"Most people know how to use a computer, but do they know about keyboard shortcuts? This article is a helpful list of some useful shortcuts and a few tips for Chromebooks." -- Hayley Schoeneman 6th grade
Most people know how to use a computer, but do they know about keyboard shortcuts? This article is a helpful list of some useful shortcuts and a few tips for Chromebooks.
Maia Cavagnolo, a 6th grader in the Literary Arts department at OSA who started using a computer around 2019 or 2020, knows a few random shortcuts. These include ctrl + t, and ctrl + alt + t to open crosh, the chrome os developer shell. Cavagnolo says of all the shortcuts they know the most useful one is probably ctrl + z, which is “undo.”
Mila Boyden, a 7th grader also in the Literary Arts department at OSA, started using a computer around 1st grade. Though Boyden does not use a computer at home, Boyden knows the shortcut ctrl + x, which deletes and copies what you have highlighted.
But for the list of shortcuts; some shortcuts that aren't really shortcuts. They are actually the only way to achieve something. Probably the most commonly known is control z. Ctrl + z undoes the last action you did, as previously mentioned, but ctrl + z only undoes some things. To reopen your last closed tab you need ctrl + shift + t. And if you plan on using ctrl + z a lot you should know ctrl + y. Ctrl + y is a redo. Basically it undoes your most recent ctrl + z.
There's also ctrl + f, for find in a document. Type ctrl + f and it brings up a search box. Type in the search box and anywhere it says what you typed in the document it will highlight. Go ahead, try it right now. You can use it to find specific pieces of information, or if you were writing about someone, you can check that you capitalized their name. If you click the more button (it looks like three dots on top of each other) it will let you replace that word with a different one. You can also do this in a doc with ctrl + h, which brings this to the next shortcut.
When in a new tab, you can use ctrl + h to bring up your search history. You probably won't use this very often, but if you ever feel the need now you know how.
Don’t want to have to hold down shift while typing a sentence to capitalize the whole thing? Well, caps lock is the way to go. Just use alt + search once to turn it on and again to turn it off.
You should also know how to take screenshots. Don’t worry, it's simple! There's another shortcut! Use ctrl + windows to take one of your entire screen, and ctrl + shift + windows to select the area.
On a Google doc or slide there is a little zoom tool but have you ever wanted to zoom in on a different sight and it doesn't have a zoom tool? Look no further! You can use ctrl and = to zoom in and ctrl and - to zoom out. And if you want to quickly set it back to normal you can use ctrl + 0.
Another thing people often want to do but think they need a button is insert and emoji. To pull up the emoji keyboard you can use shift + search + space.
Next, shortcuts to speed things up. These shortcuts are great if you need something done fast or if you're too lazy to move your mouse/finger on a trackpad.
First in this list is a trick for YouTube. Yes, you can skip by dragging the red bar at the bottom but did you know that you can also skip through the video using number keys? Well, you can! When you press one it takes you 10% through the video, two takes you 20% and so on.
This one is pretty useful. If you don’t want to bother holding down backspace or highlighting what you want to delete, ctrl + backspace deletes an entire word at a time.
These next two shortcuts go together: ctrl + t to create a new tab and ctrl + w to close one. (Ctrl + w closes the tab you are currently on.)
Another one you might want if you don’t want to move your cursor is ctrl + l (that’s an L, not an I). Ctrl + l brings you straight to the search bar on the top of your screen.
This shortcut sure is pretty useful if you want to start over, change your text font or color or something of the sort. The shortcut ctrl + a will highlight everything on the doc or website.
Alright, so you've already seen how to open a new tab, but what about a new window? Well, there's a shortcut for that, too! Ctrl + n.
Last in this section is alt + backspace. Everyone knows that when you hit the backspace key it deletes the letter left of your cursor. But by using alt backspace you can delete the letter right of it.
Last of all is the tricks section. These little features aren't shortcuts but they are useful enough to be mentioned. In fact they might help you more than any shortcut will.
Have you ever tried three or four finger swiping? This first one is one of the most useful tricks you can use. What it does is switch between tabs and windows. Three finger swipe to the right or left will change tabs in that direction. You can also do this by using ctrl + tab for the next tab and ctrl + shift + tab to go to the previous one. Three finger swipe up will do the same as the windows key. Four finger swipe left or right will switch desktops. It's usually a good idea to have multiple desktops. It helps keep you organized.
The final trick is for highlighting things. You probably know how to highlight something; you just click and drag, right? But there are other ways, too. The first is to click somewhere on the website that you are using and then hold shift and use the arrow keys. The second is click somewhere, hold shift and click somewhere else. It will highlight everything in between.
Hopefully this list of shortcuts will help you improve your skills on a computer, or just help you do things faster.
Maia Cavagnolo, a 6th grader in the Literary Arts department at OSA who started using a computer around 2019 or 2020, knows a few random shortcuts. These include ctrl + t, and ctrl + alt + t to open crosh, the chrome os developer shell. Cavagnolo says of all the shortcuts they know the most useful one is probably ctrl + z, which is “undo.”
Mila Boyden, a 7th grader also in the Literary Arts department at OSA, started using a computer around 1st grade. Though Boyden does not use a computer at home, Boyden knows the shortcut ctrl + x, which deletes and copies what you have highlighted.
But for the list of shortcuts; some shortcuts that aren't really shortcuts. They are actually the only way to achieve something. Probably the most commonly known is control z. Ctrl + z undoes the last action you did, as previously mentioned, but ctrl + z only undoes some things. To reopen your last closed tab you need ctrl + shift + t. And if you plan on using ctrl + z a lot you should know ctrl + y. Ctrl + y is a redo. Basically it undoes your most recent ctrl + z.
There's also ctrl + f, for find in a document. Type ctrl + f and it brings up a search box. Type in the search box and anywhere it says what you typed in the document it will highlight. Go ahead, try it right now. You can use it to find specific pieces of information, or if you were writing about someone, you can check that you capitalized their name. If you click the more button (it looks like three dots on top of each other) it will let you replace that word with a different one. You can also do this in a doc with ctrl + h, which brings this to the next shortcut.
When in a new tab, you can use ctrl + h to bring up your search history. You probably won't use this very often, but if you ever feel the need now you know how.
Don’t want to have to hold down shift while typing a sentence to capitalize the whole thing? Well, caps lock is the way to go. Just use alt + search once to turn it on and again to turn it off.
You should also know how to take screenshots. Don’t worry, it's simple! There's another shortcut! Use ctrl + windows to take one of your entire screen, and ctrl + shift + windows to select the area.
On a Google doc or slide there is a little zoom tool but have you ever wanted to zoom in on a different sight and it doesn't have a zoom tool? Look no further! You can use ctrl and = to zoom in and ctrl and - to zoom out. And if you want to quickly set it back to normal you can use ctrl + 0.
Another thing people often want to do but think they need a button is insert and emoji. To pull up the emoji keyboard you can use shift + search + space.
Next, shortcuts to speed things up. These shortcuts are great if you need something done fast or if you're too lazy to move your mouse/finger on a trackpad.
First in this list is a trick for YouTube. Yes, you can skip by dragging the red bar at the bottom but did you know that you can also skip through the video using number keys? Well, you can! When you press one it takes you 10% through the video, two takes you 20% and so on.
This one is pretty useful. If you don’t want to bother holding down backspace or highlighting what you want to delete, ctrl + backspace deletes an entire word at a time.
These next two shortcuts go together: ctrl + t to create a new tab and ctrl + w to close one. (Ctrl + w closes the tab you are currently on.)
Another one you might want if you don’t want to move your cursor is ctrl + l (that’s an L, not an I). Ctrl + l brings you straight to the search bar on the top of your screen.
This shortcut sure is pretty useful if you want to start over, change your text font or color or something of the sort. The shortcut ctrl + a will highlight everything on the doc or website.
Alright, so you've already seen how to open a new tab, but what about a new window? Well, there's a shortcut for that, too! Ctrl + n.
Last in this section is alt + backspace. Everyone knows that when you hit the backspace key it deletes the letter left of your cursor. But by using alt backspace you can delete the letter right of it.
Last of all is the tricks section. These little features aren't shortcuts but they are useful enough to be mentioned. In fact they might help you more than any shortcut will.
Have you ever tried three or four finger swiping? This first one is one of the most useful tricks you can use. What it does is switch between tabs and windows. Three finger swipe to the right or left will change tabs in that direction. You can also do this by using ctrl + tab for the next tab and ctrl + shift + tab to go to the previous one. Three finger swipe up will do the same as the windows key. Four finger swipe left or right will switch desktops. It's usually a good idea to have multiple desktops. It helps keep you organized.
The final trick is for highlighting things. You probably know how to highlight something; you just click and drag, right? But there are other ways, too. The first is to click somewhere on the website that you are using and then hold shift and use the arrow keys. The second is click somewhere, hold shift and click somewhere else. It will highlight everything in between.
Hopefully this list of shortcuts will help you improve your skills on a computer, or just help you do things faster.