Using keyboard shortcuts is an extremely useful way to reduce the time taken to produce a Word document. Easy to use, shortcut keys enable the writer to perform particular functions with ease, from repositioning or duplicating text, to inserting links and performing corrections. Here is a brief guide to some of the more regularly used shortcuts.
Typing Services – Text positioning
To centre text:
Select and highlight your text, hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard and press E. This will move the text to a central position across the width of the page.
To align text to the right:
Select and highlight your text, hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard and press R. This will move the text to the right of the page.
To align text to the left:
Select and highlight your text, hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard and press L. This will move the text to the left of the page.
To justify text:
Select and highlight your text, hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard and press J. This will ensure a more uniform appearance; ensuring text is positioned to allow ends of the lines finish at the same point.
Typing Services – Copying and Pasting
To copy a selection of text:
Highlight your text, hold down the Ctrl key and press C. This will be saved to memory, ready to be pasted elsewhere in the document.
To paste a selection of text:
Find a suitable place for the copied text, hold down the Ctrl key and press V. This will duplicate the copied text, and can be used either within the same document or on a different one altogether.
Typing Services – Undo/Redo Text
To undo an action:
Straight after making an error, for example, hold down Ctrl and press Z. This will remove the last thing you typed from the document.
To redo an action:
In the instance that you wish to redo the deleted action, hold down Ctrl and press Y. This will make the removed text reappear in the place where you deleted it from your Word document.
Typing Services – Other useful shortcuts
To insert a web hyperlink:
In the place you wish to insert a hyperlink, hold down Ctrl and press K. This will place your hyperlink into your document and, when pressed, will take the reader to the origin of the link on the internet.
To save a document:
A useful shortcut when adding content to a document is to hold down Ctrl and press S. This shortcut is a quick way to save the progress made, without having to go through the File menu at the top of the document.
To print a document:
Similar to the save function, hold down the Ctrl key and press P. This will take you straight to the print page, without having to go via the File menu.
As demonstrated above, keyboard shortcuts can save precious time in the writing process and are used with the minimum of effort. When writing a long document, such shortcuts are incredibly effective and make life that little bit easier. In fact, at Transcription City, our transcriptionists use these types of shortcuts on a daily basis, ensuring tight deadlines are met and work is turned around within the required time for our clients.
If you would like more information about our transcription services, typing services, translation services, captioning services or subtitling services. Please get in touch today for a quote.
You can find more information about document formatting on this useful website.
