Keyboard Shortcut #3 - Quick Look

laptoprepair101.com

This is a great one for efficiency and time-saving; and it's easy.  You ever scroll through a list of files or images in a folder, looking for the right one, but you hate having to open it and wait for the program to launch in order to view it - especially with those pesky Microsoft documents.  Well, instead of double-clicking on the file, hit your space bar when the file is highlighted and in micro-seconds you will see a Quick View window showing you the entire contents of the document or the image.

This may not seem like a big deal now, but start practicing this key stroke more often and you will realize how much time you save.  This also works as a quick-access "presentation mode" for any PowerPoint, Keynote, or PDF if it is no-frills and you do not use transitions, animations, or video.  Don't bother waiting for the program to open, hit Space Bar.

There is a Preview feature in your Finder windows that can also serve this purpose, however it does not offer the size or the detail you may need for some documents.  Locate your top menu bar in the window for Columns or Cover Flow

Cover Flow

Columns