Attn., shortcut newbies: Start working these into your repertoire. Try Ctrl + A to select all of something, Ctrl + X to cut your selection, Ctrl + V to paste, Ctrl + Z to undo your last action and Ctrl + Y to redo. On a Mac, use Cmd instead of Ctrl.
🚨 Mac warning: Microsoft researchers found a serious macOS security bug that lets hackers access your private data. It bypasses Safari’s protections, meaning your search history, camera, microphone and location are all at risk. The good news? There’s already a patch. Don’t wait — go to System Settings > General > Software Update > Update Now.
Keyboard rockstar: Move through your open tabs with just your keyboard. Press Ctrl + Tab on Windows or Cmd + Tab on a Mac to cycle. To quickly close your active tab, hit Ctrl + W on Windows or, on a Mac, Cmd + W.
Iconic: It’s easy to adjust the icon size on your computer. On Windows, right-click on the desktop, choose View, and select from Large icons, Medium icons or Small icons. On a Mac, click on your desktop to ensure you’re in the Finder. From the menu bar, go to View and choose Show View Options. A window will pop up where you can adjust the icon size using the slider provided. Sweet!
⌛ Quick privacy tip: Use Ctrl + Shift + N (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + N (Mac) to open an incognito or private browsing window in most web browsers. Incognito mode doesn’t save your browsing history, cookies or form data.
🛜 Use your iPhone as a webcam: Your iPhone probably has a better camera than the one built into your Mac. As long as both your iPhone and Mac are linked to the same Apple account and on the same Wi-Fi network, you’ll see your iPhone show up as a camera option in any desktop video-calling app.
Nifty shifty: Ctrl + Shift + T reopens the last closed tab in your web browser in Windows. This is so incredibly useful, especially if you accidentally close a tab. On a Mac, it’s Cmd + Shift + T. I use this shortcut a lot.
Quick privacy tip: Task Manager on a Windows PC and Activity Monitor on a Mac can give you an overview of everything happening on your machine. On a PC, hit Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Click the Processes tab. On a Mac, hit Cmd + spacebar to open Spotlight Search. Then, type Activity Monitor and press Enter. See anything weird? Google it before you panic.
Cmd + Shift + 5: On a Mac, this brings up the screenshot toolbar, where you can take screenshots or record your screen. Capture the entire screen, a selected window or a specific portion, and you can even choose to record a video.
Watch this: Safari on macOS has a cool picture-in-picture mode you can use to watch videos while browsing the web. To launch it, right-click twice on a video and choose Enter Picture-in-Picture. Hold down Cmd, then click and drag the video frame where you want it.
🔍 Looking for a file? On a PC, hit the Windows key and start typing its name. That’s it. On a Mac, hit Cmd + spacebar and type away. This shortcut saves so much time!
Quick-close your window: On Windows and Linux, press Ctrl + Shift + W to close your current window and any open tabs in it. On a Mac, it’s Cmd + Shift + W. Easy!
👨💻 Learn these if you have a Mac: Hit Cmd + W to close a window and Cmd + Q to quit an app. Now, use all that time I just saved you to tell someone how much Kim Komando helps you. (Shameless, I know.)
Get out and stay out: For security reasons, don’t let sensitive files sit around on your desktop. On a Mac, select the file in a new Finder window. Open the File menu, hold down Option, then click Delete Immediately.
Make your Mac’s mouse pointer larger: Click on the Apple menu in the top-left corner and select System Settings (or System Preferences on older versions). In the settings window, select Accessibility, click on Display and then choose Pointer. You’ll see a Pointer Size slider. Adjust it to make the pointer larger. Tomorrow, how to do this on Windows.
Don’t get lost: Here’s a fast, easy tip if you use a Mac. Quickly jiggle your mouse (or swipe across your trackpad) to increase your cursor size. It’s so very handy when you lose sight of it.
Quick rename: On a Mac, click a file, then press Return to quickly change its name. On Windows, double-click on the filename. Boom!
Your to-do list won’t stand a chance: Use Mac’s free Automator app to do repetitive tasks. You can make a variety of workflows and applications. Here’s a full guide. If you’re a coder, you’ll love this!
Do your will the right way: Make sure your important docs stay safe. Label your will with something straightforward, and use BitLocker (built right into Windows) to encrypt it. (On a Mac, do this.) Decide who gets the password, and give your executor a heads-up. For peace of mind, back it all up in a secure, encrypted cloud service.
🧼 Your photos are a mess: Find what you want with AI-powered albums. On a Mac, open Apple Photos and choose File > New Smart Album. Pick what you want (like photos of the beach) and it’ll pull in pics that match. In Google Photos for the web, go to Albums > Create Album. Here, you can choose the people and/or pets you want to include.