Keyboard shortcuts are not just for use by our differently-abled friends. They can be quite useful for those of us who have all of our digits. Keyboard shortcuts can save you a lot of time by putting files or commands you use often right at your fingertips.
Some keyboard shortcuts, however, require you to hold down three keys at a time. If you want to use a keyboard shortcut but find it difficult to hold down two or three keys at the same time, StickyKeys makes it easy. When a shortcut requires a key combination, the StickyKeys feature in Microsoft Windows lets you press a key, such as SHIFT, CTRL, or ALT, and keep it active until another key is pressed.
StickyKeys is also helpful when you want to type uppercase letters without holding down SHIFT while you press each letter key. To activate StickyKeys:
- Press the SHIFT key five times. A dialog box opens with instructions on how to set up the StickyKeys feature.
- Click Yes.
An icon (a group of squares, highlighted in red below) appears in the notification area.
With StickyKeys enabled, you can press and release the SHIFT, CTRL, ALT, or Windows logo key, and Windows XP will hold the key down for you until you press the next key. For example, to type a capital A, you could press and release SHIFT, and then press and release the A key. To turn off StickyKeys, press the SHIFT key five times, and then click Cancel in the StickyKeys dialog box.