Best Hotkeys to Speed Up Your Life

Let’s face it: when it comes to our work, we all want things to move faster and devices to work better. It’s possible to drastically improve your everyday workflow with one small trick: hotkeys. Hotkeys are the key combinations that work as shortcuts and often trigger advanced tasks in devices. If you know your hotkeys, you can speed up your life. 

Below we’ll discuss some of the best hotkeys you should start using right now. Don’t worry, we haven’t listed cut, copy or paste. 

1. Select, capture and edit screenshots quickly

We often need to share screenshots with vendors or colleagues but it can be a hassle to go through multiple steps just to get the right section of the screen. On Windows devices, you can press Windows key+Shift+S to fire up Microsoft’s Snip & Sketch app to adjust screenshot details. If you’re a Mac user, press Command+Shift+3 to screenshot the entire window or Command+Shift+4 to select a specific screen area. Want more tools to capture or record screens? Command+Shift+5 will help you with that. 

2. Switch between multiple open programs

We multitask a lot and it needs us to constantly switch between apps. You can use hotkeys to quickly move between open programs and even tabs. In Windows, press Alt+Tab to switch between two recently used apps and Ctrl+Tab to switch between open tabs in Chrome and Edge browsers. Mac users can press Command+Tab to switch between open apps and use Ctrl+Tab to switch to the next tab in Safari. The new Ventura update also brings Stage Manager to macOS, significantly improving user productivity. 

3. Search files quickly

The faster you can find a file or system data, the faster you can get on with your tasks. Mac users are blessed with Spotlight search that scans the entire system (or the parts you allow it) to show results and it can be triggered just by pressing Command+Spacebar. 

If you want to use similar search shortcuts in Windows, all you have to do is press Alt+Spacebar.

4. Close apps fast

If you have multiple apps opened, you don’t have to go to the top right (or left, in the case of Mac) to close apps individually. On Windows, press Ctrl+F4 to close the current window of an app, which is particularly useful for browsers with multiple tabs. To close an application entirely, select it and press Alt+F4. 

If you’re a Mac user, simply press Command+Q to close the running application. 

5. Shut down your device in case of malfunctions

It’s not unusual to come across unresponsive Windows or Mac devices where a reboot is the only solution. If your mouse/trackpad has stopped functioning or you’re short on time, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and then use the arrow keys to select the Shut Down option. If you don’t have any open applications, pressing Alt+F4 might trigger a shutdown as well.

For Mac users, pressing the Control+Option+Command+Power/Eject will shut down the device immediately. 

It can be helpful to familiarize yourself with the hotkeys available in the programs you use frequently, as they can save you time and make your workflow more efficient. But not every application or device works with the same hotkeys. If you require help with your Microsoft device, get in touch with the experts at MyTek.