Control Key Combinations

To activate these shortcuts, hold down the Control (Ctrl) key, press the other key (or keys) once, and then release all keys. 

Control-A
Selects all the text, files or directories in the current window, making them available for copying, cutting or pasting.

Control-C
Copies previously selected items (text, files or directories) into the Clipboard. These items can then be pasted to a new location. The original items are unchanged.

Control-F
Opens the Find window. This shortcut is useful for finding specific text within a document or Internet web page.

Control-O
Opens the Open File window. Used to open a new file or directory.

Control-P
Opens the Print window. Used to select print options for the current document.

Control-V
Copies (or "pastes") the contents of the Clipboard into a desired location. After a paste operation, the items still remain in the Clipboard, allowing you to make additional copies if desired.  

Control-X
Copies previously selected items (text, files or directories) into the Clipboard. Used to copy the items to a new location. The original items are deleted. See also: Control-C.

Control-Y
Reverses the effect of the last Undo operation. Identical to the Redo option in the Edit menu. See also: Control-Z.

Control-Z
Reverses the effect of the last task performed. Identical to the Undo option in the Edit menu. See also: Control-Y.

Control-Click
Selects multiple files or directories by clicking on each one individually (Windows Explorer & My Computer). The same action can then be applied to all selected items. See also: Select & Shift-Click.  

Control-Escape
Opens the Start menu. Used on older keyboards without a Windows key.

Control-Alt-Delete
Opens the Task management window. Used to close a program that has "frozen". The computer displays options to shut down a selected task or the whole computer. Pressing the Control-Alt-Delete combination a second time will restart the computer, which may result in a loss of unsaved data.

Control-Drag
Copies selected items to a new location (Desktop, My Computer, & Windows Explorer). The original items remain in the old location. See also: Drag.  

Control-Shift-Drag
Creates a shortcut to a file or folder (Desktop, My Computer, & Windows Explorer).