I am so used to GNOME that I find it difficult using Unity. Although it is still under development right now, many users have tested and even installed in their system or tried out the upcoming Natty. Some us find it hard to use Ubuntu.
So I would like to straighten up things, here are some of the Keyboard and mouse shortcuts that would ease your work.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Unity Shortcuts
- Super (Win key) – This open the activities menu (Launcher)
- Super+A – Brings up the applications menu and allows you to perform search
- Super+F1 – Focuses on the Launcher, use arrow keys to navigate and press enter to select
- Super+W – Expo mode, zoom out on all windows in all workspace and lets you to move them
- Shift+Alt+ Up – Expo mode for all windows in the current workspace only
- Super+D – Minimize all windows; hitting it again restores them
- CTRL+Alt+Left/Right/Up/Down – Change to a new workspace
- Super+S – Expo mode, zooms out on all the workspaces and let’s you manage windows
- Super+F – Opens Files & Folders menu
Window Shortcuts
These shortcuts can be used in any environment as well in Unity.
- Alt+Tab – Switches between currently open windows
- Alt+F7 – Moves the current window (can be moved with mouse or keyboard)
- Alt+F8 – Resizes current window (again,can be moved with mouse or keyboard)
- Alt+F9 – Minimises current window
- Alt+F10 – Maximises current window
- Alt+Space – Brings up window menu with various options as minimize, maximize, move…etc
- Alt+F5 – Returns window to ‘normal’ or previous size
- Alt+F4 – Closes window
Terminal Shortcuts
You can use these shortcuts when you are using the terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T).
- Ctrl + A – Move cursor to beginning of line
- Ctrl + E – Move cursor to end of line
- Ctrl + C – kills the current process
- Ctrl + Z – sends the current process to the background
- Ctrl + D – logs you out
- Ctrl + R – finds the last command matching the entered letters
- Enter a letter, followed by Tab + Tab – lists the available commands beginning with those letters
- Ctrl + U – deletes the current line
- Ctrl + K – deletes the command from the cursor right
- Ctrl + W – deletes the word before the cursor
- Ctrl + L – clears the terminal output
- Shift + Ctrl + C – copy the highlighted command to the clipboard
- Shift + Ctrl + V (or Shift + Insert) – pastes the contents of the clipboard
- Alt + F – moves forward one word
- Alt + B – moves backward one word
- Arrow Up/Down – browse command history
- Shift + PageUp / PageDown – Scroll terminal output
Compiz Shortcuts
Some of these shortcuts requires Compiz Desktop effects enabled.
- Alt + Tab – switch between open windows
- Win + Tab – switch between open windows with Shift Switcher or Ring Switcher effect
- Win + E – Expo, show all workspace
- Ctrl + Alt + Down – Film Effect
- Ctrl + Alt + Left mouse button – Rotate Desktop Cube
- Alt + Shift + Up – Scale Windows
- Ctrl + Alt + D – Show Desktop (Only in GNOME)
- Win + Left mouse button – take screenshot on selected area
- Win + Mousewheel – Zoom In/Out
- Alt + Mousewheel – Transparent Window
- Alt + F8 – Resize Window
- Alt + F7 – Move Window
- Win + P – Add Helper
- F9 – show widget layer
- Shift + F9 – show water effects
- Win + Shift + Left mouse button – Fire Effects
- Win + Shift + C – Clear Fire Effects
- Win + Left mouse button – Annotate: Draw
- Win + 1 – Start annotation
- Win + 3 – End annotation
- Win + S – selects windows for grouping
- Win + T – Group Windows together
- Win + U – Ungroup Windows
- Win + Left/Right – Flip Windows
Nautilus Shortcuts
You might want to remember some these combinations like the one to create new folder or rename a file.
- Shift + Ctrl + N – Create New Folder
- Super + T – Opens the Trash can (recycle bin)
- Alt + Home – Opens Home
- Ctrl + T – Delete selected file(s) to trash
- Alt + ENTER – Show File/Folder Properties
- Ctrl + 1 – Toggle View As Icons
- Ctrl + 2 – Toggle View As List
- Shift + Right – Open Directory (Only in List View)
- Shift + Left – Close Directory (Only in List View)
- Ctrl + S – Select Pattern
- F2 – Rename File
- Ctrl + A – Select all files and folders
- Ctrl + W – Close Window
- Ctrl + Shift + W – Close All Nautilus Windows
- Ctrl + R – Reload Nautilus Window
- Alt + Up – Open parent directory
- Alt + Left – Back
- Alt + Right – Forward
- Alt + Home – go to Home folder
- Ctrl + L – go to location bar
- F9 – Show sidepane
- Ctrl + H – Show Hidden Files
- Ctrl + + – Zoom In
- Ctrl + – – Zoom Out
- Ctrl + 0 – Normal Size
Common Application Shortcuts
These shortcuts do not apply in all applications, but usually perform the functions listed below.
- Ctrl + C – Copy the selected text/object
- Ctrl + X – Cut the selected text/object
- Ctrl + V – Paste/insert the selected text/object
- Ctrl + A – Select all text
- Ctrl + B – Make the selected text bold
- Ctrl + I – Make the selected text italic
- Ctrl + U – Underline the selected text
- Ctrl + N – Open a new document or window
- Ctrl + S – Save the current document
- Ctrl + O – Open another document
- Ctrl + P – Print the current document
- Ctrl + Z – Undo the last change you made
- Ctrl + Shift + Z – Redo a change that you just undid
- Ctrl + Q – Quit the current application
Useful Shortcuts
- Alt + F2 Run an application by typing its name in the box which appears
- Prt Sc (Print Screen) Take a screenshot of the whole screen
- Alt + Prt Sc Take a screenshot of the current window
- Alt+Ctrl+Del – Restart the system
- Alt+Ctrl+L – Lock the screen
Mouse Tricks
- Tiling – Dragging a Window to the left/right border will auto tile it to that side of the screen
- Maximization – Dragging a window to the top panel will maximize it
- Unmaximize – Dragging the top panel down on a maximized window will unmaximize it
Please free suggest any left out shortcuts through our TIP US page.
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