3-13-07 Keyboard shortcuts for IE 7

Q:

Is there were any keyboard shortcuts you knew about that I could start using to make my IE 7 even easier!

A:
Yes, it's hard to get used to new things (Web browsers, operating systems, etc.), but if you have a positive outlook it can be pretty easy.

Now, most of these shortcuts deal with using tabbed browsing. That's one of the main features that came along with Internet Explorer 7. If you're not too familiar with tabbed browsing, these shortcuts may not be very useful to you, but I would suggest hanging on to this tip anyway. Once you do get the hang of tabbed browsing, you can refer back to it and you'll be all set!

1.) Ctrl + T - Opens a new tab in the foreground.

2.) Ctrl + Click - Opens links in a new tab in the background.

3.) Ctrl + Shift + Click - Opens links in a new tab in the foreground.

4.) Alt + Enter - Opens a new tab from the address bar.

5.) Alt + Enter - It also opens a new tab from the search box.

6.) Ctrl + Q - Opens up quick tabs, which are thumbnail views.

7.) Ctrl + Tab or Ctrl + Shift + Tab - Allows you to switch between tabs.

8.) Ctrl + N - Switches to a specific tab number. In this case, N can equal anything between the numbers one and eight.

9.) Ctrl + 9 - Switches to the last tab.

10.) Ctrl + W - Closes the current tab.

11.) Ctrl + Alt + F4 - Closes other open tabs.

12.) Alt + F4 - Closes all the tabs.

Now, here are a few mouse shortcuts for you as well.

1.) Click the middle mouse button (if your mouse has one) on a link and it will open up that link in a background tab for you.

2.) Double click any empty space right next to the last tab you have open and it will open up a brand new tab.

3.) If you click on the middle mouse button on one of your tabs, it will close the tab for you.

How does all that sound? Pretty cool, huh?! Now, you might want to start memorizing these shortcuts if you think you'll use them a lot. Or, just print them out so you can have them right by your computer when you're ready to use them. Either way, these simple shortcuts can make your IE 7 experience so much easier!

Ever notice the tiny little icon in the far left hand corner of many of your Windows programs' title bars? It's there for more than just appearance. Left-click on the icon to access commands that resize the application's window. Right-click on it to reveal a number of other settings unique to that particular program. For example, right-clicking on the My Computer title bar icon gives you several options. Experiment with your favorite applications to reveal what secrets that little icon has in store for you.

DID YOU THINK THE NUMLOCK KEY WAS USELESS?
When ToggleKeys is turned on, your computer will make a high or low tone beep when you press any of the NumLock, CapsLock, or ScrollLock keys. Instead of turning this feature on in the Accessibility Options, you can simply hold down the NumLock button for five seconds. See? It's much quicker than groveling around in Accessibility options, isn't it? You will hear a beep to let you know it's on and you will see a dialog window appear as well. To turn it off, just hold down the NumLock for five seconds again.

HELP IS JUST A CLICK AWAY
When you find a section of Windows Help that you may want to refer to again later, you can click "Add to Favorites" and you'll be able to return to it quickly in the future. The next time you need to refer to it, just open Windows Help again, and click the Favorites icon at the top of the window.