Computer Shortcuts and Abbreviations

The computer system has endless functions and features divided among the devices. They have their own special set of commands that they follow to function efficiently according to a user request.

But for a user, it is not possible to remember all the processes correctly. There are endless menus, features, commands, results, and much more available on just one device simultaneously.

If the users need to know every detail then the assistance they seek from the technology will become null and void. Thus the system has shortcuts and abbreviations to make it easier for the users.

The shortcuts consist of multiple combinations made of keys available on the keyboards enabling users to get their work done quickly.

Abbreviations are not something that computers accept in general as they are not in binary form. They are more like conversational terms that the users use among themselves to understand the system better as common people.

We will be looking at all the important computer abbreviations and acronyms first. After understanding them, we will move ahead with important computer shortcuts.

Important Computer Abbreviations

1. AAC – Advanced Audio Coding
2. ABR – Average Bit Rate
3. ADSL – Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
4. AGP – Advanced Graphics Port
5. AIM – AOL Instant Messenger
6. ALGOL – Algorithmic Language
7. ALU – Arithmetic Logic Unit
8. AOL – America Online
9. API – Application Program Interface
10. APT – Automatically Programmed Tooling
11. ARP – Address Resolution Protocol
12. ARPANET – Advanced Research Projects Agency Network
13. ARQ – Automatic Repeat Request
14. AS – Autonomous System
15. ASCII – American Standard Code for Information Interchange
16. ASP – Active Server Pages
17. ASPI – Advanced SCSI Programming Interface 
18. ATA – Advanced Technology Attachment 
19. ATDT – Attention Dial Tone 
20. AUI – Attachment Unit Interface
21. AUTOEXEC – Autoexec Automatic Execution file 
22. AVI – Audio Video Interleave
23. A/D – Analog-to-Digital
24. ABC – Atanasoff Berry Computer
25. ACM – Association for Computing Machinery
26. AI – Artificial Intelligence
27. AMD – Advanced Micro Devices
28. BASIC – Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code
29. BCC – Blind Carbon Copy
30. BCD – Binary Coded Decimal
31. BCR – Barcode Reader
32. BDSL – Broadband Digital Subscriber Line
33. BIOS – Basic Input Output System
34. BPI – Bytes Per Inch
35. BGP – Border Gateway Protocol
36. B HTML – Broadcast HyperText Markup Language
37. BIPS – Billion Instruction Per Second
38. BIU – Bus Interface Unit
39. BMP – Bitmap
40. BRD – Blu-Ray Disc
41. CC – Carbon Copy
42. CD – Compact Disk
43. CD-R – Compact Disk – Recordable
44. CD ROM – Compact Disk Read Only Memory
45. CD RW – Compact Disk Rewritable
46. CD-WO – Compact Disk – Write Once
47. CD-XA – Compact Disk – Extended Architecture
48. CGI-BIN – Common Gateway Interface – Binary
49. CIS – CompuServe Information Service
50. CISC – Complex Instructions Set Computers
51. CMD – Command
52. CMYK – Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black (color model)
53. CNM – Circulatory Network Mode
54. COAX – Coaxial Cable (for Ethernet and similar networks)
55. COBOL – Common Business Oriented Language
56. COMPUTER – Commonly Operated Machine Particularly Used for Trade/Technology, Education, and Research.
57. CPI – Clock / Cycle Per Instruction
58. CPU – Central Processing Unit
59. CROM – Computerized Range of Motion
60. CRT – Cathode Ray Tube
61. CSLIP – Compressed Serial Line Interface Protocol
62. CSS – Cascading Style Sheets
63. CTRL – Control 
64. CUI – Character User Interface
65. CAD – Computer-Aided Design
66. CAE – Computer-Aided Engineering
67. CAN – Campus Area Network
68. CASE – Computer-Aided Software Engineering
69. CL – Command Language
70. CODASYL – Conference On Data Systems Languages
71. BEDO – Burst Extended Data Out 
72. D/A – Digital-to-Analog
73. DBS – Demand Based Switching
74. DDS – Digital Data Storage
75. DEC – Digital Equipment Corporation
76. DMA – Direct Memory Access
77. DNA – Digital Network Architecture
78. DPI – Dots Per Inch
79. DRAM – Dynamic RAM
80. DSN – Distributed Systems Network
81. DTS – Digital Theater System
82. DVD – Digital Video/Versatile Disk
83. DAC – Data Acquisition and Control 
84. DAT – Digital Audio Tape
85. dB – Decibel
86. DBMS – Database Management System
87. DDL – Data Definition Language
88. DHTML – Dynamics Hyper Text Markup Language
89. DML – Data Manipulation Language
90. DNS – Domain Name System
91. DOC – Data Optimizing Computer
92. Doc – Document
93. DOS – Disk Operating System
94. DRAM – Dynamic Random Access Memory
95. DVDR – Digital Versatile Disk Recordable
96. DVDRW – Digital Versatile Disk Rewritable
97. DCE – Data Communications Equipment
98. DVI – Digital Visual Interface
99. DVR – Digital Video Recorder
100. E-Commerce – Electronic Commerce
101. EDC – Electronic Digital Computer
102. EDI – Electronic Data Interchange
103. EDP – Electronic Data Processing
104. EEPROM – Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory
105. EFS – Encrypted File System
106. EIDE – Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics 
107. E-Mail – Electronic Mail
108. EPROM – Erasable Programmable Read-OnlyObject-Oriented Memory
109. EROM – Erasable Read Only Memory
110. EBCDIC – Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code
111. EDSAC – Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator
112. EDVAC – Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Calculator
113. EFM – Eight-to-Fourteen Modulation
114. ENIAC – Electronic Numerical Integrator And Calculator
115. EPG – Electronic Programming Guide
116. EPIC – Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing
117. FDD – Floppy Disk Drive
118. FAT – File Allocation Table
119. FDM – Frequency Division Multiplexing
120. FEP – Front End Processor
121. FLOPS – Floating Point Operations Per Second
122. FM – Frequency Modulation
123. FMS – File Management System
124. FORTRAN – FORmula TRANslation
125. FSK – Frequency Shift Keying
126. FTP – File Transfer Protocol
127. GB – GigaByte
128. GDI – Graphical Device Interface
129. GUI – Graphical User Interface
130. GFLOPS – Gigaflops
131. GHz – GigaHertz
132. GNU – Gnu Not Unix
133. GPRS – General Packet Radio Service
134. GSM – Global System for Mobile communication
135. HD – Hard Disk
136. HTML – HyperText Markup Language
137. HTTP – HyperText Transfer Protocol
138. HP – Hewlett Packard
139. HSS – Hierarchical Storage System
140. I/O – Input/Output 
141. IMAP – Internet Message Access Protocol
142. INTEL – Integrated Electronics
143. IOP – Input Output Processor
144. IP – Internet Protocol
145. ISDN – Integrated Services Digital Network 
146. ISP – Internet Service Provider
147. IVR – Interactive Voice Response
148. IBM – International Business Machine
149. IC – Integrated Circuit
150. IDN – Integrated Digital Networks
151. IrDA – Infrared Data Association
152. JPEG – Joint Photographic Experts Group
153. JRE – Java Runtime Engine
154. JSP – Java Server Pages
155. Kbps – Kilobits/Kilobytes Per Second
156. KB – Kilo Bytes
157. KHz – KiloHertz
158. LAN – Local Area Network
159. LED – Light Emitting Diode
160. LLL – Low-Level Language
161. LPT – Line Printer
162. LCD – Liquid Crystal Display
163. LPM – Line Per Minute
164. LSI – Large Scale Integration
165. MAC – Media Access Control
166. MAN – Metropolitan Area Network
167. MB – Motherboard/ Megabyte
168. MBASIC – Microsoft BASIC 
169. MBPS – Megabytes Per Second
170. Mbps – Megabits Per Second
171. MICR – Magnetic Ink Character Recognition
172. MMX – Multimedia Extensions 
173. MODEM – Modulator Demodulator
174. MSCDEX – Microsoft Compact Disc Extension
175. MS-DOS – Microsoft – Disk Operating System
176. MAR – Memory Address Register
177. MBR – Memory Buffer Register
178. MHz – Megahertz
179. MIDI – Musical Instrument Digital Interface
180. MIPS – Millions of Instructions Per Second
181. MNP – Microcom Network Protocol
182. MPEG – Moving Pictures Experts Group
183. MVT – Multiprogramming with Variable Tasks
184. NAT – Network Address Translation
185. NTP – Network Time Protocol
186. NIC – Network Interface Card
187. NICNET – National Informatics Center NETwork
188. NOS – Network Operating System
189. OCR – Optical Character Reader 
190. OMR – Optical Mark Reader
191. OOP – Object Oriented Programming
192. OS – Operating System
193. OSI – Open System Interconnection
194. OSS – Open Source Software
195. PP – Point to Point 
196. PAN – Personal Area Network
197. PC – Personal Computer
198. PCB – Printed Circuit Board
199. PCI – Peripheral Component Interconnect
200. PHP – Hypertext Preprocessor
201. PIXEL – Picture Element
202. PNG – Portable Network Graphics
203. PPP – Point to Point Protocol
204. PRN – Printer
205. PROM – Programmable Read-Only Memory
206. PDF – Portable Document Format
207. PDL – Program Design Language
208. PDP – Program Data Processor
209. PIP  – Peripheral Interchange Program
210. QoS – Quality of Service
211. RAM – Random Access Memory
212. RARP – Reverse Address Resolution Protocol
213. RDBMS – Relational Database Management System
214. RIP – Routing Information Protocol
215. RISC – Reduced Instruction Set Computer
216. ROM – Read-Only Memory
217. SAM – Software Asset Management
218. SAN – Storage Area Network
219. SCSI – Small Computer System Interface 
220. SDRAM – Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory
221. SFTP – Secure File Transfer Protocol
222. SGML – Standard Generalized Markup Language
223. SGRAM – Synchronous Graphics RAM
224. SIP – Session Initiation Protocol
225. SIU – Serial Interface Unit
226. SMTP – Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
227. SNAP – SubNetwork Access Protocol
228. SNMP – Simple Network Management Protocol
229. SRAM – Static Random Access Memory
230. SYSOP – System Operator
231. SDLC – Software Development Life Cycle
232. SEQUEL – Structured English QUEry Language
233. SIMM – Single In-line Memory Module
234. SNOBOL – StriNg Oriented and symBOlic Language
235. SQL – Structured Query Language
236. SSI – Small Scale Integration
237. TCP – Transmission Control Protocol
238. TB – TeraBytes
239. TDM – Time Division Multiplexing
240. UI – User Interface
241. URL – Uniform Resource Locator
242. USB – Universal Serial Bus
243. UDP – User Datagram Protocol
244. ULSI – Ultra Large Scale Integration
245. UPC – Universal Product Code
246. UTF – Unicode Transformation Format
247. VCD – Video Compact Disk
248. VDU – Visual Display Unit
249. VIRUS – Vital Information Resource Under Siege
250. VRAM – Video Random Access Memory
251. VxD – Virtual Extended Driver 
252. VAN – Value Added Network
253. VCR – Video Cassette Recorder
254. VDT – Video Display Terminal
255. VGA – Video Graphics Array
256. VOD – Video-On-Demand
257. VoIP – Voice over Internet Protocol
258. VSAT – Very Small Aperture Terminal
259. WAN – Wide Area Network
260. WAP – Wireless Application Protocol
261. WBMP – Wireless Bitmap Image
262. WIFI – Wireless fidelity
263. WLAN – Wireless Local Area Network
264. WML – Wireless Markup Language
265. WWW – World Wide Web
266. WiMAX – Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access
267. WLL – Wireless Local Loop
268. WORM – Write Once Read Many
269. XGA – Extended Graphics Array 
270. XHTML – Extensible Hypertext Markup Language
271. XMF – Extensible Music File
272. XML – Extensible Markup Language
273. XMS – Extended Memory Specification
274. X.400 – Electronic Mail Protocol
275. X.500 – Directory Server Protocol
276. ZB – Zettabyte

Important Computer Shortcuts

• F1 – Universal help 
• Alt + F – File menu 
• Alt + E – Edits options
• Ctrl + A – All text selection
• Ctrl + X – Cut
• Ctrl + C – Copy
• Ctrl + V – Pastes
• Home – Beginning of the current line
• End – End of the current line.
• Ctrl + Home – Beginning of the document
• Ctrl + End – End of the document
• Shift + Home – Highlights beginning of a line
• Shift + End – Highlights end of line
• Ctrl + F4 – Closes window
• Alt + F4 – Closes current program
• F2 – Rename
• F3 – Find 
• F4 – Drive selection 
• F5 – Refresh
• Alt + Tab – Switches from one open application to another
• Alt + Shift + Tab – Switch to previous applications
• Alt + Print Screen – Screenshot 
• Ctrl + Alt + Del. – Windows task manager
• Ctrl + Esc – Start menu
• Alt + Esc – Switches between taskbar applications 
• Ctrl + Plus (+) Key – Width Adjustment in Windows Explorer
• Alt + Enter – Properties window
• Shift + F10 – Right Click 
• Shift + Del – Permanent Delete 
• Ctrl + N – New note.
• Ctrl + O – Opens recent note
• Ctrl + S – Save
• Ctrl + P – Print
• Alt + F4 – Closes a note 
• Ctrl + Z – Undo
• Ctrl + Y – Redo 
• Esc – Selection cancel
• Ctrl + Shift + C – Shortcut Menu 
• Ctrl + N – New document
• Ctrl + O – Opens document
• F12 – Documents saved as a new file
• Ctrl + B – Text Bold
• Ctrl + I – Italicized text
• Ctrl + U – Underlines texts
• Ctrl + L – Aligns text left
• Ctrl + R – Aligns text right
• Ctrl + E – Aligns text center
• Ctrl + J – justify text
• Ctrl + 1 – single line spacing
• Ctrl + 2 – double line spacing
• Ctrl + 5 – line spacing to 1.5
• Ctrl + Shift + A – All characters capital
• Ctrl + D – Inserts Paint drawing
• Ctrl + F – Finds text
• Ctrl+D – Bookmarks current page
• Ctrl+K – Insert hyperlink
• Ctrl + Shift + Spacebar – Non-breaking space
• Ctrl + Shift+ <  – Decrease font size value 
• Ctrl + Shift + >  – Increase the font size value
• Ctrl + [  – Increase the font size by 1 
• Ctrl + ] – Decrease the font size by 1 
• Ctrl + Spacebar – Remove paragraph 
• Ctrl + Alt + V – Paste special
• Ctrl + Shift + V – Paste formatting
• Ctrl+F10  – Maximise the document 
• Ctrl + Shift + T – Enter the current time
• Ctrl + ; – Enter the current date
• Shift + F3  – Open the Excel window
• Shift + F5 – Search box
• Ctrl + F9 – Minimise workbook
• Ctrl + F10 – Maximise workbook
• Ctrl + F6  – Switch between open tabs
• Ctrl + Page Down – Move between Excel worksheets 
• Ctrl + Tab – Move between Excel files
• Alt + = – SUM
• Ctrl + ’ – Insert the same value into cell 
• Ctrl + Arrow key – Next section to text
• Ctrl + Space – Select column
• Shift + Space – Select row
• Ctrl+Del – Delete word to the right
• Esc – Cancel task
• Enter – Perform the command 
• Spacebar – Select or Clear the check box 

Conclusion

These were all the important computer abbreviations and shortcuts that you need to keep in mind for basic computer aptitude. This is an important topic under the computer awareness subject of many competitive exams in India.

Exams like Bank, Insurance, SSC, RRB, etc. have this subject in their mains exams to test the computer friendliness of the users. Many of us are using these terminologies every day but are just not aware of them. But they are important to remember to score better in these exams.

Make sure that you read every term correctly to avoid any sort of confusion later.