It goes without saying that one of the most important things to have as a student in these modern times is a computer. From a student’s perspective, it’s essential for completing assignments, entertainment, and studying, among other uses. Needless to say, one will be severely disadvantaged in school without a laptop.
That said, you’d be surprised to know that with the exception of those taking IT courses, most students on campus have yet to discover some tricks and efficient ways of using a computer that go beyond regular usage. For example you can always get in touch with professional essay writing services like EssayPro to get help with your homework. The silver lining is, with this article, you too will know eleven hacks for using your Windows computer better.
Copy Text Hack
Ctrl+C is probably the most well-known keyboard shortcut out there as it’s a quick way to copy highlighted texts. Also, it always comes in handy. You can use it to copy a block of text in a word document, a website, or even the login details to your preferred rewrite-my-essay-cheap website. You name it.
Taking Screenshots
That’s right, phones and tablets are not the only smart devices that can be used to take screenshots. It even presents the extra inherent benefit of a wider field of view. Although taking screenshots with a laptop is not much of a secret, there are other smart and quick ways of doing it.
Press PrtScn to copy the screenshot to the clipboard and press windows+PrtScn to save the screenshot as a file. This can help keep copies of important pages for future use.
Looping a YouTube Video
We’ve all had that YouTube moment where we connect with a portion of a video, be it music, a motivational speech, or a lecture. Thanks to the looping feature on YouTube, you can watch your favorite moments on repeat. Right-click on the video to display the context menu, then choose the loop option.
Seeing The Start or End of a Document
Do you want to see the last page of a document right off the back or jump right back to the start of the document? Then this hack is just what you need.
Press Ctrl+End to see the closing chapters or Ctrl+Home to see the beginning of the document and save yourself the hassle of scrolling through dozens of pages.
Reopen Closed Tabs
Mistakes do happen, and chances are, you’ve closed an important tab or closed the browser while doing something important. Oftentimes you can recover by checking your search history.
However, there’s a much better way to reopen closed tabs just as quickly as they close. Press Ctrl+Shift+T to reopen the tab in the browser and start from where you left off. It’s worthy of mention that this feature does not function in incognito mode.
Incognito Mode
Incognito mode is a very useful feature. As the name suggests, you can browse like a ghost, and things like browser history and other information you enter will not be saved by the browser. Needless to say, it’s also a befitting way to share the same device or browser with a friend. Simply press Ctrl+Shift+N and browse without any trace.
Undo
The feature is an essential ally in the spirit of correcting mistakes while using your windows computer. Although it’s pretty useful when editing word documents, it doesn’t end there. It can also help recover deleted files. Press Ctrl+Z and undo the mistakes made.
Select Text in Link
It can be a little tricky at times to select a hyperlinked text without unintentionally opening the link. Chances are you might need two to three tries to successfully do it with the mouse pointer. On the other hand, Alt+Click will help you always get it right on the first try.
Select Text
Although clicking and dragging down the entire text to select it might get the job done, it’s not the most effective as you could lose your grip on the mouse, which will prompt you to start over.
Ctrl+A, however, gets the job done in a heartbeat, which saves time and prevents the hassle of multiple tries.
Find
Sometimes trying to locate where you left off in a text is like finding a needle in a haystack: nearly impossible.
The good news is you can bypass the rudimentary task of checking the text a line at a time. Press Ctrl+F, and enter keywords in the search bar, which will highlight words or phrases with those keywords, then use the arrow keys to locate the specific line of text you are looking for in the document. It’s a very simple process, and its utility is often felt when doing long pages of assignments.
Paste
Another well-known shortcut is Ctrl+V, which allows you to paste a copied text in a different location. That said, while this is useful, it often adapts the texts to the format settings of the new destination. It might sometimes also not be the best option for complex texts.
If you want to keep the original format of the copied text, then Ctrl+Shift+V. This will allow you to paste copied text without having to format it all over again.
Wrapping Up
Computers are extremely important instructions of education; as such, it pays to be proficient in their usage. The more proficient you are, the better you’ll be at handling problems when using your computer. Granted, there are dozens of other shortcuts out there: some complex and otherwise. So start off with these must-knows and get conversant with their usage in everyday settings.
About the author
Helen Walsh is an academic writer with EssayPro who’s also involved in website content creation. She is an expert in website development pertaining to the content and its impact on the audience. Helen works on Windows and can expertly consult on the benefits of this operating system.
Last Updated on September 22, 2021 4:23 pm CEST by Markus Kasanmascheff
