You may not realize how much you rely on a mouse until you have to grapple with a malfunctioning one. Work that could be done in a snap takes twice as long to complete. Avoid the agita by learning how to get by only with your keyboard. Below are some of our consultants’ top keyboard tricks:

How to Make Vertical Selections of Text

Microsoft Word 2003, 2007, 2010

Our consultants’ top keyboard tricks.

This is by far the coolest keyboard trick I’ve ever learned. When selecting data, you may need to select portions of multiple lines of text but not the entire line of text. To do this, use a simple trick: hold down the ALT key.

1. Make sure the text you want to select is on screen.
2. Press and hold the ALT key.
3. Click and drag with the mouse to select the text.
4. Release the ALT key, then release the mouse.

Now you can format, copy, cut, or anything else you need to do with selected text.

Using Keyboard Shortcuts to Select and Move Text

Microsoft Word 2003, 2007, 2010

When typing in a Word document, it may be inconvenient to switch to the mouse for selecting text. If you are looking for a way to select and move text while keeping your hands on the keyboard, familiarize yourself with the keyboard shortcuts in this tip. [Read more...]