Sometimes it happens that you have to work with text in any of the editors using only one keyboard. Suppose a mouse is broken, and you need to print a document immediately, there is no time to go to the store. In addition, in hotel situations, you can perform any action using the keyboard much faster. No wonder manufacturers of many programs add the function of so-called hot keys to them. In this article, we will consider how to select text using the keyboard, as well as generally how to work on a computer without using a mouse.
Select a test using the keyboard on a laptop
In the event that you use a laptop or netbook to work, you can select text using the keys in the following ways:
- Place the cursor at the beginning of the selection to be selected. This can be done by swiping your finger across the TouchPad. Next, hold down the Shift key and move the cursor to the end of the fragment.
- You can also place the cursor at the beginning of the text by holding the left button on the TouchPad and leading it to the end of the fragment.
How to select text using the keyboard while working on a PC
If you work on a computer, selecting text without using a mouse will also be easy. To do this, move the cursor to the beginning of the fragment using the arrows. Next, hold down the Shift key. Without releasing it, select the text using all the same arrows. In this case, when you press "right" or "left", the selection area will move one character in the corresponding direction, when you press "down" or "up" - on the line. To select one word, place the cursor in front of it and use the combination Ctrl + Shift + right arrow.
How to select paragraphs
To select a paragraph above the cursor, use the combination Ctrl + Shif + up arrow. The paragraph after that will be selected to the very beginning, regardless of where the cursor is, at its end or somewhere in the middle. To select a paragraph to the end, you need to press the key combination Ctrl + Shift + down arrow.
How to select pages and all text at once
In order to select the entire page at once, you need to use the Shift + pgUp combinations if the cursor is at the bottom of it. If it is located at the top of the page, use the combination Shift + pgDown.
Now let's see how to select all the text on the keyboard at once. It is very easy to do. You must press Ctrl + A. Further, everything printed can be deleted, centered, copied to the clipboard or any other similar actions. How to do this without using a mouse, we will consider below.
From the current cursor position, you can select text to the very beginning of the document by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Home. To the very end - Ctrl + Shift + End.
How to copy a selection
How to select text using the keyboard, you now know. This is done elementarily. Fragments are usually allocated either to delete them, or to move to another part of the text. In the first case, you just need to press the Del key, to copy a fragment - Ctrl + C. To paste it in the required place (it doesn’t matter, in the same editor or in another), you should use the combination Ctrl + V. You can cut a piece of text using Ctrl + X.
How to navigate the editor menu without a mouse
So, we have figured out how to select text using the keyboard in case the mouse breaks. But how do you work with the editor menu? With a laptop, everything is simple. In this case, the same convenient TouchPad will help. You will have to use certain keyboard shortcuts on your computer . Which ones, let us consider the example of the well-known Word program.
How to start the Word and change the position of the window on the monitor
Highlighting text is not the only task that can be performed using only the keyboard. You can launch the editor from the desktop simply by moving arrows between the shortcuts. They also act in order to open a program from the Start menu. It is displayed after clicking on the icon with a flag on the keyboard. A menu will open and when using Ctrl + Esc.
In order to minimize the editor window, press the Alt + space bar combination and select the "Minimize" item in the drop-down menu with the "up" or "down" arrows. To move the program, click on the line “Move”. After that, using the arrows you can move the editor window to any place on the monitor. In order to close the highlighted after pressing Alt + space bar menu, you just need to press the Esc key.
How to open a file or create a new document
Those who often work with the Word editor will find it useful to know not only how to select part of the text or all of it entirely without using a mouse, but also how to open a file or create a new document. In the first case, use the combination Ctrl + O. After that, Explorer opens, in which you can find the necessary file. To navigate through the explorer, use the Tab key (go around in a circle from folders to the files in them, the Open button, the Cancel button, etc.) and the arrows. In order to create a new document, press the combination Ctrl + N.
How to change the appearance of text without using a mouse
Sometimes the question of how to select text on the keyboard arises for users due to the fact that it needs to be bold, underlined, etc. In this case, you can also use keyboard shortcuts. Ctrl + I modifies the selection in italics. Press Ctrl + B to make the text bold, and using Ctrl + U to underline it.
See some other popular keyboard shortcuts in the table.
Ctrl +] | Font increase |
Ctrl + R | Right alignment |
Ctrl + [ | Font reduction |
Ctrl + equal sign | Index translation (lower) |
Ctrl + L | Aligning a fragment to the left edge of a sheet |
Ctrl + Shift + Plus Sign | Index translation (upper) |
Ctrl + E | Center text alignment |
Ctrl + J | Justify |
Ctrl + Z | Undo the last action |
In order to remove the formatting of the selected fragment, you need to press Ctrl + spacebar.
How to copy formatting
In the Word program, using the keyboard, you can, among other things, copy the formatting performed. To do this, select the fragment with the desired design and press Ctrl + Shift + C. To apply formatting, it is necessary to select the area to be changed and combine Ctrl + Shift + V.
Text navigation without a mouse
In order to go to the very beginning of the document, no matter what size it is, you should use the combination Ctrl + Home. You can move to the end of the typed text using the combination Ctrl + End. To move along the lines in the horizontal or vertical direction, use the arrows.
How to navigate a table without using a mouse
In order to move to the next cell along the line of the table, press Tab. You can move to the previous cell using the Shift + Tab combination. If necessary, using hot keys, you can quickly get to the last (Alt + End), as well as the first cell (Alt + Home). In the column, the first cell is moved by using the combination Alt + Page Up, and the last one is Alt + Page Down. You can go to the rows next to the top and bottom using the usual arrows. You can move the text along with a line up or down by using the combination Alt + Shift + down arrow or the same keys and up arrow.
Vertical block of text: selection
Highlighting text using the keyboard in the Word program is also possible in a vertical position. In order to execute it this way, you need to press Ctrl + Shift + F8, then limit the block with arrows. Now the letters in the selected fragment can be made bold, highlighted in italics, underlined, etc. You can also highlight the block with color or change the color of the letters themselves. True, copying this section of text does not work.
How to save typed text and exit the program
In order to save the printed document on the computer, press Ctrl + S. To print the file, you need to use the combination Ctrl + P. You can navigate inside the displayed dialog box using the Tab key and arrows. In order to close the document, press Ctrl + W. Word can also be stopped using the combination Ctrl + F4.
Thus, we have figured out how to select all the text as a whole using the keyboard, its individual parts horizontally or vertically. As you can see, this is not at all difficult to do. So, if your mouse breaks down, you can now easily print the document you started.