Q: Is Microsoft working on an operating system after Windows Vista?
In honor of Windows 7, I present seven keyboard shortcuts that will bring everlasting peace to the world. Well, maybe not – but they will make you more productive.
Some of these are exclusive to Windows 7; others have been around for a while, but fall into the category of “The Best Keyboard Shortcuts You’re Not Using.”
1. Everyone knows you can click on a filename in Windows Explorer to rename that file. If you’re like me, you end up double-clicking the file half of the time. Problem solved: Press the F2 key on any selected item to edit its filename.
2. Let’s say you’re on the Desktop, and want to search for a file somewhere on your system. Press F3 to open a window with focus set to the Search dialog.
3. Are you still clicking CTRL+ALT+DEL to access the Task Manager and kill programs? For shame! Pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ESC opens the Task Manager directly.
4. In both Windows Vista and Windows 7, programs don’t run by default with Administrator privileges. Some programs, however, must run as Administrator in order to work. You can right-click on the application and click the Run as Administrator menu option. Or, you can hold down CTRL+SHIFT while double-clicking.
5. Did you know that holding down SHIFT when you right-click an item in Windows Explorer expands the menu options available? It adds a new command, Run as Different User, to the context menu, and it greatly expands on the applications and folders available in the Send To command. Here’s a small sampling of the additional folders you might see.
6. Most Windows 7 users learn early on about Windows Peek: put your mouse in the lower-right hand corner of the screen, and you can see through to the desktop. No need to use your mouse, though: you can Peek the desktop by pressing WIN+SPACE.
7. Finally, there’s a nifty alternative for switching focus to an open application:press WIN+T to cycle through all of the items on the Windows Taskbar.
In Windows 7, this trick will also give you the Aero thumbnail preview of the selected window. Release the WIN key and press ENTER to bring the selected application to the foreground. Want more? Take a gander at Microsoft’s master list of keyboard shortcuts for Windows 7.
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