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Article 14: Quick Tips

As I work on my computer, I find myself using a lot of shortcuts to make my work more efficient and to solve problems. Try these out for yourself:

1. Switching between English and Hebrew – the easy way

When working in an application (Word, PowerPoint, etc.), hold down the Alt key (probably to the left of the spacebar on your keyboard). and press Shift at the same time. Assuming your computer is set up for both languages, you will switch from English to Hebrew, or vice versa.

2. What version am I working on?

Ever been asked what browser you're working with or what version of Word you use? Here's where to find information.

1. Whatever application is open, you'll probably find a menu bar at the top (File, Edit, etc.). At the right end of the menu bar, click Help.

2. Click About to display the author and the version of the program you are using.

3. Can't find your desktop?

When you open your computer, the first screen you see is your desktop with shortcuts to programs and files.
Then when you start working in other applications or on the internet, your desktop is hidden. To return to the desktop without closing your other windows, do the following:

1. Hold down the Windows key, and press D.
    All open windows are minimized and the desktop is displayed.

2. Press Windows + D again to reverse the action.

4. Moving between applications

When you're working on your computer, you may have several applications or documents open at once. Here is an easy way to move between them, while keeping them all open:

  1. Hold down the ALT key. At the same time, click the TAB key.



    A small box will appear on your screen, showing an icon for every open application or window. The document you're currently working on is highlighted or “in focus”.

  2. Hold down ALT as you press TAB to move from one icon to the next.

  3. When the one you want is highlighted, release ALT + TAB, and you'll jump directly to that application.

5. Making selections quickly

When you want to apply an action to text (such as copying, formatting, etc.), first you have to select it. Here are some tips for making those selections more accurately:

  1. If you want to select an entire word, double-click it.

  2. If you want to select the entire paragraph, triple-click it.

  3. If you want to select the entire document, click Ctrl + A, or if you prefer going through the menu, click Edit > Select All.

6. Paste Special
(Note: This tip assumes that you're using Microsoft Word as your word processor).

Sometimes you may want to save information that you find on a web page. But you don't want to save all the formatting or the pictures that are included on the page. Do the following:

  1. In your browser, open the webpage.

  2. Highlight the text you want to copy.

  3. Press Ctrl+C or right-click and choose Copy.

  4. Open Microsoft Word, and click Edit > Paste Special.

  5. Select "Unformatted Text"

  6. Press OK. The text is pasted without all the extras.

  7. Save your document.

7. Alphabetizing the Start Menu

Usually, when you install a new program on your computer, a shortcut to the new program is placed on your Start Menu. Start Menu items are automatically added to the end of the list. After a while, this list appears quite disorganized and it may be hard to find a specific program.

Alphabetize the items to organize the list.

  1. Go to your Start menu and click All Programs.

  2. Right-click on any one of the items in the menu.

  3. Click Sort by Name.

8. Changing the sound volume on your computer

Is the volume of your computer sounds too loud or soft? Or has your computer lost its sounds completely? Here's where you can solve the problem.

At the bottom right of your screen, you have a taskbar with tiny icons that represent programs that run in the background of your computer. One of these is the sound volume icon which looks like a little speaker.

  1. Click on the icon to bring up the volume control box.

  2. Move the slider up or down to change the volume.

Click the Mute box to silence all sounds on your computer.

 

 

  • But what if you cannot find a volume icon?

  1. In the Control Panel, click Sounds and Audio Devices

  2. On the Volume tab, under Device volume, make sure Place volume icon in the taskbar notification area is checked.


    3. Click OK. The Volume control icon appears in the taskbar.

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