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Shortcut Methods

Common keyboard and mouse shortcuts work across a wide range of applications, making them efficient skills to learn once and apply everywhere.

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About this video

Keyboard and mouse shortcuts follow consistent patterns across most mainstream applications, meaning a shortcut learned in one program often transfers directly to another. Whether working in a browser, email client, spreadsheet, document editor, or presentation tool, the underlying input logic stays largely the same — making early investment in learning these shortcuts a high-return skill. The mouse provides several distinct input types: left-click for selecting and activating objects, right-click for context menus and drag operations, scroll wheel for navigation, and the wheel button itself as a pressable input. Keyboard shortcuts typically involve modifier keys — Ctrl, Shift, Alt, and the Windows or Options key — combined with standard letter or function keys, though some applications also assign actions to single keystrokes depending on context. Combining keyboard and mouse inputs simultaneously opens up a further layer of fast commands that experienced users rely on to move through tasks quickly. These concepts are best understood in practice, and applying them across real application demos reinforces how broadly they extend across daily computing tasks.

What you'll learn

What's covered

Common App Shortcuts

Aligned to

CompTIA Tech+
3.3 Explain the purpose and proper use of software.
CompTIA A+ Core 2
1.3 Given a scenario, use features and tools of the Microsoft Windows 10/11 operating system (OS).
1.10 Identify common features and tools of the macOS/desktop OS.

Key terms

Keyboard Shortcut
A combination of one or more keys pressed simultaneously to perform a function or command quickly without using a mouse or menu.
Mouse Shortcut
A mouse action such as left-click, right-click, click-and-drag, or scroll wheel press used to quickly interact with on-screen elements.
Key Combination
Two or more keys pressed together, commonly using modifier keys such as Ctrl, Shift, or Alt, to execute a specific command in an application.
Copy and Paste
A common keyboard shortcut operation using Ctrl+C to copy and Ctrl+V to paste content, available across most standard desktop applications.
Modifier Key
A key such as Ctrl, Shift, or Alt that, when held in combination with another key, triggers a specific shortcut or command.

Topics

Keyboard Shortcuts Mouse Shortcuts Desktop Applications Operating Systems End User Computing Productivity Tools

Transcript

Shortcuts carry across applications

There are a lot of common shortcuts amongst our apps, and there are also a lot of shortcut methods.

Something you have done before is probably a copy and paste using your keyboard, a Ctrl+C and a Ctrl+V. That is similar no matter what program you are using, whether you are using a browser to surf the internet, a spreadsheet, presentation software, document software, email, any of the applications that you are using. There are really a lot of similarities from that perspective, so learn it once and it applies to other applications as well.

Where input comes from

There are some specialty input devices, like I have a Stream Deck right here, where I can program these buttons to have different inputs into my system. But for the most part, most of our inputs into our system are going to be through the keyboard and mouse. So really all your shortcuts, or most of your shortcuts, are going to be through a keyboard, a mouse, or a keyboard and mouse.

The mouse

If we are using our mouse, we have a left button, a right button, we usually have some sort of scroll wheel, and sometimes we have a couple of extra buttons on there that we can either program or that have some function to them.

On your computer, the left mouse button can be used to click on buttons on your screen, menu items, different objects on your screen like folders, or maybe some sort of object within the program. Or you can use the left mouse button to click and drag. Same thing with the right mouse button, although usually we are clicking objects with it and a menu comes up with it, or you can click and drag with it. And then the wheel has some shortcuts with it as well; for instance, the wheel is a button that you can press as well.

The keyboard

When we are using our keyboards, sometimes just hitting a letter will actually be a shortcut. For instance, if I hit S in my video editing software, it will split a video.

There are also the key combinations. Using Control, Shift, Alt are the common ones, sometimes the Windows or Options key. If you use the combination with another letter, then those are shortcuts as well.

Keyboard and mouse together

One that is probably a little less common is using your keyboard with your mouse. There are some real fast shortcuts that you can use when you are using both your keyboard and mouse at the same time.

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