Lab 06 · Intro to Computers · About 30 minutes

Ditch the Mouse

The fastest people at a computer barely touch the mouse. You'll learn the shortcuts that work in almost every app, on every major operating system, and put them to work. Along the way you'll complete 4 hands-on challenges, document your work, and write a professional lab report.

Step 1

Before you begin

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Same three boxes as every lab:

HintHelp if you get stuck. Searching the web or asking an AI is encouraged; check what it tells you against your own screen.
ChallengeHands-on work you do yourself, then capture as evidence for your lab report. Tick the box when you have it.
Quick checkA question to make sure it clicked. Unlimited tries, and every answer explains why.

You'll need a keyboard, a text editor (like Notepad, TextEdit, or the Text app), and a web browser. Try to keep your hand off the mouse for the whole lab.

Your name, for your completion badge Stays in this browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.

Step 2 · Lesson

Your hands already know the way

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Every trip from the keyboard to the mouse costs a second or two. Do it hundreds of times a day and it adds up, which is why experienced IT people barely touch the mouse. The best part: most of these shortcuts have worked the same way for decades, and they work in nearly every app.

One rule covers most of the differences: on a Mac, Cmd usually takes the place of Ctrl. Chromebooks and Linux follow the Windows column.

Action	Windows, Linux, Chromebook	Mac
Copy, cut, paste	`Ctrl` + `C` `Ctrl` + `X` `Ctrl` + `V`	`Cmd` + `C` `Cmd` + `X` `Cmd` + `V`
Undo	`Ctrl` + `Z`	`Cmd` + `Z`
Redo	`Ctrl` + `Y` or `Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Z`	`Cmd` + `Shift` + `Z`
Select all	`Ctrl` + `A`	`Cmd` + `A`
Find on the page	`Ctrl` + `F`	`Cmd` + `F`
Save	`Ctrl` + `S`	`Cmd` + `S`
Select text	`Shift` + `Arrow`	`Shift` + `Arrow`
Jump a whole word	`Ctrl` + `Arrow`	`Option` + `Arrow`
Switch apps	`Alt` + `Tab`	`Cmd` + `Tab`
Search for an app	The Windows or Search key	`Cmd` + `Space`

And in any web browser:

Action	Windows, Linux, Chromebook	Mac
New tab	`Ctrl` + `T`	`Cmd` + `T`
Close tab	`Ctrl` + `W`	`Cmd` + `W`
Reopen a closed tab	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `T`	`Cmd` + `Shift` + `T`
Next tab	`Ctrl` + `Tab`	`Ctrl` + `Tab`
Jump to the address bar	`Ctrl` + `L`	`Cmd` + `L`
Zoom in, out, reset	`Ctrl` + `+` `Ctrl` + `-` `Ctrl` + `0`	`Cmd` + `+` `Cmd` + `-` `Cmd` + `0`

One more that works almost everywhere: Tab moves to the next button or box on a page, and Shift + Tab moves back.

Quick check

A Windows user knows that Ctrl + F finds text on a page. What do they press on a Mac?

Quick check

You press Ctrl + A to select everything in a long document, then accidentally hit a key. All your text is replaced by one letter. What now?

Step 3 · Challenge

Edit without a mouse

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Challenge 1 · Screenshot

Open a text editor and type this exactly:

the mouse is slow keyboard the fast is

Now, without touching the mouse, rearrange it into:

the mouse is slow, the keyboard is fast

Use Ctrl + Arrow to jump between words (Option on a Mac), Shift + Arrow to select, and cut and paste to move words. Then press Undo a few times to watch your changes reverse, and Redo to bring them back.

Take a screenshot of your finished sentence.

I have my screenshot

Step 4 · Challenge

Run your browser from the keyboard

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Challenge 2 · Screenshot

Open a new tab, jump to the address bar, and go to any website you like
Open two more tabs with different sites, then flip between all three
Close one tab, then bring it back with the reopen shortcut
Find a word on the page, then zoom in twice

Take a screenshot showing the word you found highlighted on the zoomed-in page. Reset the zoom when you're done.

I have my screenshot

Quick check

You accidentally closed a tab with an article you needed. What's the fastest fix?

Step 5 · Try it

Move between apps, and lock up

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Try it

Open two or three apps, then switch between them with Alt + Tab (Cmd + Tab on a Mac). Hold the first key and tap the second to pick an app.
Open an app without the mouse: press the Windows or Search key (Cmd + Space on a Mac), type the app's name, and press Enter.
Lock your screen, then unlock it. On Windows press Win + L; on a Mac press Ctrl + Cmd + Q; on a Chromebook press Search + L.

Quick check

You're working in a library and need to step away for a minute. What should you do?

Step 6 · Challenge

Make your cheat sheet

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Challenge 3 · Screenshot

In your text editor, write your own list of the 10 shortcuts you think you'll use most, with the exact keys for your computer. Save it as shortcuts.txt in your Intro to Computers folder, using only the keyboard to save.

Take a screenshot of your cheat sheet. Keep it handy until your fingers know them by heart.

I have my screenshot

Step 7 · Finish

Get your badge

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Connelly Labs badge

Shortcut Master

Your name

Challenge 4 · Screenshot

Your badge, with your name showing.

I have my screenshot

Your lab report evidence

Challenge 1: editing without a mouse
Challenge 2: your keyboard-only browsing
Challenge 3: your shortcut cheat sheet
Challenge 4: your badge

Write it up

Put these images into a short lab report: what you set out to do, what you did, and what you found. List which shortcuts you'll actually keep using. The Start Here guide has a template and tips. Accuracy matters more than polish.