10 basic tech tips you need to know

Save time and stress and learn to navigate your computer like a pro with these ten elementary tech tips.

1. To make web browsing easier, try pressing the Space bar to scroll down. Each time you press it, your web page will scroll down by one screen length. To scroll back up, hold down Shift then press the Space bar.

2. You can switch between the programs that you have open by holding down Alt (or Command for Mac users) and pressing Tab. Each time you press Tab you will select the next active program, by pressing Shift+Tab you will select the previous program. Release Alt/Command and the selected program will open.  

3. Similar to the above, you can cycle through internet browser tabs by pressing Ctrl+Tab, or Crtl+Shift+Tab to cycle backwards. 

4. On most internet browsers, you can Google search for something by using the address bar, rather than returning to Google’s website. Just type something in and press Enter.

5. You can highlight a word by double-clicking it. Triple-clicking will highlight the selected paragraph. 

6. By holding down Control (or Option for Mac) and pressing Backspace, you can delete entire words rather than single characters.

7. When you delete a file or move it to the trash, you aren’t actually deleting it. You have to open the Trash or Recycle Bin and empty it to actually delete the files. If there is anything in the Recycle Bin that you want back, just right-click it and click Restore or Put Back. 

8. Hover your mouse cursor over links on the internet to see where they will take you. For example, this link to more tech tips will take you to www.yourlifechoices.com.au, whereas this link to more tech tips which appears identical, will actually take you to a picture of a dog. Depending on your browser the link destination may appear adjacent to your cursor, or at the bottom of the page.

9. If you’re having trouble reading a webpage, you can make the text bigger by holding down Control and pressing + or –. Mac users can do this by holding down Command and pressing + or –.

10. Google search has a few tricks up its sleeve that can help you browse the internet with ease. Have a look at some of the ways you can use Google to your advantage.

Did we miss any? Are there any great tech tips that you think would help out fellow readers? Why not share your tech tips in the comments below?

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Written by YourLifeChoices Writers

YourLifeChoices' team of writers specialise in content that helps Australian over-50s make better decisions about wealth, health, travel and life. It's all in the name. For 22 years, we've been helping older Australians live their best lives.

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