Common Computer Terms and Shortcuts

Originally Posted 9/25/24. Last Updated 10/2/24

photo of two people at a desk with two laptops in front of them. You can only see from their neck down to about where their bellybuttons would be. They look to be in the middle of a conversation, and there's a notepad between them with writing on it.

Terminology
Commands

Working in IT, I interact with a lot of people who either struggle with what I would consider basic computer terminology, or are just simply unaware of easy keyboard shortcuts that I think can make things run a lot smoother. This article will be me making a list of these terms and shortcuts, with the goal to update it as I run into more things people are either confused by, or I think would be helpful for them to know.

Terminology

Web Browser- This is what you click on in order to get to the internet. Common ones are Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Firefox, or Safari.
Taskbar- This is the area along the bottom of your screen where it shows different app icons. If you're on Windows, this is also where the shutdown buttons are, as well as info like your volume, wifi, etc.
WiFi- This is Wireless Internet. This is what you typically connect to with phones or laptops. It typically requires you to select a WiFi name and maybe enter a password to connect.
Ethernet- This is a type of cable that will connect you directly to your router or switch in order to get internet access. It looks like a bigger telephone cable. When I work with users a question I will ask is "Are you connected via Ethernet?" to ask if they are hard wired into our networked (there's a physical connection going from their computer to the network) or on WiFi (there is no physical connection between the computer and the network).

Commands

Note: Most of the commands below I will be writing how you'd do them on a Windows computer. Most will also work on a Mac, you'd just have to use "Command" instead of "Control"

Note 2: When I use the + symbol, I mean that you press these things at the same time. It may also work if you hold the Control (Ctrl) or Windows Key down first, and then press the second key.

Ctrl+C - Copy. This copies whatever you have highlighted with your cursor.
Ctrl+V - Paste (Velcro). This pastes whatever you copied
Ctrl+P - Print. This prints whatever document or webpage you have open. Usually opens a print preview menu.
Ctrl+S - Save. Save whatever document you are working on.
Ctrl+T - Open New tab. This opens a new tab in whatever Web browser you're in. Sometimes works in things that aren't web browsers.
Middle Mouse Click on Tab - Close Tab. Works in a web browser when you're moused over the tab at the top of the screen. Not sure about other programs. And when I say "click" I literally mean push the mouse wheel into the mouse, not scroll it up or down.
Middle Mouse Click on Link - Open link in new tab.
Ctrl+W - Close current tab in Web browser.
Ctrl+F - Find. Find a word or phrase in whatever window you have open.
F5 - Reload Page. Reloads a webpage.
Ctrl+F5 - Reload Webpage (ignoring cache). If a website is not loading correctly, a common way to try and fix it is to clear cache. Pressing Ctrl and F5 can refresh the page while ignoring the cached content, meaning you get a fresh view of the page.
Alt+F4 - Close current window. Closes whatever program you have open and are on at the moment.
Alt+Tab - Change Window. This will cycle through windows you have open. If you press "Tab" rather than holding it down, you can navigate through the windows one at a time. On Mac this is Command+Tab.
Windows Key+Arrow Key - Move Window. This comes mostly in handy if you have multiple screens and have lost something. But by holding the windows key down and pressing one of the arrow keys, it will move the selected window whichever direction you press the arrow key.
Ctrl+A - Select Everything. This will select everything on your screen, typically in a file browser or in a program like Word or Excel.
Ctrl+Left Click - Select Multiple Items. If you need to select only certain items, you can hold the control button down while left clicking on things with your mouse, and this will select multiple things.
Shift+Left Click - Select All Between Two Points. This will select all items between the first item you click and the last item you click.
(On Mac) Command+Spacebar - Spotlight Search. Good for quickly launching programs.
(On Windows) Windows Key - Search. If you press the Windows Key and just start typing, it'll search for whatever you put in there. Useful for quickly opening programs.