5 Computer Tricks to Streamline your Work Life

For better or for worse, computers are a big part of our daily work lives. They can help us do our jobs faster, but sometimes we aren’t using them as officially as we could be. Here are 5 simple tricks to help you save time on the computer at work.

  1. Reopen Closed Tabs: One of the most frustrating moments when working on a computer is when you close a web browser tab that you don’t remember how to find. Rather than searching through the web or through your browser history, just press “control” (“command” on Mac) + “shift” + “T” to reopen the last tab you closed.
  2. Lock Your Computer Quickly: Locking your computer is a great way to keep your computer safe, and should always be done when working in public places. To lock a PC, simply press the “Windows” button and the “L” key together to lock the screen. On a Mac, press “Command” + “Option” + “eject” or “power”, depending on whether or not your Mac has an eject button.  
  3. Save Your Laptop Battery: With many laptops, especially older models, using a laptop when it is not plugged in can feel like a race against the clock. When you don’t have access to a charger, simply turn on “Battery Saver” on a PC or “Energy Saver” on a Mac. These will stop drawing power from nonessential sources (such as apps running the in background) and will dim the screen brightness in order to extend your battery life.
  4. Drag Files to Copy Them: On a PC, hold down the “control” key while you click and drag your file to the copy’s desired location. This will create a copy of the file at the location you select, rather than moving the file itself. Similarly, on a Mac, hold down “alt/option” key while you drag a file to create a copy.
  5. Copy Text Without Formatting: One of the most annoying things about copying text from a web page into a word processor is that the font and format of the text is usually copied along with it. To get around this, copy the text as usual by highlighting what you want and pressing “control/command” + “C”. When pasting the text, press “control/command” + “shift” + “V”. This will paste the text into your document without the font, size, color, or highlighting from its original source.