I was really stumped with what to write about this week.  Not that there’s not a lot out there – the many new features in Mac OS 10.5 “Leopard”, the obligatory “tech ideas for the holiday giving” article, that sort of thing.  So, I turned to the fetching Mrs. Z and confided my confoundedness to her.  She said, without a moment’s hesitation, “Why don’t you write about those keyboard shortcuts I see you using all the time?”

As usual, she was right.  Come to think of it, every time I lean over a shoulder to commandeer a keyboard and mouse to help someone find their way around their Mac, I invariably use some keyboard shortcut that elicits a “hey, what did you just do?”  So, let’s look at some common keyboard shortcuts that will help you work faster with more efficiency.

First, let’s peruse the keys that work together to make shortcuts.  The keys just to the left and right of the spacebar on most Mac keyboards are emblazoned with two symbols: an apple logo, and a curly-Q-looking icon that we’ll call “Command”.  Interestingly, the new aluminum keyboards shipping with the new aluminum iMacs don’t have the apple icon – just the command curly-Q.  Therefore, we’ll refer to this key as the command key.  To the left of the left command key is the “option” key, and to its left is the “ctrl”, or control, key.  These keys, used in conjunction with other keys, give you keyboard shortcuts.

Here are some common and useful shortcuts.  Want to save the document you’re working on?  Command - s.  Want to print it?  Command – p.  Want to quit an application when you’re finished using it?  Command – q.  Want to open a new document?  Command – n.  Want to open a document that’s already created?  Command – o (which brings up the Open dialogue box).  Simple, eh?

Manipulating text is a breeze with keyboard shortcuts.  Want to copy a selection of text?  Command – c.  Want to cut it from one place with the intention of pasting it somewhere else?  Command – x.  Paste it in the new location with Command – v.

Want to close an open window?  Command – w.  To close all open windows within an application, use Option – Command – w.

Here’s a secret – all of these keyboard shortcuts can be found next to their associated functions in the Mac’s menubar.