Regarless of the application you're working with (Plone, Blogger, Wikipedia, email) there are a number of common keyboard shortcuts that can really help save you time and help get you out of a jam.

What is a shortcut?

Also known as 'hot keys' a keyboard shortcut is a combination of keystrokes which sends a particular command to your computer. In the examples below, most of them will use the CTRL key plus a letter on the keyboard. Note to Mac users - simply substitute the 'command' or 'apple' key in place of the PC-centric CTRL button.

The Moves

• CTRL+C - Copy
• CTRL+X - Cut
• CTRL+V - Paste
• CTRL+Z - Undo
• CTRL+A - Select All
• Shift+Enter - Line break (very useful for getting page layouts right)
• Shift+Del - Remove line break

What's Wrong with Using a Mouse?

We've got nothing against the trusty rodent but some applications disable the familiar right-click menu. In those cases it's helpful to be able to fall back on the original data entry device: your keyboard! Plus knowing keyboard shortcuts make you look like a computer genius.