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In the days of WordPerfect, keyboard shortcuts were the norm. Many in the legal world even had pre-printed overlays that sat along the top of the keyboard displaying a variety of keyboard shortcuts for various tasks. As the industry transitioned to Microsoft products, dependency upon the mouse to complete tasks increased, causing greater time away from the keyboard and leading to the death of keyboard shortcuts and, ultimately, to the detriment of efficiency.
Keyboard shortcuts often provide for faster maneuvering between commands than switching between the mouse, navigating to the correct location, clicking a box, typing whatever needs to be entered and then using the mouse to navigate again. Additionally, keyboard shortcuts offer an alternative solution when programs “freeze up” and don’t respond to the menus being clicked on.
Working with a Mac
Not all keyboard shortcuts will be the same across all computers, especially not on a Mac. Many well-known keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl + C or Ctrl + V) are Windows-specific. Often, swapping the Ctrl key with the command key on the Mac will do the trick, but it is not a guaranteed solution. There are many sites that offer Mac-specific keyboard shortcuts, even Microsoft.
Web browser
Keyboard shortcuts are often contemplated for Word and other Microsoft Office-related applications, but they can be used throughout the entire computer, even the web browser. While some keyboard shortcuts will be browser-specific (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) others are universal. These are helpful universal web browser shortcuts:
1. F5: Refresh the current page
2. Ctrl + H on PC/Command + Y on Mac (Safari): Opens browsing history, divided by date, allows for searching.
3. Ctrl + F on PC/Command + F on Mac: Search for text on webpage.
4. Ctrl + L on PC/Command + L on Mac: Highlights the address bar. This is a great option to quickly grab the URL of a page. Use this keyboard shortcut, then Ctrl + C to copy, navigate to location to paste and press Ctrl + V.
5. Ctrl + Shift + T on PC/Command + Shift + T on Mac: Reopens the last closed browser tab. This is a great option to quickly navigate back to a page that was inadvertently closed or if another task developed after closing out. This will not work once the entire browser has been closed; at least one tab will need to remain open for this to work.
Customize keyboard shortcuts
Office provides the option to create your own keyboard shortcuts in a couple different manners:
Microsoft Word: Insert symbols: Microsoft Word provides two options for creating keyboard shortcuts to insert symbols like the section, paragraph or registered symbols with ease into documents without having to remember where to find them on the toolbar.
Go to the Insert tab, click “Symbols,” choose “More Symbols” and click “Special Characters.” Select the desired symbol to customize. Select which of two types of keyboard shortcuts to create for future insertion of these symbols:
1. AutoCorrect: This option provides the ability to type any text and have Word automatically replace or “AutoCorrect” it with the desired symbol. For example, type “S!” and set it to AutoCorrect to §.
To create an AutoCorrect entry, choose “AutoCorrect” from the menu after following the steps listed above this option. In the “Replace” box, enter the text that should be “AutoCorrected” going forward. In the example above, the “Replace” box would read “S!” and the “with” box will have the § character listed.
2. Sequence of Shortcut Keys: This option creates a classic keyboard shortcut. Upon pressing a specific sequence of keys, Word will automatically insert the desired symbol. This could be something like Alt + Ctrl + R to insert the registered symbol ® into the document.
To create a Shortcut Key, choose “Shortcut Key” from the menu after following the steps listed above this option. In the “Press New Shortcut Key” box, press the desired sequence of keys. The screen will display existing shortcuts in “Current Keys,” and any conflicts with the new sequence will display on the screen, too. Click “Assign.”
Microsoft Office: Actions: Customed Office keyboard shortcuts can be assigned to any action available within Microsoft Office by customizing it through the ribbon:
1. Click File, Options, Customize
Ribbon.
2. Click Customize next to Keyboard Shortcuts.
3. Select the desired command to customize. The current keyboard shortcut(s) will appear in “Current Keys.” Press Shortcut Keys as desired, which will appear in “Press new shortcut key.” If that shortcut belongs to something else, it will display under the “Currently assigned to” area. To use something else, just press a different set of keys. When ready, click “Assign.”
Whether it is for increased speed or functionality, keyboard shortcuts provide an entirely new world of possibilities right at your fingertips.•
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Deanna Marquez ([email protected]) is a co-owner of the Indianapolis-based legal technology company Modern Information Solutions LLC. Areas of service include traditional IT services, software training and litigation support including trial presentation services. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
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