For college students, mastering a few essential keyboard shortcuts can greatly improve productivity, especially during busy study sessions or when working on assignments. Here are some top shortcuts tailored to commonly used applications and systems, making them perfect for UConn students balancing academics, activities and everything in between.
Starting with the basics, some shortcuts are universal across both Windows and Mac OS. For instance, “Ctrl + C” (or “Cmd + C” on Mac) copies selected text or items, while “Ctrl + V” (or “Cmd + V”) pastes them. To undo an action, try “Ctrl + Z” (“Cmd + Z” on Mac), and to redo it, use “Ctrl + Y” (“Cmd + Shift + Z” on Mac). These come in handy when editing documents and emails, or even in webpages like Blackboard.
Yes, the control key becomes the command key on Mac. Why? Well, it is an interesting-ish story, but let’s just say Apple has always been about doing their own thing!
When typing long papers or emails, navigating efficiently within the text can save valuable time. For instance, “Ctrl + Arrow Keys” (left, right, up and down) lets you move through a document word by word rather than character by character, while “Shift + Arrow Keys” lets you select text one character at a time. On Macs, “Option + Arrow Keys” offers similar navigation. These shortcuts can be a lifesaver for research papers and assignments that require multiple edits.
Since UConn students often juggle research, Blackboard and other online platforms, knowing browser shortcuts is crucial. “Ctrl + T” (“Cmd + T” on Mac) opens a new tab. To jump between tabs, use “Ctrl + Tab” or “Ctrl + Shift + Tab.” For Mac OS, “Cmd + Option + Arrow Keys” moves between tabs, making navigation faster. On some browsers, “Ctrl + (a number)” will bring you straight to the tab with the corresponding number.
Ever close something you didn’t mean to? “Ctrl + Shift + T” (“Cmd + Shift + T”) restores the last closed tab — a lifesaver if you ask me. Be careful though, sometimes pages that contained time or session-sensitive data can’t as easily be recovered. An example is a filled form; that would have to be re-filled and submitted anew.
For reading through syllabi or academic articles, “Ctrl + F” (“Cmd + F” on Mac) allows you to quickly find keywords within a document. In Adobe Acrobat, a fully-featured PDF viewer, “Ctrl + L” (“Cmd + L” on Mac) enables full-screen mode for focused reading. If you’re using a Windows device, pressing “Windows Key + L” locks the screen — a great security habit for students using shared study spaces. Mac users can use “Cmd + Control + Q” for the same purpose.
(PS, if you’re on Linux, you’re cool — but your keyboard shortcut-milage may vary unless your keyboard is synced with a Windows profile.)
By incorporating these handy shortcuts into daily routines, students can stay organized, efficient and ready to tackle any academic challenge. Keyboard shortcuts rock, but many of these functions are also available in menus or using accessibility features for those who prefer a visual method. See you again next week — until then, I’m going back “Under the Rock.”