Get to know the basics

There are certain shortcuts I use all day, every day. Whether you're working with photos and music, or within documents or spreadsheets, these tips will help you be a speed demon.

• Copy a selected item: Ctrl+C

• Cut a selected item: Ctrl+X

• Paste a selected item: Ctrl+V

• Undo an action: Ctrl+Z

• Select everything: Ctrl+A

• Print: Ctrl+P

Manage open windows

Chances are, you use your PC to do a lot of things at once. Shortcuts go a long way towards cutting the clutter.

• Minimize the Window
  Windows logo key + Down Arrow
  Minimizing a window is a surefire way to see what's underneath it. And it's fast to use the shortcut. If the window is maximized already (covering the entire screen) it'll go to “normal” size. And if it's normal size, it'll minimize entirely.

• Maximize the Window
  Windows logo key + Up Arrow
  Maximizing windows works the same way.

• Switch between open windows
  ALT + Tab
  If you have lots of open windows and you're not sure exactly which one you need, press ALT + Tab, and get a quick thumbnail view of all open windows.
  
  Then, while holding down the ALT key, press the tab key multiple times until you get to the window you want.

• Display the desktop
  Windows logo key + D
  Use this shortcut when you want to minimize a lot of open windows at once to check something on your desktop. It's a cinch to go from a cluttered view to a clean one.

  

  

Get even funkier with window management

It may surprise you to learn that there are even more options when it comes to dealing with your open windows and programs—but there are.

• Multitask with multiple monitors
  Ctrl + Windows logo key + Shift + Arrow
  Do you use more than one monitor at a time? Now you can shift an open window to your other monitor in less than a second.

• Make Snap a snap.
  Windows logo key + Arrow
  If you haven't checked out Snap, you're missing out. It's the perfect way to compare two documents side by side. Use the shortcut for Snap to make it snappier.
  While pressing the Windows logo key, click the right or left arrow to snap your document to one side.
  Select another document, and do the same thing to compare them side by side.
  

Manage tasks

You're probably more than familiar with the Ctrl+Alt+Delete shortcut to manage tasks. But did you know that there are shortcuts for performing some of those tasks directly?

• Open Task Manager
  Ctrl + Shift + Escape
  This simple shortcut whisks you straight to Task Manager—without any intermediary steps.
  

• Lock your PC or switch users
  Windows logo key + L
  This simple shortcut locks your PC with a single click and instantly displays the log in screen.

Work with items on the taskbar

The Windows 7 taskbar is big, flexible, and feature rich. You can use shortcuts to make working with it even easier.

• Open a new instance of a program
  Shift + Click a taskbar icon
  I like Internet Explorer tabs—but sometimes it's easier to launch a new browser. It's simple: just click the Internet Explorer icon while holding down Shift.

• Toggle between documents
  Ctrl + Click a taskbar icon
  Let's say you have five open Word documents. You can click on the Word icon in the taskbar to view thumbnails of each. And if you press Ctrl before you click on the icon, you can scroll through each one fully.