Many text editors
and programs allow you to highlight all or portions of text using the Shift key and the mouse. For example,
place the cursor at the beginning of a
paragraph, hold down the Shift key and click at the end of the paragraph to
highlight the full paragraph.
Take full advantage of the scroll wheel
Today, everyone is fully aware of a mouse wheels ability to
scroll up and down on a page. However, this wheel can also do so much more,
as shown below.
- The mouse wheel is not just a wheel, it can also be used as a
button. Pressing down on the wheel will act like a third mouse button.
This can be used to open a web page in a tab by
clicking the wheel on any link and can also be used to close a tab by
clicking the wheel on any open tab.
- Quickly Zoom in and Out on a web page, word document, excel
spreadsheet, etc. by holding down the
Ctrl key and scrolling up to zoom in and down to zoom out.
- Move forward and backwards while browsing the Internet by holding
down the Shift key and scrolling up and down. Scrolling down goes back
and scrolling up goes forward.
Select with double and triple click
Any word can be easily selected by double-clicking the word.
If you want to highlight the whole paragraph, click the mouse button three
times on any text in the paragraph.
Use the right-click
Take full advantage of the right-click any time you highlight
text or wish to view the properties of an object. For example, if you
highlight a file or text, you can right-click that highlighted item copy it
and then right-click anywhere else to paste it.
If you
right-click on any file or text and drag it while continuing to hold the
right button, when you let go you will be given the option to move or copy
that file or text. This saves you the extra step of having to right-click
where you want to paste the item.
While in a
browser pressing and holding Ctrl while clicking on any
link will open that link in a new
tab.
Ctrl key and mouse click or highlight
While holding down the Ctrl key you can left-click to select multiple
objects or highlight multiple sections of text. For example, in Microsoft
Windows you could hold down the Ctrl key and click to select multiple files
at once. If you wanted to highlight different parts of a paragraph or web
page, you could also hold down the Ctrl key and select each section you
wanted to copy.
Mozilla
Firefox users can also hold down the Ctrl key and individually click on each cell
in a table they wish to copy or drag
their mouse down a row to select just that row or text without selecting any
of the other text in that table.
Use the mouse side buttons
Many new computer mice have buttons on the side of the mouse.
These buttons can be programmed to do anything, however, by default the
left-thumb button can be used to go back on a web page. This makes browsing
the Internet more enjoyable since you do not need to move the mouse cursor
to the browser back arrow button in order to go back a page.
Use the Windows Snap To feature
Take full advantage of the Windows mouse Snap To
feature, which will automatically move your mouse to buttons that appear in
a dialog box. For example, if you delete a file or close a window you may
get a prompt asking you if you are sure you want to perform the task. With
the Snap To feature enabled, the mouse cursor automatically moves to the Ok
button, so all you will have to do is click the mouse button if you agree.
This saves you the time of having to move the mouse cursor over to the Ok
button and then click Ok. To enable this feature open the Mouse properties
under the Windows Control Panel and
check the Snap To check box under the Pointer Options tab.
While
changing this feature we also suggest looking at other available options in
the Mouse settings. For example, increasing the Motion speed can also help
increase your productivity while using the mouse.
Manage the open window with the mouse
Double-click the top title
bar of any window to maximize a
window or if it is already maximized resize it to a window. You can also
double-click the icon for the window in the top-left corner of the window to
close that window.
Move the mouse with your keyboard
Instead of using the mouse that came with your computer you
can also enable Windows to use the number
pad as a mouse.
Customize your mouse
Finally, if you have a mouse with more than two buttons,
installing the included mouse software will allow you to customize the mouse
even more. For example, if you don't use the side buttons to move back and
forth in a web page change it to something you do more often, such as
switching between open windows or opening the calculator.
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