Keyboard shortcut - Definition and Overview

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A keyboard shortcut (also known as an accelerator key or hotkey) is a set of keyboard keys that when pressed simultaneously, perform a predefined task. Such a task could be done with the mouse (or other analog input such as a trackball), but would require much longer. Hence, they are a shortcut in that they save the user time.

Useful Microsoft Windows keyboard shortcuts:

Control+A: Selects the entire document for copying, deletion, etc.
Control+C: Copy currently selected text or object to clipboard
Control+P: Opens Printer dialog box in readiness for printing a document or webpage
Control+V: Paste current contents of clipboard at current location in document
Shift+Insert: Paste current contents of clipboard at current location in document
Control+X: Cut (remove) currently selected text or object from document and copy it to the clipboard
Alt+Tab: Shift focus to next window
Windows button+D: Minimize all open windows
Windows button+F: Open a search window
Alt+F4: Close current window
F1: Open the "Help" function

Ctrl+Shift+Esc: Windows Task Manager for Win2k and WinXP

Note - Control+Alt+Delete, which opens the task manager (in Windows 95 and 98), is not a shortcut. As there is no other way to open the task manager, by definition, it cannot be one.