Posts Tagged ‘Microsoft Office’

Keyboard Shortcuts to Know and Use

Saturday, December 5th, 2009

So many people see us “computer guys” do a lot with the keyboard that appears to be magic. I will promise you we aren’t magicians, but knowing some keyboard shortcuts can cut down on the time your hand reaches for the mouse.  The short cuts listed below work in most Windows applications and programs.

To use these,  hold down the Ctrl key, press the secondary key and then let go of both. For real speed, use only one hand to complete these shortcuts (usually your left hand).

To copy (leaves the original)  a file,  image, or selection of text = Ctrl + C

To cut (removes the original) a file,  image, or selection of text = Ctrl + X

To paste a file,  image, or selection of text = Ctrl + V

To open the Open dialog box = Ctrl + O

To open the print Dialog box = Ctrl + P

To open a new document or file = Ctrl + N

To select all items in current window = Ctrl + A

To bold a selection of text = Ctrl + B

To italicize a selection of text = Ctrl + I

To underline a selection of text = Ctrl + U

To save a file = Ctrl + S

To undo an action = Ctrl + Z

To redo an action = Ctrl + Y

To search a web page or document = Ctrl + F

To open a new tab in Internet Explorer or Firefox = Ctrl + T

For Windows

To lock your screen = Windows key + L

To open start menu = Windows key

To open file explorer = Windows key + E

To show the desktop = Windows key + D

To minimize all windows = Windows key + M

To change windows = Alt + Tab

Hope these shortcuts can speed up your daily tasks!

Thanks for reading and check back soon for more useful information.

Microsoft Office 2007 Tips and Tricks #1

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

MS Office 2007 has added a new feature allowing quicker access to tools you use the most  Micorsoft calls this toolbar the “Quick Access Toolbar”.  The Quick Access Toolbar is a customizable toolbar that contains a set of tools that will stay mounted even when changing between the different tabs. Follow these steps to customize YOUR Office 2007. (Taken from the Messiah College ITS blog)

This tutorial and screen shots are based on Word 2007 (although Excel and PowerPoint also utilize the same toolbar)

1. Open up an Office 2007 product

2. Find the Quick Access Toolbar along the top

3. Click on the down arrow at the end of the toolbar.

4.  Now click on the “More Commands” option.

5. Choose a command from the list and then click on Add

Now you have added this command to your toolbar!

A few suggestions of commands to add to your toolbar are:

1. Spelling & Grammar
2. Print Preview
3. Print
4. New
5. Open

Hope this helps with your migration to MS Office 2007 !

Microsoft 2003 or 2007?

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

As many of you have seen, there is a new version of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook etc), Microsoft Office 2007. Although the new version has been around a couple of years, many offices are still using the previous editions. One of the major changes is the way the program looks.  I can promise you you’ll be in love with some of the new features as soon as you round the bend of the learning curve.

A more common change with the new version is the file format. In previous versions of MS Office, Word documents had a .doc at the end of the file, .xls for Excel files and .ppt for PowerPoints. The new version comes with the default of .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx respectively. There is the fear that previous versions of MS Office will not be able to open files saved in the new format. This is true unless the “compatibility plugin” from Microsoft is downloaded and installed. If you are unsure if your version has the compatibility plugin, contact Solution Innovators and we can test, and if necessary install it for you.

We have recently upgraded a client’s entire office at once and have a rolling distribution with other clients. If you are looking to upgrade, we can assist you with either upgrade method.