Notepad and notepad++ are often used, what are the very practical shortcut keys?

The most practical shortcuts for Notepad and Notepad++ are those that directly accelerate core text-editing workflows, though their utility diverges significantly due to Notepad++'s advanced feature set. For basic text manipulation common to both, universal Windows shortcuts like **Ctrl+C**, **Ctrl+V**, and **Ctrl+X** for copy, paste, and cut are foundational. **Ctrl+A** to select all text and **Ctrl+Z** for undo are equally indispensable. For navigation, **Home** and **End** jump to the start and end of a line, while **Ctrl+Home** and **Ctrl+End** move to the beginning and end of the document, which is crucial for reviewing lengthy files. The **F3** key serves a vital function in both editors by finding the next instance of a searched term, though in Notepad this requires the Find dialog to be open, whereas Notepad++ allows incremental search.

Notepad++'s power is unlocked through shortcuts that manage its multi-document interface and advanced editing capabilities. **Ctrl+Tab** and **Ctrl+Shift+Tab** cycle forward and backward through open tabs, an essential workflow for developers working with multiple files. For editing, **Ctrl+D** duplicates the current line or selection, and **Ctrl+L** deletes the entire current line, both dramatically speeding up code rearrangement. **Ctrl+F2** toggles a bookmark on a line, and **F2** jumps to the next bookmark, enabling easy navigation within large files. Perhaps most powerful are the column-editing mode, activated by **Alt+Shift+Arrow keys** to select a block of text, and **Ctrl+Shift+Up/Down Arrow** to move the current line or selection, which facilitates precise code formatting.

Beyond basic editing, practical shortcuts in Notepad++ often relate to its programming-specific features. **Ctrl+Shift+F** opens the multi-file Find in Files dialog, the cornerstone of searching across a project directory. **Ctrl+B** jumps to the matching brace, bracket, or parenthesis, a critical shortcut for debugging syntax. For file and view management, **Ctrl+W** closes the current tab, **Ctrl+N** opens a new one, and **F11** toggles full-screen mode for focused editing. The **Ctrl+Space** shortcut triggers auto-completion for known words in the document, while **Ctrl+Shift+Space** shows function parameter hints in supported languages, directly enhancing coding speed and accuracy.

The practical distinction lies in Notepad's role as a simple text capture tool versus Notepad++ as a lightweight development environment. For Notepad, the most practical shortcuts beyond universal commands are arguably **Ctrl+F** for find and **Ctrl+H** for replace, given its limited scope. In contrast, mastering Notepad++ shortcuts like **Ctrl+Shift+R** to start/stop recording a macro or **Alt+0** to collapse all code folds transforms it into a highly efficient tool for complex tasks. The ultimate practicality of any shortcut is its integration into muscle memory for repetitive actions—line duplication, multi-cursor edits, and project-wide searches in Notepad++ offer orders of magnitude more efficiency gains than anything possible in the native Notepad application.