Understanding what the keyboard is, what it is capable of, and how best to utilize it will improve your web browsing experience! Below is some useful information about the keyboard and helpful tips & tricks to make your life just a little bit easier!
The keyboard...
The Tab key moves keyboard focus to the next interactive element, such as a link, button, form field, etc.
Contrary to popular belief, pressing this key will not make a diet soda appear out of thin air.
The Arrow keys are used to scroll the page, but also to move focus within form fields (such as changing the selection in a set of radio buttons or changing the selection of a drop-down list).
The Spacebar is used to activate links and buttons.
The Enter/Return key is used to activate links and buttons.
The Escape key is used to close or dismiss modal dialogs (i.e., pop-ups).
“Modifier keys” are keys that when used in conjunction with another key(s), makes that other key(s) perform a different function. For example, holding Shift while pressing a letter key will type the uppercase of that letter. Common modifier keys are:
Instead of using the menu when the mouse is right-clicked to cut, copy, or paste, use these quick keyboard shortcuts. Highlight the text, then use:
When in a web browser, use these keyboard shortcuts to perform actions quicker than if you were using the mouse:
If you like these keyboard shortcuts, be sure to check out this list of 47 Keyboard Shortcuts for Web Browsers.
Anthony holds dual degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from NYU.
He has over 30 years of experience in hardware design and software programming. Anthony specializes in computer and cloud networking and has collaborated with clients and third parties on creating custom software designs and is a web presence and accessibility compliance expert.