Getting from one place to another – without wasting time – is incredibly satisfying. Whether you are driving a car, or working through a lengthy document on your computer, a shortcut not only makes the process easier, it lets you finish in less time.

There are plenty of shortcuts available to computer users, and because we are the IT consulting company who cares, we have listed some of the more useful ones below. Mastering these shortcuts may take practice, but once you have them memorized, your workday will speed up – and so will productivity.

Some Simple Time-savers

If you are using Windows 7, thank the programmers at Microsoft for including keyboard support for moving and arranging application windows. All you have to do is press the Win key and any arrow key to dock windows next to each other, minimize or maximize them, and move them to another monitor.

The combinations are below:

• Win+Left arrow: Snap to the left half of the screen
• Win+Right arrow: Snap to the right half of the screen
• Win+Up arrow: Maximize the window
• Win+Down arrow: Minimize/Restore if it’s maximized
• Win+Shift+Left arrow: Move window to the monitor on the left
• Win+Shift+Right arrow: Move window to the monitor on the right

Another handy trick for users of Windows 7 and 8 – you can open a new window for an application by middle clicking on its icon in the taskbar. No more having to search out the application on the Start menu!

This next tip is super secret – your internal IT support staff might not even know it existed! There is a secret Send To menu that is accessible in Windows 7 when you hold down the Shift key. Then, right click the folder and select Send To from the drop down menu. You can now access new file locations. This way, you can move a folder easily.

Here’s a quick shortcut if you want to view photos and other images on your desktop. If you depress the Alt button and the P button in Windows Explorer, a preview pane is activated of the selected file. This works for images, sounds, and videos. Alt+P saves you time if you are previewing images in a folder, photo directory, or on your desktop.

Make Your Computer Work for You

Shortcuts can make working on your computer a faster and easier experience, so can service and support from an IT company that is dedicated to its clients. Thinline Technologies can provide IT solutions for everything from your network to your server (and we will even show you some cool new shortcuts!)

Give us a call for more information at 410-453-9300.