Weekly Computer Tip # 318
2 September 2010


How to keep your documents within easy reach - part II

Judging on the amounts of emails I got, lots of you liked the idea to access your documents from the taskbar; see tip_315.php if you missed it. But what if that list is massive? OK, it's in alphabetical order so as long as you're not dyslexic you should be fine, but there is a quick way to jump to the document or folder you're looking for.

Here's how:

  1. Type the first letter of the document or folder to find the item with the first occurrence of that letter.
  2. Type the same letter once more and the next occurrence in the list will appear. (Alternatively, use your arrow keys to move through the drop-down list.)
  3. Press ENTER or the carriage return key when the correct entry appears to open the document or folder.

By the way, this trick works whenever you have a list of items in front of you, be it files on your USB stick, a list of available fonts in Word, or - like me - on a messy desktop. I suppose as a document and records management trainer I'm not really setting a good example, but as Albert Einstein once put it: if a cluttered desk signs a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?

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