Here’s the Fast Fix:

On both iPhones:

1. Swipe down from top right (for iPhones with FaceID).
2. Find the control that includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
3. Press and hold in the middle of the 4 icons (not on any of the the icons).
4. Select ‘Everyone for 10 minutes’ and it should work both ways.

If this is too brief, or you have an iPhone (or iPhone SE) without FaceID, or you want to see it step by step in more detail, read on or click a heading from the Contents below.

Contents

Introduction

Some Problems

AirDrop Only Working One Way

Contacts

“Everyone’ Versus Contacts

Version of iOS

Introduction

AirDrop is a handy way to transfer quite large files like photos or notes locally or person-to-person.

It uses both W-Fi and Bluetooth.

For most people it either works or it doesn’t. But sometimes you can get the curious problem of only working in one direction!

Some Problems

As indicated above, you both must have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on so you can AriDrop.

Firstly, the person sending must have them both on.

The other person must have them both on to receive.

So how can it be that in some situations AirDrop only works one way?!

I mean, by definition it must all be set up right to transfer data one way, so how come AirDrop doesn’t work in the other direction?!

Well, the answer is that the two iPhones in question are not entirely set up the same. Read on to see why, and then fix it.

NOTE: If airdrop is not finding anyone at all, make sure you read the related article: AirDrop not finding anyone.

Airdrop Only Working One Way

Curious problems may occur with AirDrop, like AirDrop only working one way.

The ‘Contacts’ selection can cause this.

But first, lets show how to find the settings where you need to select your options.

As indicated above in the fast fix, you can use a shortcut method to get to AirDrop settings via the Control Center.

In addition you can find what you need to adjust in Settings.

Go to your iPhone’s Settings.

Then tap General.

Finally select to go into AirDrop.

This is where you can see and select you AirDrop options.

Contacts

The three AirDrop options you can select in iOS 16.4 and later are:

• Receiving Off
• Contacts Only
• Everyone for 10 Minutes.

As shown below.

You must have something other than Receiving Off (the first Setting option for AirDrop) for a transfer to work one way, but why wouldn’t it work both ways in some cases?!

Let’s say you both have selected ‘Contacts Only’.

A potential cause is only one of you is in the contacts of the other.

If you both have ‘Contacts Only’ selected, AirDrop will work only from the iPhone with the contact details of the other person.

TIP: You are sure you have the other person in your Contacts, right? Well are you sure they are using their phone?! Maybe they have their partner’s phone (do you have their partner in your contacts?). Or maybe they changed their phone or Apple ID!

There are a few other permutations with your settings and contacts that can cause Airdrop to only work one way.

‘Everyone’ versus Contacts

Another combination is that only one of you have ‘Everyone for 10 Minutes’ and the other has Contacts Only set.

So both of you are set to receive an AirDrop.

But, if for example, neither of you are in the contacts of the other, then AirDrop will only work for the one with ‘Everyone for 10 Minutes’ selected.

Version of iOS

Another reason why you may find AirDrop only working one way, is that one of you has an older version of iOS. This way it is possible one of you has selected ‘Everyone’ (which does not time out). The other may have had ‘Everyone for 10 Minutes’ selected.

Suppose one of you waited a moment before you started to make one of the transfers, or it took a long time. Or you want to make another transfer much later in time.

Then AirDrop to Everyone (for 10 Minutes) will time out for only one of you. Then AirDrop will only work one way.

I suppose it is also possible that it times out for one person but not the other. I guess you will try it again and find that it would cease to work both ways eventually.

The fix that should work for all these scenarios is to select AirDrop to ‘Everyone’ or ‘Everyone for 10 Minutes’ and make the transfers within the next 10 minutes!

The post Fix Airdrop Only Working One Way appeared first on TheTechMentor.com.

Contents

In Brief Fix

Background

Fix Airdrop Not Finding Anyone – Method 1 From Wherever

Fix Airdrop not finding iPhone – Method 2 From Within Settings

In Brief Fix

This fix uses a kind of shortcut to access the AirDrop settings.

• Show the Control Center (swipe down top right on an iPhone with Face ID).
• Hold in center of the control that includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
• Tap AirDrop and select Everyone for 10 Minutes.

If this was too brief to understand, it didn’t work for you, or you have an iPhone model without FaceID, please read on to find more details about the steps and some extra checks to do.

Background

AirDrop uses both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. You need to have them both on for it to work.

Let’s say you have already turned these on, or made sure they are on.

NOTE: Another thing to be aware of is that using your iPhone as a local hotspot prevents AirDrop from working. If you are using it, you will have to turn it off to use AirDrop.

AirDrop Problem

Having checked or fixed these settings, you go back to photos and tap a photo to send. Select AirDrop and … nothing.

If you are like me, you ask, “Why can’t AirDrop find anyone?”

There could be reasons other than explained above. The one we focus on in this article is: AirDrop not finding anyone due to the wrong AirDrop settings.

So as written above, you tapped AirDrop to send a photo and now it says you cannot find anyone when you go to AirDrop. You will see something like in the screen copies below.

From photos you tap share, then tap the AirDrop icon, and then you would normally select the person identified under ‘AirDrop a Copy’. In the above image you can see AirDrop not showing anyone. So even when there is someone right there near you, you see that AirDrop can’t find anyone.

If you have used it before and it ‘just worked‘, then perhaps you’ve updated your iOS to a more recent version since then.

Even if AirDrop worked for you in the past, there has been a change in recent versions of iOS. This means you may need to do something you didn’t need to do in the past.  

That’s okay. When AirDrop won’t find anyone even if they are nearby it means that there are some setup changes you need to make. Let’s get on with it.

Fix AirDrop not Finding Anyone – Method 1: From Wherever

How to fix it when AirDrop can’t find anyone on your iPhone using the Control Center.

I prefer this method because you do not have to leave what you are doing and go to Settings, then find the right place, and make changes in there.

It seems quicker and easier to use Control Center.

Step 1 – From wherever you are, show the Control Center.

I love this method because you can start it from (almost) anywhere. Even if you are looking at the screen showing AirDrtop shows no-one, or if looking at this article in Safari.

It uses a neat trick to get quickly to AirDrop settings.

Swipe down from the top right corner on your iPhone (for iPhones that have FaceID).

NOTE 1: Phones that have FaceID include newer iPhones from iPhone X. That is, like iPhone 12, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 (including the pro/Max versions).

NOTE 2: If you have an iPhone with a Home Button then swipe up from the bottom of the screen. These phones include the older models like iPhone 6, iPhone 7 and iPhone 8. It also includes the newer iPhone SE.

This action will show the common Airplane Mode, Mobile Data, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth buttons (or controls) and other icons in what’s known as the Control Center.

Don’t tap on the Bluetooth icon to go into Bluetooth.

Well, I mean that is if Bluetooth is already on. So do check that it’s turned on (blue icon). If it’s not turned on, do turn it on now. See the image below for clarity.

Same for Wi-Fi icon, you can make sure it is blue to indicate it is on.

NOTE: If you have changed from the default Control Center Setting for ‘Access Within Apps’, you can only access it from the Home Screen, rather than in the Photos app.

Swipe down to show the Control Center. Note the communications control with Wi-Fi etc.

Step 2 – Bring up a new Control menu of options for AirDrop.

Tap and hold in the middle of the four buttons for Aeroplane Mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mobile data. The location to hold is shown in the above image.

A new larger menu of buttons (called a control) will display.

This control has 6 buttons instead of 4.

TIP: press and hold and try not to swipe or the control with 6 buttons might not show.

This control is relatively new and is visible in iOS 16.4.

You can now see the expanded communications control within Control Center. 6 icons are better than 4, right?! It’s a fast way to access your AirDrop settings from wherever you are on your iPhone.

Can you see six buttons now?

Notice that we didn’t need to go into AirDrop from your photos then search for options. In fact you can’t change AirDrop settings at that location.

Neither did we go to your iPhone’s Settings to do this. You could do that. We show you using this in Method 2.

Now you should see those two additional buttons.

The first extra icon on the left is a control for AirDrop.

The other icon is Personal Hotspot.

NOTE: As stated above, make sure Personal Hotspot is off.

This AirDrop control location is where we are going to fix the problem of AirDrop not finding anyone.

Step 3 – Change the AirDrop Settings From the Default Value.

Tap on the AirDrop icon.

Now you will see three options for AirDrop as text. You can only select one of them at a time.

• Receiving off.
• Contacts only.
• Everyone for 10 minutes.

This view shows the AirDrop settings accessible from Control Center. Shown set to AirDrop not receiving anything.

NOTE: one of these rows of text will have a tick or check-mark to the right to indicate it is selected.

How to set AirDrop to Everyone

Tap the third row at the above screen to select that option for AirDrop. This is the option for AirDrop that helps you find anyone.

Now, as you might expect the option to select ‘Contacts Only’ allows you to only find anyone nearby who is also in your contacts.

If your iPhone won’t find anyone, and someone you know who in your contacts is standing right there, this is a second option you can select to fix it.

It also will make your iPhone discoverable by others.

Here is the Change:

The third option has changed from in the past.

In the past, the third option was ‘Everyone’.

AirDrop for Everyone is now slightly but significantly changed.

It appears this change is either an additional security measure, so that you can’t send sensitive information or photos without choosing to do so for only a short time, or to reduce your iPhone searching for other phones around you all the time.

Whatever the reason, it means your iPhone’s AirDrop can’t find anyone anymore, even if it could in the past.

At the time I saw this, I thought, “now I see why I can’t AirDrop!”

For now, let’s say the person you want to send photos to is not in your contacts.

Tap ‘Everyone for 10 Minutes’ to select it.

Here you see Everyone for 10 Minutes is now selected, so you should expect AirDrop to find everyone. But wait, there’s more… AirDrop might still not find anyone!

NOTE: When you tap your selection, the screen will jump back to the previous one you saw.

I’m not sure why it doesn’t remain to allow you to change your selection again. I suppose if it did, then you’d have to have an extra button to go back or say you’ve finished your selection. It takes out one step, so I suppose it is a good thing.

Then again, tapping outside the working area of a control is a common way to do it without a button in iOS.

If you want to read a brief explanation about these options, you would need to view them in the iPhone Settings, which we show in Method 2.

Now you will notice that under the AirDrop heading will be a description of your selection. For example, if you tapped on ‘Everyone for 10 Minutes’, there will be the word ‘Everyone’ written under AirDrop.

Here the AirDrop control shows Everyone selected. This six-icon view is found from the Control Center.

Step 4 – Go back and Use AirDrop

Tap your screen outside the boundary of the control with the 6 icons and you return to the normal view of the Control Center.

Tap outside any icons on the Control Center (or swipe up) to return to where you were. As stated near the start of this method this could be the photos app (or even at a blank AirDrop selection screen).

Let’s say you are back in the photos app.

So now when you tap AirDrop, you will see it can find anyone near you with the ability to receive AirDrop communications.

If it seems that AirDrop won’t find anyone still, the problem is with the other user! They will need to check they have switched on both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for example.

In addition, they may need to change the ‘Receiving off’ default selection in the same way you changed it above.

These last lines give a clue to what might go wrong if AirDrop only works one way (click the link to see an article that shows how to fix that).

Fix AirDrop Not Finding iPhone – Method 2: From Within Settings

To use this method, you must leave whatever app you had been using when you found that Airdrop doesn’t find anyone. To me, that is a disadvantage.

This method is fine and quite quick to use when you are not in the middle of trying to send photos, notes, or documents.

There is also one small advantage I’ll highlight below.

Step 1 – Go to Settings

Go to the home screen if not already there.

Tap the Settings icon (looks like a gear).

Step 2 – Go to General

Slide down the screen if necessary and tap General.

Step 3 – Go into AirDrop settings

Tap AirDrop, which is quite close to the top of the General Settings options.

Now you see three options

• Receiving Off
• Contacts Only
• Everyone for 10 Minutes.

Compare what you see versus the screenshot below.

If your AirDrop is not finding anyone with an iPhone nearby, It probably is set to ‘Receiving Off’. You can select Contacts Only or Everyone for 10 Minutes.

In addition, you can also see a description of settings below the third option.

This description explains a little more about your choices.

The explanation shown in this view is one (small) advantage of Method 2 over Method 1.

(Yes, for some reason, the almost equivalent view accessed from the Control Center has no explanation.)

Step 4 – Select Option Other than Receiving Off

If your iPhone won’t find anyone, and someone who is in your contacts is standing right there, you could choose the second option you can tap to select it.

It also will make your iPhone discoverable by others.

If you are not sure the person nearby is in your contacts, or you know they are not; you will need to select the third option.

NOTE: The third option has changed from in the past. In older versions of iOS, the third option was ‘Everyone’.

Thus AirDrop for Everyone is now slightly but significantly changed.

It seems this change is could be an additional security measure, so that you can’t send sensitive information or photos without choosing to do so for only a short time. Alternatively it could help to stop your iPhone searching for other phones around you continually.

For now, let’s say the person you want to send photos to is not in your contacts.

Tap ‘Everyone for 10 Minutes’ to select it.

You then go back by tapping at the top left of screen <General and <Settings.

The next time you go to share a photo or Note via AirDrop, your iPhone will find anyoneone who’s iPhone is not set to ‘Receiving Off’.

If you do try at some time in the future, and find that AirDrop can’t find anyone, you know it will be the other person’s iPhone that needs the Settings changed. Even better, you now know two ways to show them how to do it! If this article helped you it could help your friends. Share it with them – as they say, sharing is caring!

The post Fix AirDrop Not Finding Anyone appeared first on TheTechMentor.com.

Win+Pause keys

It’s the shortcut to get direct to Windows Settings > About.

You can alternatively type “Settings” into the Windows search bar (for Cortana). Then you might need to scroll down depending on the window size. Then click on ‘About’ on the left hand side.

This shows the following information:

• Device Specifications
• Windows Specifications

So, by device specifications, we mean the specs of your Tablet (e.g. Surface 2-in-1), Laptop, or PC.

See further below for an image showing the key locations.

Device Specifications

There are ‘Copy’ buttons for each, so you can easily copy your Windows PC information, making it easier to copy and paste to share in an email or help desk chat!

For example:

Device name
Processor
Installed RAM
Device ID
Product ID
System type
And further information like Pen and touch Pen and touch support with 10 touch points

Windows Specifications

Similarly the Win & Pause keys shortcut gives you the following Windows Specification information:

Edition Windows version
Version
Installed on ‎Date
OS build
Serial number
And further information like Experience for example: Windows Feature Experience Pack

Where is the Win Key?

Win is short for Windows, and it looks like the Windows symbol rather than having Win written on it.

The windows key is bottom left on every Microsoft Windows keyboard.

It seems to always be between the Ctrl and Alt keys. On any keyboard I remember looking at anyway. See below for where it is on my Surface Type Cover keyboard.

Win key placement. Bottom left between the Crtl and Alt keys (for ‘control’ and ‘alternate’). Note: only the left side of the keyboard is shown in this image.

Where is the Pause key?

On my Logitech wireless keyboard, the Pause and Break and special function PC Power on/off are all top right of the keyboard. Just above the Num Lock key on the number keypad.

Logitech Wireless keyboard and mouse. Click for a close up of the Pause key with the PC on-off key (and perhaps also to buy!)

NOTE: these are affiliate links, so if you buy something and it complies with the Amazon requirements, then we get a small commission which will make a difference to whether we can keep this website running (and help others like you) or not.

Overall the two keys are located as shown below. When you see this, you might note that you cannot press both keys at the same time with only one hand (unless you have very large hands! Maybe Lionel Richie could perhaps!).

Here are the key locations on a Logitech wireless keyboard.

On my Surface Pro, there isn’t exactly a Win + Pause key combination possible. However that does not really matter, as there is a very quick alternative shortcut.

Just hit the Settings key. That is shared with the Function key F8. The beauty is that the Settings key is the main key so you only have to tap that key (just like sound mute on F3). You don’t need Alt, Win, nor Fn key (Alternate Windows or Function keys).

MS Surface Pro keyboard Settings key. It’s kind-of in a similar position towards the top-right of the keyboard. Given the MS Surface Type Cover doesn’t have a Pause or Break key (nor a separate number key pad) its a pretty handy alternative.

You might need to scroll down on the left to select ‘About’ in Settings.

On Windows 10 when you press Win+Pause you will see the following Settings screen (or similar):

Windows 10 view of result from the Win+Pause or Settings key. Windows 11 is probably similar.

So we’ve covered in much detail the shortcut these two keys pressed together do.

See this other article if you instead wanted to search to find how to ‘Pause Windows Updates‘.

Summary

This article aims to give you help with the shortcut Win + Pause, which as you now know gives a handy shortcut to get your windows computer (PC, tablet, or laptop) specs and system properties. In addition, it aims to show you where the windows key is, and also where the pause key is. Thanks for reading!

The post win-pause shortcut appeared first on TheTechMentor.com.

Contents

Use the in-page link below to jump direct to the shortcut you need.

Quick view of Keyboard Shortcuts

Introduction

Excel Insert Row Shortcut

Insert multiple Rows Shortcut in Excel

Delete Row Shortcut in Excel

Delete Multiple Rows Shortcut in Excel

Bonus – Delete blank rows Shortcut (without a mouse)

Maybe quicker – Delete Blank Rows with a mouse

Summary

Quick view of Keyboard Shortcuts

INSERT Row Excel Shortcut Shift+Space, Ctrl+‘+’

DELETE Row Excel Shortcut Shift+Space, Ctrl+‘-’

Insert multiple Rows Excel Shortcut Shift+Space, Shift+<down>, Ctrl+‘+’

Delete multiple Rows Excel Shortcut Shift+Space, Shift+<down>, Ctrl+‘-’

Note: For Mac computers: Just use the Command key instead of Ctrl above.

The above quick summary just gives the fastest information, but I thought you might like to see other methods and relevant tips. I explain them below.

NOTE: Did you know you can copy File Explorer Search results to Excel (as a list of file names)? Read how to here: 2 Tricks Save Explorer Search Results.

Introduction

Normally Microsoft makes simple action keyboard shortcuts easy, but the insert row keyboard shortcut is not so easy to find. You can get there using the Ribbon with a mouse, but it is not so quick when you need to do it repeatedly. Hotkeys make it easier!

If you want to insert or delete rows using the mouse see the end of each section. These primarily use a right click in the right place, or the ribbon with a mouse.

The delete rows keyboard shortcut is similarly not obvious.

The methods I’ve seen online typically require you to first use the mouse to select it.

Then they show a shortcut. To me, this is not quite as quick as using only the keyboard if that is what you want. Besides as I’ll show, there are quick ways using the mouse without the keyboard that seem better than first using the mouse then moving your hand(s) to the keyboard.

That doesn’t help when you want to record keyboard strokes for recording a macro, for example.

Read on!

Symbols Used

I’ll try to use limit the use of symbols in displaying the hotkey in most cases so it is easier to read. In some cases I might use apostrophe around the ‘key’ especially when it is a symbol rather than a letter or function key. For arrow keys and certain other keys I will use greater-than and less-than symbols around the <key>.

In between most key combinations I’ll use the plus (+) sign to indicate you hold down the first key then press the second key.

For example to hold down the Shift key then press another key, will look like this: Shift+c (which is the shortcut for copy that you may already know).

When you need to follow with a further hotkey combination, I’ll separate with a comma “,” so you can see that you don’t need to press five keys at once!

Excel Insert Row Shortcut

The Select Current Row Excel shortcut is step 1: Shift+Space

The first key combination selects the current row. This saves clicking the left of the column and makes it a shortcut without a mouse.

The Insert Row Excel shortcut to finish is step 2: Ctrl+‘+’

Note: For the Mac, use the Command button instead of Ctrl. That is Command+’+’

Select entire current row then insert a row using only keyboard shortcuts (no mouse). If you have a Mac, use the command key instead of Ctrl. Note: to get the + you can use only the plus key if your keyboard has a separate one (eg. on a number keypad) or if it is shared like in the image, use Shift if necessary.

Note: It can be very quick to insert rows using the mouse. Right click on the row label(s) left of the first column, then click ‘Insert Row’ in the popup menu.

NOTE 2: if you don’t select the row first, the above hotkey combination will initiate to insert the current cell only. This shows the insert dialog box and you can then select Row using further hotkeys as explained below.

An alternative way is to use the insert dialog box then ‘r’ or arrow keys and enter:

To insert a row at the selected cell, use insert: Ctrl+‘+’, r, Enter.

Or Ctrl+‘+’, then hit the down arrow twice to move selection to “Entire Row” then hit Enter.

Again, on a Mac, use Command instead of Ctrl.

Note: If you do not see the dialog box pop up, it could be because something like a table or table with a filter is blocking that command form being available. You can do it if not within the table. Your best option in that case is the first one shown above.

The quickest way using the mouse is to right click on the row label then click ‘Insert’ from the popup menu.

Insert multiple Rows Shortcut in Excel

As with everything in Excel, there are several ways you can do the action.

If you already have cells spanning several rows selected, you can just use:

The Insert Row Excel Shortcut: Ctrl and ‘+’

The same number of rows are inserted as the number of cells selected.

If not, the select current row Excel shortcut is again the first step Shift+Space

Then hit the shortcut keys Shift+<Down> to select several rows down (or Shift+<up> key to select a range of rows going up).

There is yet another way, even if you only have a single cell selected.

Again, the Select Current Row Excel shortcut is step 1: Shift+Space

Use the Insert Row Excel Shortcut: Ctrl and ‘+’

Then you can continue to hold down Ctrl and tap ‘+’ as many times as you need to keep inserting more.

Delete Row Shortcut in Excel

Assuming you have jumped straight here, the Select Current Row Excel shortcut is step 1: Shift+Space

The keyboard shortcut to delete a row in Excel is: Ctrl+ ‘-’

That is for when you already have a cell selected on the row you want to delete.

NOTE: if you don’t select the row first, the above hotkey combination will initiate to delete the current cell and other options. You can still use this dialog box as explained further below.

Note: It can be very quick to delete one row using the mouse. Right click on the row label, then click delete in the popup menu.

The two shortcuts to delete row in Excel. First use Shift then tap space, then Control and minus key. If you have a Mac, use the command key instead of Ctrl.

An alternative way is to use the delete dialog box then ‘r’ or arrow keys and enter:

To insert a row at the selected cell, use insert: Ctrl+‘-’, r, Enter.

Or Ctrl+‘-’, then hit the down arrow twice to move to “Entire Row” in the dialog box and then hit Enter.

Again, on a Mac, use Command instead of Ctrl.

NOTE: If no dialog box appears, look if you have a table or table with a filter in the sheet which can block that option. You can still delete a row. Your best option is the first method shown above.

The most effective way using the mouse is to right click on the row label then select Delete from the popup menu.

Delete multiple Rows Shortcut in Excel

If you already have selected cells spanning several rows, you can just use:

The Delete Rows Excel shortcut: Ctrl and ‘-’

Another way is you can just continue to hold down Ctrl and press ‘-’ as many times as you want to delete more rows.

Without the mouse move to a cell in the first row you want to remove. Type Shift+Space, which will select them all horizontally, then use the <down> arrow.

Again use Ctrl and ‘-’ to complete the process.

Using the mouse can be quick.

Select cells on multiple rows: Hold Shift and click on at least two row labels left of the first column.

You can even select with gaps if you hold down Control instead.

Right click and select ‘Delete Rows’.

Well done if you have read all the way to here, as you will have seen multiple ways and expanded your skills. TheTechMentor.com likes to give more where possible.

Bonus – Delete Blank Rows Excel Shortcut

As a bonus, I want to show how to remove blank rows in Excel.

This is something many people need but do not know it is quite EASY to do.

It can be a pain to find and select many rows before you delete them.

There is a special trick to allow you to do it without having to select every blank row manually. Without that it is not that easy using only the keyboard.

How do you delete all blank rows in Excel?

It takes a brief few steps, but you can do it using only keyboard shortcuts ie. without a mouse. Here’s how:

To select all the cells in the column of the current cell, use Ctrl+Space.

Alternatively, just select only the range you want. You can use shift and the move keys for example.

NOTE: for best results, you will want cells selected in one column only for this method, and it only works well if you have a column that is representative of your blanks.

If you really need, you could create a column that evaluates if the others are blank. If you have only numbers above zero, you could sum the other columns, for example. Another way to find blanks in a table is to add a filter (in the Home ribbon) if not already in use and choose ‘Blanks’ for each column.

First, you will need to select only the blank cells.

How do you select all the blanks cells in Excel?

To select all the blank cells in your column range, select the blank rows using the following steps:

GoTo shortcut: press <F5>.

This will trigger the Goto dialog box.

Then using only the keyboard, press Alt+Shift+s (in other words Alt+S).

Use Goto (F5) to select cells, you’ll need the Special option.

This brings up the Goto Special dialog box.

Now press k for Blanks and OK.

The Goto Special dialog box lets you select only the blanks.

Now you have all the blank cells. How do you select all the blank rows in Excel?

Now we can use the mouse or do it without the mouse. You might want to use the mouse at this point, as it has already been a few steps to now.

Next, we delete the blank rows.

Now press Alt+h for the ribbon Home menu. You’ll notice many letters appear on the ribbon.

Final steps to delete blank rows using only the keyboard. After D then press R for ‘Rows’ and you are done!

Now press D (for Delete) then R (for Rows).

DONE! Without a mouse.

Delete Blank Rows With a mouse:

With a combination of keys and mouse:

Press <F5> select Special, then click Blanks and OK.

Then click Delete in the Ribbon Home menu, and click the second option, “Delete Sheet Rows”.

The final step to delete the blank rows, shown above via the mouse. The insert shows the ribbon Home menu actions.

It’s not that hard to use only the keyboard method shown above, but you might like to just use the ribbon and mouse for the actual delete rows step. I find it easier.

Summary

I’ve shown the Insert Row shortcut and Delete Row shortcut in Excel. For each, I’ve also shown how to expand those shortcuts to insert or delete multiple rows. As a bonus, I’ve shown how to select and delete blank rows using only keyboard shortcuts.

The post Insert or Delete Row Shortcuts in Excel appeared first on TheTechMentor.com.

Shortcuts are key combinations that help us access certain features quickly, without having to go through all the menu options. They save us time and make us more productive.

There are a few software key shortcuts that every office worker should know, and today we will discuss their importance and benefits.

Access management tools

Companies are becoming more and more reliant on automated management tools to help them run their business.  These tools, such as https://opal.dev software, can be used for a myriad of tasks including project management, customer relationship management, email marketing, and much more. 

Automated management tools allow companies to save time by automating various processes that would otherwise need manual attention. 

This means you will have fewer overhead costs and the focus will go back to your core competencies instead of spending time on tasks like managing contacts or setting up new campaigns in marketing automation platforms.  There are many benefits of using automated management systems for businesses – so let’s get into some shortcuts standardized across many Microsoft applications.

Microsoft shortcuts

Have you ever used Microsoft Word and felt like it was difficult to find certain features?  Well, did you know that there are shortcuts for many of the tasks we do in MS Word? 

Shortcuts are key combinations that help us access certain features quickly, without having to go through all the menu options. They save us time and make us more productive.

There are a few software shortcuts that every office worker should know, and today we will show them and their benefits.  

• One of the most useful Microsoft shortcuts is Control + F, which allows you to search for a specific word or phrase in your document. This is extremely helpful if you are working on a long document and need to find a specific piece of information quickly.
• Another great shortcut, arguably the most useful shortcut, is Control + S, which allows you to save your document. This may seem like an obvious one, but it can be easy to forget to save your work periodically, especially if you are working on a large project.
• The last Microsoft shortcut we will discuss is Control + P, which allows you to print your document. This can be very helpful if you need to have a hard copy of your work or share it with someone who does not have access to a computer.

Many other Microsoft shortcuts can be extremely helpful in your day-to-day work life. We encourage you to take some time to familiarize yourself with them so that you can be more productive and efficient in your use of MS Word.

Google shortcuts, Bing Shortcuts

As we all know, Google is one of the most popular search engines on the internet. Did you also know that there are shortcuts that can help you use it more efficiently? While this might be a function of your browser, you can certainly use them while using Google and Bing.

One of the most useful Google shortcuts is Control + T, which allows you to open a new tab. This can be very helpful if you need to lookup multiple things at once or if you want to keep your search results organized.

• Control + W allows you to close the current tab. This can be helpful if you are done looking at a particular set of search results and want to move on to the next set.
• Control + F does the same task as in Microsoft Word, allowing you to search for a specific word or phrase on the current page. This can be extremely helpful if you are looking for information on a particular topic and want to find it quickly. Another way to look for a topic on the internet is to insert the entire website in the Google search bar, so www.searchwebsitename.com term (whatever you are interested in).

Using a simple Notepad

Notepad is a basic text editor that’s included with Windows. You can use it to create or open text files, as well as save your work. To open Notepad, press Win+R to launch the Run dialog, type notepad, and press Enter.

• Quickly create a new text file in Notepad, press Ctrl+N.
• To save a file in Notepad, press Ctrl+S.
• Close a file in Notepad, press Ctrl+W.
• To reopen a closed file in Notepad, press Ctrl+O.
• To print a file in Notepad, press Ctrl+P.

If you need to find a word or phrase in a text file, use the Find feature. To open the Find dialog, press Ctrl+F. Type the text you’re looking for and click Find Next.

Excel Control Key Shortcuts

Excel is a popular spreadsheet application. It’s used for everything from creating budgets to tracking sales data. Here are some useful shortcuts for Excel:

The standard shortcuts for creating new files, reopening, etc. are the same as any other Microsoft software.

• A new favorite of mine: shortcut for filter in excel (eg. in a table) Press Control+Shift+L.
• To select all the cells in a worksheet, press Ctrl+A.
• One you likely already know: To copy data to the clipboard, hit Ctrl+C.
• Many also know: To paste data from the clipboard, press Ctrl+V.
• To clear the contents of a cell, press Ctrl+Delete. (Although, why not just hit delete?!)
• Similar sounding, but more useful which performs a very different action:
  Use Ctrl+d in Excel to ‘fill down’ the contents of a cell or cells to other selected cells in rows below.
  In other words, it is like two shortcuts in one! Ctrl+c to copy the top row and Ctrl+v to paste to all the cells in rows below that you also have selected. But even quicker because it’s two in 1!
• To format cells, select them and then press Ctrl+1 to open the Format Cells dialog.
• To enter numbers in scientific notation, press Ctrl+Shift+5.
• Press Ctrl+Shift+2 to enter a date,
• To enter a time, press Ctrl+Shift+3.
• Not sure this is really a shortcut, but some might not know: To select a range of cells, hold down the Shift key and click the first and last cells in the range.

Did you know you can copy MS File Explorer Filenames and Folders to Excel? It’s a very handy shortcut compared to writing it out manually! You can do it easily. To learn how, see this article: Copy file and folder names into Excel.

And a special method to use 2 Tricks Save Explorer Search Results to Excel.

PowerPoint Shortcuts

The main PowerPoint shortcuts that are different in embedded spreadsheets are those for selecting cells, copying and pasting data, and formatting cells. 

• To select a single cell, press F8. To select a range of cells, press Shift+F8.
• Not really different shortcut to copy data to the clipboard, press Ctrl+C. To paste data from the clipboard, press Ctrl+V.
• To format cells, select them and then press Ctrl+1 to open the Format Cells dialog.

Outlook shortcuts

Many MS Outlook key shortcuts are the same as those in other Microsoft applications.

However, there are a few that are specific to Outlook:

• To create a new email, press Ctrl+Shift+M.
• To reply to an email, press Ctrl+R.
• Forward an email by pressing Ctrl+F.
• To delete an email, press Ctrl+D.

No matter what you do, every office worker can be helped by some of these useful key shortcuts.

We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the key shortcuts discussed in this article. You can be more productive in your work.  In times when work efficiency needs to constantly improve because of the dense market competition, every edge you can get can help. 

Increasing efficiency and downsizing the time spent doing a specific assignment, even if it is just a few moments can over time turn into significant minutes or hours saved per week.  This allows for employees to focus on other more important agendas or tasks.

Using these key shortcuts in MS Office and other software enables you to work more efficiently and effectively.

The post 6 Software Key Shortcuts Every Office Worker Should Know appeared first on TheTechMentor.com.