Hotkeys are simply any combination of keys preset to run or do something. Hotkeys are composed of the keys on your keyboard and are commonly known to close windows, minimize windows, switch windows and so on.
For example, the keys Alt and F4 exist on your keyboard. Alt is on the bottom row of keys on your keyboard, whilst F4 is on the top row. If you are in a program and you press both keys at the same time, then the window will close. Why? Because Alt-F4 is a hotkey preset to close your current program. Examples of Hotkeys Every operating system has a specific set of hotkeys, Windows for example has: Alt-TAB: Pressing Alt-Tab enables you to switch to the next task. So if you are working on a word document and you want switch to Internet Explorer: just press Alt-F4. Ctrl-C: Pressing Ctrl-C over some selected text copies it to the clipboard. Ctrl-V: Pressing Ctrl+V pastes some text that was copied to the clipboard. Ctrl-A: Pressing Ctrl-A selects all text in a window. Ctrl-Shift-Escape: This is a hard one for computer newbies, but it is a fast and convenient way to bring up a very important tool: The Windows Task Manager. Normally, you can open up Task Manager by right clicking on your taskbar and selecting ‘Task Manager’, however Ctrl-Shift-Escape does the same thing, but faster. Why are Hotkeys Important? Hotkeys are faster. It’s very similar to taking a shortcut. Would you rather take a long route to get to a destination or a shortcut that takes less time and effort to get the same result? You can work faster and more efficiently by using shortcuts on your keyboard than manual mouse and keyboard combinations! More on: Hotkey Utilities Windows hotkeys are a bit limited in functionality. They always have to contain 'Alt', 'Ctrl' or one of the 'F' keys. You cannot create custom, non-system hotkeys such as ‘GoInternet’ or 'OpenFacebook'. Annoying isn't it? Luckily, XetoWare has a solution and its called Hotkey Utility. Hotkey Utility is a simple utility enables you to assign virtually any combination of keys to an action. For more information on Hotkey Utility, visit its official website. |