16 Windows Shortcuts That Will Make Studying Faster in 2022

Shortcuts are a very simple way to save up some time and make the whole process of using a PC much more convenient. Of course, each usage of a shortcut only saves you a few seconds. But considering how often they can be used, those few seconds become a pretty significant amount of time.

It’s especially important when studying. Every minute matters. You can learn a new subject, add a few sentences to your essay, or do a tiny speed test. However, if the circumstances are really harsh, there’s always an option to look for external help. Students tend to overwork often, which causes the loss of motivation or even depression.

That’s why academic help services are so popular nowadays. It’s as easy as googling “service to write my essay for me” and getting the job done for you. And it doesn’t have to be the last resort. You can use the shortcuts to save you some time and maximize efficiency. But it’s also okay to free more time by delegating the least important assignments to pros.

Here’s the list of the most useful key combinations, along with some basic ones you may have missed.

Contents

Remembering The Basics

Windows Shortcuts That Will Make Studying Faster

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Alt+Tab

This is probably the most used and known shortcut. It allows users to switch between windows. It’s especially useful while using full-screen applications like games. Because you don’t have any other option to switch to another window while using them.

Ctrl+Shift+Esc

Users who are acquainted with Windows XP/Vista or older versions know about Ctrl+Alt+Delete. It was used to bring up the task manager. You can configure some things in it, monitor the performance, and close the programs. However, in more modern Windows versions, it opens a menu where you have to choose the task manager manually. Ctrl+Shift+Esc removes that need, as it opens the manager in an instant.

Alt+F4

Also one of the iconic shortcuts. It closes the instance of a program (a window). Basically, it eliminates the need to bring your cursor all the way over the X button. In most cases, it’s used to close programs that are lagging or stopped working.

Ctrl+C

This combination of buttons copies the highlighted text, a file, folder, and basically anything. This is a much faster way to copy what you need without right-clicking and then pressing the “Copy” button. In some applications it may require a few tries to work due to the potential lags, so watch out.

Ctrl+V

The sibling of the “copy” shortcut, this one allows users to paste whatever they’ve copied. In some programs, you can even paste pictures directly with it. In some older software when trying to paste big chunks of texts or files it may require a few seconds to work.

Ctrl+A

This combo highlights everything on the page (in a browser) or in a window. Combine it with the “Copy” and “Paste” shortcuts, and you can transfer whole paragraphs in an instant. The combination of those 3 is probably the most-time saving one on the list. Especially when working with essays and other text assignments.

Less Known Ones

Win+D

It may be surprising for some old-school users, but computer rookies don’t know the fastest way to get to the desktop. Use this shortcut when you need to access files on the desktop. It takes you there momentarily. Press it again to get back to the opened window.

Ctrl+Z

Everyone knows about the “Undo” button in applications like Microsoft Word. However, not many people know that the undo feature is present in many programs, even on the desktop screen. Press Ctrl+Z to undo the last action, whatever it may be – deleted file, pasted text, or created folder. But don’t get too negligent, it won’t unsend emails.

Ctrl+W

Similar to Alt+F4, this one closes what’s opened at the moment. Yet, it works a bit more locally. For example, instead of closing the whole browser window, it only closes the current tab. The difference between them can be described like this:

Ctrl+W is meant for browsers (closing individual tabs)
Alt+F4 is meant for closing windows (an instance of a program)

Tab

Pressing the Tab button allows you to switch between elements. For example, between the buttons in the video player or lines of text you need to fill in. This lets users press the buttons on the screen without left-clicking them (choose with Tab and press enter to interact).

Win+E

Need to open the Explorer (not the ancient browser, but the file one)? Win+E does exactly that. In most cases, this shortcut is used when you already have an explorer window opened, and need an additional one.

Win+S

This one opens the Windows Search bar. Yes, the bar that can be found in the bottom left corner and in the quick access menu. Don’t neglect it, the search feature can become your main tool to open programs and find files. For some reason (the horrible search quality and speed of it in old Windows versions), many users tend to neglect this feature. Don’t follow their mistakes, its convenience will surprise you.

Advanced Shortcuts

Win+R

Opens a tab where you can type in the name of a file, program, or process you want to open/perform. It’s called the Run Command menu. For example, typing “cmd” into it will open the console.

Win+Left/Right Arrow

Snaps the opened window on the side of the screen. Very useful when you need multiple windows opened at the same time and want to place them on the screen in a fast way. Sometimes it can take surprising amounts of time to place the windows symmetrically without this shortcut.

Win+Prt Scr

This shortcut makes a screenshot and saves it into the folder. Yes, the single press of the Print Screen button only does the shot, which should be manually pasted after. With this combination, the picture of the screen is also saved to the “Images>Screenshots” folder.

Win+L

Locks the screen. Want to go grab some water but don’t want your roommates to snoop into the essay you’re writing? This is the fastest way to prevent them from doing that. Provided you’ve secured your device with a password, of course.

Summing Up

There are shortcuts for almost everything you can imagine. It’s just that most people don’t have a clue about their existence. So, we hope that using these key combinations will help you maximize the efficiency of your study sessions by saving some precious time.