Day 21 – Basic Keyboard Shortcut Keys for Windows 8
Teaching and Learning with a Windows 8 Tablet4/01/2013
Welcome to Day 21 of working with a Microsoft Surface Pro Windows 8 tablet for educators.
Today I would like to share some of the Basic Keyboard Shortcuts that I find most useful when using the Surface Pro with a keyboard.
Keyboard shortcuts are a very efficient method for quickly getting work done without removing your hands away from the keyboard. When the Surface Pro and other Windows 8 touchscreen PC’s first came to market there were many critics that said a touchscreen would never work on a vertical screen.
After using Windows 8 with a touchscreen for many months I can say the detractors were wrong. In fact, I routinely find myself reaching up to my regular monitors trying to interact with the screen. Now I wish all PC’s and laptops had touchscreens. Windows 8 is a touch-first operating system but there are times when a keyboard is the best method of getting things done. Choice is good, and Windows 8 is a very flexible operating system offering multiple methods of input and providing users a choice for their preferences.
In the future I do not think I will buy a PC without a touchscreen, it is that handy. Being able to pinch and zoom, swipe, and pan the screen around is now expected in the Windows 8 world.
But, there are times when the touchscreen is not appropriate for inputting data. Windows 8 has you covered there as well. There are a handful of Windows 8 shortcut keys I find indispensable when working with the keyboard on the Surface Pro. I previously blogged about some of my favorite shortcut keys so here is an excerpt:
The “Windows” (Win) key by itself immediately brings you to the “Start Screen”, press Windows key again and you return to whatever app you were in. The Windows Key (located in lower left corner of PC keyboards, usually between the Ctrl and Alt Keys). I will refer to the Windows Key as the Win Key and it often is represented by the Windows Flag.
Win+C brings up the Charms bar
Win+I brings you to Settings
Win+X brings up the “Power Users” menu
Win+S brings up the screen clipping tool to save selected regions of the screen to OneNote in Desktop mode
Win+D switches to Desktop mode
Win+H Share
Win+K Devices
Win+F Files
Win+Q takes you to Search.
Win + Z takes you to application bar in modern apps
Win + Z takes you to application bar in modern apps
On the Desktop side of Windows 8 all the normal keyboard shortcuts that I have learned over the years still work in Windows 8 using the snap-on keyboard.
Alt+F4 closes the current window (also a very easy way to close metro-style apps)
Ctrl-C for copy
Ctrl-V for Paste
Win+Tab cycles through your open apps (Alt+Tab also works this way)
Shift+arrow keys allow you to highlight text on the screen in Word.
Ctrl++ Zoom in
Ctrl+ - Zoom out
Learn these shortcuts and you will be able to fly around the interface and become much more productive in your day to day work with a Windows 8 Tablet. Use the touchscreen whenever it is more natural for you. Having a choice of user inputs puts you in control of your workflow.
If I can find some time in the next couple of weeks I will make a screencast to demonstrate some of the keyboard shortcuts I use most often.
For a more complete list of Windows 8 Keyboard Shortcuts visit the link below:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/new-keyboard-shortcuts#1TC=t1Until next time...
Keep on Learning,
Keep on Learning,
Tom Grissom, PhD
Follow me on Twitter @tomgrissom
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