Windows Keyboard Shortcuts: How to View Them Quickly
The Power of Windows Keyboard Shortcuts
Utilizing Windows keyboard shortcuts can significantly reduce your reliance on a mouse, potentially boosting your workflow speed. However, the sheer number of shortcuts – including custom program shortcuts and those native to applications like Firefox – can become overwhelming to remember.
Managing this complexity is a common challenge. A recent inquiry within the MakeUseOf Answers community explored the possibility of a unified shortcut management solution.
Existing Shortcut Management Tools
Tools like ActiveHotkeys and Qliner offer interfaces for viewing enabled shortcuts. However, they may not always provide comprehensive details about shortcut actions or encompass all keyboard combinations from every program.
Alternative Methods for Tracking Shortcuts
If a centralized manager isn't readily available, several alternatives exist for keeping track of Windows keyboard shortcuts.
- You could manually list all shortcuts in a text file.
- Another option involves visually associating shortcuts with your desktop wallpaper.
- A surprisingly simple method is to leverage a built-in Windows feature.
The latter approach requires no additional software installation. It's a readily accessible solution for displaying shortcuts.
This feature allows you to view a toolbar containing all available shortcuts simply by moving your mouse to the edge of the desktop. This functionality is already integrated into the operating system.
Establishing a Shortcut Reference List
Initially, within Windows Explorer, a new folder should be created. This is achieved by right-clicking within the file system, selecting New, and then choosing Folder.
Name this folder descriptively, such as keyboardshortcuts. A pragmatic approach is to avoid unnecessary capitalization or spaces for efficiency and time conservation.
Creating the Shortcuts
Following folder creation, right-click on the newly established folder and select the Create Shortcuts option. This action initiates the shortcut generation process.
If additional shortcuts are desired, create them accordingly. Subsequently, select all generated shortcuts and transfer them into the keyboardshortcuts folder (or the name you assigned).
Renaming for Clarity
To view the shortcuts, double-click the folder. Select the first shortcut, then press F2 to initiate the renaming process.
Assign a clear and concise name to each shortcut (for example, "ctrl+shft+k for wikipedia"). Instead of pressing Enter after renaming an item, utilize the Tab key to proceed to the next shortcut.
This method streamlines the renaming process, eliminating the need for repeated clicking or navigation with the Up and Down arrow keys.
Integrating Your Shortcut List onto Your Desktop
Upon completion, navigate back to the preceding folder to locate keyboardshortcuts. Select keyboardshortcuts and drag it to any edge of your desktop display.
Releasing the mouse button will automatically generate a toolbar. The example demonstrates placement at the screen's top edge. However, if you frequently utilize browser bookmarks or navigation toolbars, consider positioning keyboardshortcuts elsewhere, such as the screen's left side, provided your taskbar isn't already located there.
With your initial informational toolbar established, right-click on it to access its properties. Ensure both Always on Top and Auto-Hide options are selected.
These settings allow the toolbar to remain visible above other windows and only appear when activated by hovering your mouse over it.
Structuring Your Shortcut Collection
To effectively manage and categorize your keyboard shortcuts, consider creating distinct groupings. Rather than relying solely on dragging and dropping to establish these divisions, an alternative method exists.
You can initiate this process by right-clicking on your primary toolbar. From the context menu, choose Toolbar, and subsequently select New Toolbar.
For enhanced visibility, right-click on a toolbar and navigate to View, then select Small Icons. This adjustment allows for the inclusion of a greater number of shortcuts within the available space.
Furthermore, the toolbars can be rearranged to suit your preferences. Simply drag the resizers located on the left side of each toolbar to achieve the desired order.
While toolbars cannot be locked in place, they can be expanded to occupy up to half of your screen. This is particularly useful when dealing with an extensive list of keyboard shortcuts.
Alternative Applications
For folders containing only a limited number of shortcuts, consider pinning them directly to the Taskbar. This can be achieved through a right-click menu, selecting Toolbar, and then choosing New Toolbar.
Effectively, the Taskbar can be repurposed as a rapid to-do list or a display for personal goals. Alternatively, a dedicated toolbar can be created if the primary Taskbar becomes cluttered.
Customizing Shortcut Icons
The visual appearance of shortcuts can be altered by accessing their Properties via a right-click. Within the Shortcut tab, the Change Icon option allows for icon modification.
While extensive icon customization isn't recommended, a touch of visual appeal can sometimes enhance motivation and encourage engagement with your goals.
FindIcons provides a comprehensive search engine for a wide variety of icons.
Synchronization with mobile devices is possible if the folders are stored within your My Dropbox directory. Access your goals on the go using Dropbox’s applications for iPhone or Android.
Streamlining Downloads
Adding your Downloads folder to the Taskbar offers convenient access to recently downloaded files. This eliminates the need to repeatedly open the Firefox Downloads window.
Remember that MakeUseOf has already created several helpful cheat sheets detailing commonly used and beneficial keyboard shortcuts. These resources are readily available for download.
We are interested in your perspective on this technique for quick list access. If you have implemented a similar system, or an entirely different approach, please share your experiences in the comments section below.
