Many **** computer users might think themselves above learning new tricks,but there's always new things to learn that will help improve your skills. Our bet:you will find at least one useful thing here that you didn't know before.Inspired and with the help of this AskReddit discussion, we’ve compiled some ofthe most handy computer tricks you might not be taking advantage of. Ourultimate goal is to help you become more productive by shaving valuable secondsoff your workflow. Of course, you can always pass along these tips to yournot-so-savvy friends and family members to help them become better PC usersas well.General TricksWindows hidden "god mode" folder Windows offers a centralized Control Panel forall of the OS settings, which makes it easy for users to tweak everything fromdesktop background to setting up a VPN. To enter this mode, create a newfolder with this exact name (copy and paste it): God Mode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} . The folder icon will change toa Control Panel-style icon, and you will be able to jump in and change all kindsof settings. Note: Don't try this on Windows Vista 64-bit as it's known tocause a reboot loop.Use Problem Steps Recorder This handy tool automatically records any mouseclicks and takes screenshots for you. If you need tech assistance with yourcomputer, go to Run by typing Windows + R, and then type "psr." Use the tooland by the time you are finished, you can send this information, neatly compiledautomatically, to the person helping you with the issue. It will make the processof finding the problem much easier for them, which means you will be able to getyour system up and running faster.Find/Delete large files wasting space A handy tool called WinDirStat (WindowsDirectory Statistics) can be used to easily find which files and folders are takingup the most space on your drive. From there, you can delete them and open upa ton of storage space.Reduce the number of programs running at startup If your PC is taking too longto boot, it’s probably because you have far too many programs running atstartup. Reducing this is easy, it will make your PC launch noticeably faster andlighter upon first load. To change the items running at startup, go to Run usingthe hotkey Windows key + R, and type "msconfig." A small window will appear(see the screenshot below), select the Startup tab. From here you will be able toturn off many startup programs, which can shave several seconds (or minutes)off your boot time. (Note Windows 8 has moved this functionality to the TaskManager). Try to make sure you research what you are turning off as someprocesses might be needed by third party programs or drivers you have installed.Cloud backup important files If you’re working on a critical paper for school,work, or any other major project, make sure you are backing up the file not justlocally. You can use services like Dropbox, Google Drive, or any of the otherpopular cloud storage solution which will do the legwork for you on thebackground. Of course, you can also throw the files on a thumb drive or externalHDD just to be safe but backing up to the cloud can be done seamlessly whichis twice the advantage.Typing TricksDelete an entire word Instead of deleting a single letter, pressing CTRL + BKSPwill delete the entire word behind the cursor. This makes deleting text quicker ifyou screw up a whole word.Move Cursor to beginning of the next or previous word Moving the cursor aroundmanually while typing is a great way to make your work take longer than itneeds to. To speed of the process, move the cursor around with keyboardshortcuts. To move it to the beginning of the previous word, use CTRL + LeftArrow. To move it to the beginning of the next word, use CTRL + Right Arrow.In OS X you can accomplish the same using the Option key.Making sub and superscript text If you need to make sub or superscript text(think exponents for superscript), press CTRL + = for subscript and CTRL +SHIFT + = for superscript.Paste plain text of what was copied When you copy text from any source,programs will usually copy any formatting that comes with it. To paste this asplain text, press CTRL + Shift + V instead of the standard CTRL + V, and thesystem will paste unformatted text.Note that many programs follow this parameter (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) but notall, particularly Microsoft programs like Word or Outlook. For those there's a fewalternatives that go beyond copying and pasting in Notepad: 1) CTRL + ALT + Vwill show a 'paste special' dialog box. 2) CTRL + Spacebar will removeformatting in already pasted text. 3) Download Puretext and choose a hotkey toalways paste plain text with it.Keyboard ShortcutsCopy only active window to clipboard Normally, the Print Screen key copies theentire display (or two displays if you got them), ALT + Print Screen only copiesthe currently active window to the clipboard. Whether taking a screenshot todiagnose a problem, or just because you want to show something to a friend,this will come in handy.Fix those little mistakes Did you know you can undo almost any action? CTRL +Z is the ultimate hot key, and for sure you knew about it already, however notethat undo doesn’t just apply to typing. If you accidentally delete or move a file,you can hit CTRL + Z to bring it right back to where it was. In Chrome andFirefox you can also undo closing a tab using CTRL + SHIFT + T.Cycle through open windows Pressing ALT+TAB allows you to cycle throughcurrently open windows. This makes switching back and forth between runningprocesses quick and painless. If you want a more stylish method of cyclingthrough open programs, Windows + TAB will do the job for you.Interrupt all processes CTRL + ALT + Delete is one of the most common PCshortcuts, and one almost everyone is familiar with. The important thing to noteis that it interrupts all processes, including the one that is bogging down yoursystem, which can mean the difference between needing to restart or not.Close the current program Typing ALT + F4 will close the program that isrunning. This is useful as it saves you time mousing over the "X" and clicking.People will often use this as a joke, telling you to press ALT + F4 to fix aproblem. Don’t fall for it unless you want to close what you are doing.Minimize all windows Sometimes you have a bunch of stuff running, and youwant it all to go away so you can get to the desktop. Simply pressing Windows+ D will minimize everything you have up, which will save you some timepressing the minimize button for each window. It should be noted that Windows +M offers similar functionality, but there is no undoing, so Windows + D is themore favorable approach.Open the task manager directly If you want to bypass the interrupt that happenswhen pressing CTRL + ALT + DEL and jump right to the task manager, typingCTRL + Shift + ESC launches it directly.Close the current window/tab Stick of moving all the way to that X button?Press CTRL + W and the current window will close. (Don’t do it now , or youwill miss the rest of the tricks!)Bring up the system information window This is so much quicker than diggingthis out the traditional way... Just press Windows + Pause/Break and theSystem Information panel will be ready to go. This might be the only use for thePause/Break key you will ever find, so enjoy it!Better multiple monitor control There are several useful keyboard shortcuts forcontrolling open windows on multiple monitors. Pressing the Windows Key +Arrow Keys will cause a window to quickly snap to each side of either monitor.Alternatively, hitting Shift + Windows Key + Arrows will cause the window tojump to the other monitor. Lastly, pressing Windows + P will allow you toquickly set up a second display or projector.Web Browsing TricksAutomatically add www. and .com to a URL You can shave off a couple ofseconds typing in a URL by simply click CTRL + Enter after you type the nameof the site. Need .net instead of .com, press CTRL + Shift + Enter instead.Jump to address bar There are a number of ways to jump right to the addressbar from anywhere in browser. Pressing CTRL + L, F6, and ALT + D allaccomplish this goal.Bring back a closed tab We covered this already, but it's super useful.Accidentally closed a tab? Simply press CTRL + Shift + T to reopen the mostrecently closed tab and get back to what you were doing.Use private browsing The uses for not having cookies and history saved areobvious for certain activities, you know, like shopping for gifts on a sharedcomputer (of course!). Pressing CTRL + Shift + N will launch a new private inChrome, CTRL + Shift + P will do it in Firefox and Internet Explorer.Cycle through open tabs Pressing CTRL + TAB while in a browser will flipbetween each one. This can be much faster than moving the mouse and clickingona tab. CTRL + NUM (1, 2, 3, 4, n..) will also take you to certain tab inthat numeric order.File Management TricksRename a file quickly Right-clicking and selecting rename is not very efficient.Instead, simply press F2 while a file is selected to change its name. To alter thename of another file, type TAB without deselecting the current file.Rename files sequentially in Windows You actually don’t need to download anyprograms to perform a batch file rename in Windows. Instead, you can select allthe files you want to change, right-click the first one in the list, select rename(or use F2), and type in the name. This will automatically change all the otherfiles with the same root name with a suffix: (1), (2), and so on.Select multiple files using the keyboard To select a bunch of files using yourkeyboard, you can press Shift + down arrow to select a single file or Shift +Page Down to select a large group of files at one time.Security TipsRun programs on an infected PC Often times, malware will prevent a computerfrom running certain programs. Changing the name of the .exe file can oftenoverride this. If that doesn’t work, changing the extension to .com is anotheruseful alternative, and the program will still be able to run in spite of theextension change.Read installers Even major programs can install toolbars and other unwantedpieces of software during installation. Take a few seconds to read each step tomake sure you are not agreeing to install something other than the program youwere actually seeking. Far too often people just push next over and over, and endup with a browser covered in various search bars that just aren't needed. In theworst of scenarios, these can have nefarious intentions.Lock your computer if you get up Sick of your "friends" going onto yourcomputer at work or home and posting things on your Facebook/Twitter page onyour behalf? It’s certainly an annoyance, but an easy one to prevent. Windows +L will lock your system right away, requiring a password (if you've set one) tolog in again.Program-Specific TricksPhotoshop: Drag the marquee without losing the ability to size it The marqueetoolis, at its most basic level, designed for selecting a part of an image. It’s usedconstantly in Photoshop, and there is a handy trick many users miss. Whiledragging it around, you can press space, which will allow you to size it whilemoving it. This saves time by letting your perform two key functions at the sametime.Steam: Move games to another drive or partition By default, Steam installs allgames to the same HDD or partition, but what happens if that fills up? Thesolution: download Steamtool Library Manager. It makes it easy to move gamestoanother hard drive without messing with the functionality of Steam.VLC: Fix unsynced audio and subtitles In the popular media player VLC, if youraudio loses sync with the video or subtitles, there is an easy way to fix this.Simply pressing J or K will move the audio forward or backwards. Similarly, tosync the subtitles you can press H or G.
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