl + Shift + A: Create a new calendar event
Remember you can press Alt to show other hot keys.
Brower
The inter is a huge part of our life and work, so navigating your computer with a keyboard only can only make sense if you can navigate the
internet as well. The following works in Chrome, but most seem to work in Firefox as well:
Ctrl + T: Opens a tab
Ctrl + W: Closes a tab
Ctrl + Tab: Jump to next tab
Ctrl + 1/2/3/…: Jump to first, second, third tab…
Ctrl + Shift + Tab: Jump to previous tab
Ctrl + L: Jump into the navigation pane (Where you can type a new address)
Alt + ←/→: Go back/forward
F5: Refresh page
Navigating websites
Okay, so navigating between tabs etc seems easy, but how do you navigate on a given website. Every website is different so it is not so easy to have
standardized commands. The key here is a neat little plug in called Vimium.
My favourite feature is called “find”: Press F on your keyboard to have Vimium display (combinations of) letters on every “clickable element” on
the website. Next, simply press the combination you want to click:
This is awesome, as it allows you to interact with websites irrespective or their design. I keep being amazed at how well it picks up all click-able fields.
Only when there is text to enter (say a registration form) it can get quirky to navigate.
It offers a lot of other functionality beyond that, best to check out this video.
So there you have it: Most (all?) operations usually performed with your mouse can be accomplished with your keyboard. It might take a bit to get used to it
but it can save you a ton of time down the road and it is way more ergonomic.
Image credit: Pixabay
