Last time I posted, I offered several keyboard shortcuts that would be useful within certain applications, like word processors. Windows Vista also offers several keyboard shortcuts to help you navigate the file system and perform (or suppress) certain operating system functions. I’ve devoted today’s post to these Windows Vista tips.

If you’re working on the desktop or within a file system, you may be tempted to use the mouse. You can navigate your file system without ever touching your mouse, though. After some practice, you may find that you like keyboard-based navigation better than mouse-based navigation, at least for some functions.

To select multiple individual items in a window or on the desktop, press Ctrl + an arrow key (to navigate to the item(s) you want. Press the spacebar when you’ve highlighted the desired object(s) and they will remain selected.

If you want to select all items in a window or on the desktop, press Ctrl+ A. All items in the active pane will be selected. You can then apply other actions to the selected items, like putting them in the Recycle Bin, or moving them to a different location.

If you want to rename a selected item, press F2. Type in a new name for the selected item, and press return. Your item will now display its new name.

If you want to search for a file or folder, and you need to access the directory, press F3. Type in the search criteria and Windows will retrieve files and folders that match your search criteria.
You can close the active item or exit the active program by pressing Alt + F4. Windows will bring up all of the appropriate “Save” options, so you won’t lose what you’ve worked on when you use this shortcut. If you have multiple windows open within an application, and you only want to close the active window, without closing the application itself, press Ctrl + F4 instead. This will close the active document only. If you want to switch between open applications or documents, press Alt + Tab. You can be more precise about which open items you want to move between by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Tab and use the arrow keys to navigate to your desired item.

Alt + the spacebar will open the shortcut menu for the active window. The shortcut menu will provide access to the Restore, Move, Size, Minimize, and Maximize window commands. You can also alter the shortcut menu for the active window by creating your own shortcuts, which I’ll discuss in a later post.

Photo Credit: Renato Targa