The ABCs of XYZ

The ABCs of XYZ

This is a tip for Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 (any version)

Today we’re going to show you three handy CTRL key shortcuts that we use almost every day. And once you see how useful they are, we’re betting that you’ll use them a lot too. Here then, are Cloudeight’s ABCs of XYZ.

Z first

One time I was writing an article for the newsletter when suddenly I accidentally deleted a long paragraph. I put a lot of time and work into that paragraph, I tells ya, and I was none too happy when I accidentally deleted it. Luckily I remembered an old trick I learned long ago and immediately retrieved the paragraph in all its glory. Since then, I’ve used the same trick to bail me out of similar circumstances many times. And the trick is a simple one, but one you may not think of if you’re not reminded of it. So today, consider yourself reminded.

If you’re typing an email, an essay, an article, a journal, or whatever and you accidentally delete a word, a sentence, a whole paragraph or several paragraphs, all you have to go to bring it back is to use the CTRL+Z shortcut. CTRL+Z reverses your last action.

And just as useful, you can use CTRL+Z to restore files deleted in error. And, CTRL+Z can reverse more than one action.

Y second

Now that you know what CTRL+Z does, do you know what CTRL+Y does? You don’t? OK, I’ll tell you. CTRL+Y reverses your last Undo. You can reverse more than one action that you’ve undone.

X last

You know CTRL+C copies whatever you’ve selected and CTRL+V pastes whatever you selected using CTRL+C. But what if you want to move a file or a text selection from one place to another? That’s easy. Use CTRL+X to “cut” the selected text or file to “cut” it from where it is, then use CTRL+V to paste it in another location.

An example? OK. Let’s say I have a picture of EB in my “Favorite Pictures” folder. I sure don’t want it there! So, I highlight the photo of EB and press CTRL+X. Then I open my “Monsters of the Id” folder and press CTRL+V to paste it there – where it belongs.

Now you know the ABC’s of XYZ. Right?