Still At Your Finger Tips?
This one is for all my keyboard shortcut enthusiasts who are now coping with all the differences found in the new MS Office Suite 2007.
I bet the first thing you noticed was the absence of the infamous “underlined letter.” You know, the one that let you know how to access your menus and commands with the Alt key + the letter.
Some of you may have even figured out that the shortcuts have gone away, along with all your familiar menus and toolbars.
I’m sure you were hoping it wasn’t true, but if it is, how do you navigate through the Office button, Quick Access Toolbar and the ribbons without your mouse?
That’s a good question and I’m happy to provide an answer for you!
The trick is still in the Alt key combined with a letter, but the new part is how you figure out which letter (or number, for that matter) to use.
In fact, to even see the letters/numbers you seek for the keyboard shortcuts, you’ll have to hit the Alt key once and then be very observant.
If you look carefully, you’ll find that once the Alt key is pressed, the Office program will display letters and numbers that correspond to the various elements you may be trying to access.
Once you’ve used a letter to access something, you’ll find that, if necessary, the program switches to the individual items in the list or ribbon.
At this point, you can hit the letter displayed by the feature you are looking to use and you’ll be on your way.
You’ve got to appreciate this one, because now, you don’t have to memorize a single thing. Office displays it all with just one touch of the Alt key!
Oh, and should you change your mind and want out of the shortcuts, the Esc key is still your escape hatch.
Happy keyboarding!
~ April