shortcut

Shortcut seeker

We install and uninstall a lot of software, so it's no surprise that our Start menu gets cluttered with broken shortcuts pretty regularly. Thus we were the perfect test subject for Broken Shortcut Fixer, a program that claims to locate broken shortcuts, repair them if possible, and delete them if not. Although Broken Shortcut Fixer didn't knock our socks off, it did seem to do its job as described--at least part of it.

The program's interface is plain and easy to navigate; from a drop-down menu you select the drive you want to scan, and then it'… Read more

How to customize AutoText shortcuts on iOS 5

Please keep in mind that this post is based off of a beta version of iOS 5. Apple can (and often does) change the behavior of features before the latest OS hits consumers hands. If anything drastically changes in regards to this feature in iOS 5, we will be sure to update the post.

When Apple announced a new Notification Center with iOS 5, it also revealed that iOS 5 would come with a couple of widgets: weather and stocks. The widgets are active in the Notification Center, the same place you will find the rest of your app alerts on iOS 5.

iOS 5 has been released to developers, packed with 200 features new to the popular mobile platform. One of the features not discussed during the keynote was Shortcuts. Shortcuts allows you to make your own AutoText corrections for common phrases. We will show you how easy it is to use Shortcuts. Follow along!

Q&A: MacFixIt Answers

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers. This week there were questions on using keyboard shortcuts with OS X's application services, log-in items no longer launching automatically, migration recommendations for new Macs, and the longevity of Microsoft's DOCX format. We continually answer e-mail questions, and though we present a few answers here, we welcome alternative approaches and views from readers and encourage you to post your suggestions in the comments.

Question: Using keyboard shorcuts with application services MacFixIt reader "lew" asks:

Is there a keyboard shortcut to launch … Read more

15 essential Chrome OS keyboard shortcuts

Google's Chrome OS uses some familiar keyboard shortcuts as well as some unique ones. A few of these access Chrome OS settings and others take the place of missing physical keys on Chromebook keyboards (Page Up, Page Down, Home, End). Here are 15 essential keyboard shortcuts in Chrome OS:

Settings:

Ctrl+? Open help Shift+Esc Open task manager Ctrl+Alt+/ Open keyboard shortcut list Ctrl+M Open file manager

Navigation and text editing:

Alt+ up arrow Page Up Alt+ down arrow Page Down Ctrl+Alt+ up arrow Home Ctrl+Alt+ down arrow End Ctrl+Tab Switch to next browser … Read more

Adding one-touch bookmarks to your Android's Home screen

Tip: Set a window zooming shortcut in OS X

Window Zooming in OS X does not magnify a window's contents, but rather resizes the window to fit its contents. While this is the most common use of this button, the function is application-specific and may do anything from changing the overall window appearance such as switching to the mini player in iTunes to doing absolutely nothing at all.

Invoking the zoom function is done by clicking the green button to the right of the close and minimize buttons, but it can also be accessed from the Window menu that most OS X applications have. Unlike the Close and … Read more

Program makes keyboard shortcuts easy to find

For some PC tasks, nothing but a mouse will do. But when you need to get a load of work done in a short time, the key is to keep your hands on the keys.

Easier said than done, considering the world of actions--other than typing--you're likely to perform on your PC in the course of a workday. If only it were easier to remember those hundreds of keyboard shortcuts that let you park your mouse in long-term storage.

Several years ago I described how to create an easy-to-access list of keyboard shortcuts. I followed that post with key combinations for moving and resizing on-screen windows.… Read more

Super Windows 7 keyboard shortcuts

The other day a visiting relative asked if he could use my laptop to check his Facebook account. He couldn't make it past the desktop. "Hey, don't you have Firefox on this machine?"

"Press the Windows key, type f, and press Enter," I told him.

I had been using Windows 7's Start menu search box to launch Firefox and other apps for so long I neglected to add a Firefox shortcut to my taskbar. (I prefer to keep my desktop clear of icons by placing my desktop shortcuts on a menu that pops out of the taskbar, … Read more

How to use keyboard shortcuts on the iPad

Natali Morris shows you a few tips and tricks to make typing easier and more efficient on the iPad.

Chrome Apps

Google Chrome and Google Apps are a natural marriage, and Google Apps Shortcuts is the matchmaker. It's a free extension that adds Google Apps to the Chrome interface. If you haven't tried Google Apps, it's worth checking out. It gives quick access to the Google applications you use every day, such as Gmail, Google Docs, and Contacts. Chrome is already fast; Google Apps Shortcuts makes it a lot more versatile.

Google extensions install automatically when you open their download links in Chrome. We merely clicked to allow the browser to add Google Apps Shortcuts, and Chrome did … Read more