Gavilan College logo

cartoon of computer monitor

CSIS 572 WORKBOOK
Choosing Menu Commands
Using the Keyboard

 cartoon of computer monitor

Choosing Menu Commands with the Keyboard

You can also select menus and menu commands with the keyboard. To do so, press the Alt key to activate the menu bar of the active window. The first menu title becomes highlighted, indicating that the menu bar is active. With the menu bar active, you can select a menu using either of two methods.

Procedures:

(Insert your flash drive into the USB port and when the AutoPlay dialog box opens, click on the Enter key if the Open folder to view files link is selected. If this link is not selected, use the Tab key to find it and then select Enter.This action will open the Removable Disk window. The drive letter such as (E:) may vary.

1. Use the Alt key to activate the menu bar of the active window.
2. Use the arrow keys to highlight the menu title you want, and then press Enter.
OR
1. Use the Alt key to activate the menu bar of the active window. Once activated, certain letters will become underlined.
2. Press the key that corresponds to the underlined letter of the menu. For example, to open the View menu, press V. (ALT + V is the keyboard shortcut.)


Screenshot of the Help Menu of the 3 1/2 Floppy window

i.e. View Menu

Once the menu is open, you select a command from the menu using the same techniques you used to open the menu. Highlight the command with the arrow keys and press Enter, or press the key that corresponds to the underlined letter to select the command you want. To close the menu (or any menu for that matter), press the Escape (Esc) key.

Control Menu

To open the Control menu on the title bar with the keyboard, press Alt + Spacebar in an application window (such as Microsoft Word or WordPad). Then highlight your selection using the arrow keys and press Enter, or press the key that corresponds to the underlined letter of the command. To close the control menu (or any menu for that matter), press Esc.

Procedures:

Open WordPad. Click on the Start menu, click on Accessories, use the scroll bar if you cannot see the whole menu, and click on WordPad.

1. Use the Alt + Spacebar to activate the menu bar of the active window.
2. Use the arrow keys to highlight the menu title you want, and then press Enter.
OR
3. You can press the key that corresponds to the underlined letter of the command.
(Such as x for Maximize.)

Screenshot of the Control Menu of the My Computer window
i.e. Control Menu


Back to Index

Address of this page is http://hhh.gavilan.edu/jmaringer/Windows7/7menukeybd.html
Last updated January 19, 2014
For questions or comments, please contact
jmaringer@gavilan.edu

| HTC Courses | DRC Home Page |