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Essential Zoom Keyboard Shortcuts for Power Users

Let's go back to a time not so long ago. Picture it: the first Friday of November, 2020. We were all waist-deep in newfound remote work adventures. There I was, fumbling through yet another Zoom meeting, juggling applications, with a lack of hostile grace usually reserved for stubborn Rubik’s cubes. This particular call was a quarterly town hall. Glued to my screen, I was trying to focus on the CEO's pep talk about synergy and quarterly pivots, whatever those are. At that moment, my cat, Douglas - yes, named after the beloved coffee shop barista, whom we like for both his impeccable latte art and his winning smile - decided the keyboard was his new pillow. Boom! Video on: everyone in the company saw my PJ shorts. Then suddenly, he muted me, unmuted me, deafening silence, deafening noise, rinse and repeat.

I remember thinking there has to be a better way as Douglas pounced away, unbothered by his unwitting betrayal. That's when I embraced the secret society of Zoom Keyboard Shortcuts. Friends, explore with me the shortcuts that saved our bacon and could just save yours. Pull up a chair, maybe a cup of coffee in honor of Douglas’ namesake, and let's dive into the world where our computers finally obey us like fairytale contraptions.

The Magic of Mute/Unmute​

Okay, so the CEO was talking about those pivots - why do we always pivot, can't we just swivel instead? Focus. Here was the first magic spell I learned: Alt + A on Windows (or Command + Shift + A on Mac). This beauty lets us mute and unmute our microphone faster than Douglas decides today’s nap locale. No more scrambling for the mouse. Just a smidgen of keyboard magic, and voilà, we are either audible or blissfully silent.

One Friday morning, during our weekly pandemic Jeopardy game, I accidentally blurted out “What is Hobbits?” to a non-Tolkien question - live - and this little shortcut saved me from further foot-in-mouth syndrome. Trust me. Learn it, embrace it, love it.

Camera Chaos Control​

Douglas, the furry conference invader, inspired my quest for camera control. No more unintended pajamas reveal. To avoid sharing your unexpected camera angles, remember Alt + V on Windows or Command + Shift + V on Mac for start/stop video. Equally important after remembering you left morning coffee brewing. I mean, do your co-workers need to see you in your caffeine-deprived mortal state? I think not.

I learned this the hard way while showing, instead of telling - think marshmallow stuck to unexpected places - the indisputable bounty brought by homemade s’mores to our annual office party. 2020 was weird, wasn’t it?

I discovered something purely magical with Alt + F1 and Alt + F2, a secret portal to view forms. The gallery view shortcut (Command + Shift + W on Mac) didn’t just switch screens; it switched perspectives - literally and metaphorically. It’s like scrolling through everyone's face in the Fig Newton gallery, but faster. We could wave, nod, and occasionally pretend to comprehend a pie chart.

Here’s where gallery view brought us joy: our company’s 'bring your pet' Zoom days were both chaotic and adorable. Maximizing our treasuring - and sometimes judging, Doug's nemesis was a Dachsund fluff - meant being able to see every single furry, scaly, feathery companion with a shortcut toggle. Pure bliss, even if Doug wasn’t impressed.

Screen Wizardry​

Screen sharing could be sorcery, which sometimes required feigned expertise. Alt + S lets us start/stop sharing our screen, a boon when a presentation goes haywire or the incredulous silence of ‘there it is’ lingers. On the Mac side, Command + Shift + S is our gateway to order this potential chaos. I cannot understate the glee when a meeting mishap recovered with one keyboard tap and not digging Needles in Haystacks for sharing buttons.

Remember the meme presentations? No? Lucky souls. But if you do... well, screen sharing then meant saving ingrants whose meeting existence I suspect was solely to protest that peanut-butter on burgers should be illegal - debate can get lively, let me tell you.

Audio Ascendancy​

Douglas can testify - though he is mercifully quiet about it - an accidental spacebar tap could lead to embarrassing auditory incidents (squirrel noises, anyone?). Behold Alt + M to mute/unmute everyone on the call (or Command + Control + M on a Mac). Like being bestowed the wand that controls the entire orchestra hall.

Of course, any power comes with great responsibility, as my supervisor reminded me one crisp Fall morning. The venue, a familiar cross-department meeting, was quiet; my fingertip danced on the spacebar. And then, suddenly - an unearthly rendition of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ rang out. It was Douglas, I swear.

Commanding Participants' Attention​

Navigating throngs of digital faces can make one nostalgic for simpler times - you know, when roughly eight people tops squished into a phone booth, debating whose quarter to use. Here’s Alt + U (or Command + U) to open/close the participants’ panel. Harnessing attendance management powers, meeting’s lackluster grandeur restored.

Once, during an impromptu talent show, this shortcut helped us track audience feats. One colleague wrestled a sour tension from the room with a harmonica. Another wove delicate tales via shadow puppets. Zoom’s panel was witness; the assembly was joy - dogs, guitars, late-night antics made Tuesday unique.

Swift Chat Transits​

Not all conversations need vocal presence. Enter Alt + H (Windows) and Command + Shift + H on Mac for a real-time journey to the chat’s heart. Want to connect digitally without verbal intrusions, to supply or share a quick link or meme? There lies the beauty of those two key partners in Zoom crime.

It was a truth universally acknowledged that when urgent executive memos conflict with our dubious snack polls - what’s the chewy snack budget again? - chat savagery prevails: memes! GIFS! Quick ‘haha’s or solemn responses to hasty decisions, comforted by virtual anonymity.

Ribbon of Reactions​

No township, even one bound by cyberspace constraints, celebrates gatherings devoid of reactions, be it heart, applause, or the ceaseless head nod emoji. Command these loyal allies using Alt + Y for the raise hand feature, lest the audience of one’s colleagues fall to monotonous drone territory. Each hand raise akin to friendly oblation with email add-ons.

During our virtual murder mystery - who needs blackout curtains when mystery’s fine abroad in daylight? - this became our noble guide. The shortcut-led offhand engagement, a rare boon. Villains and sleuths connected, amidst rich array of ‘was it the butler?’.

Full-Screen Feats​

Alt + F could be likened to expanding beyond even Alice's wildest dreams. On Mac, Command + Ctrl + F perilously guides us in and out flagship feature, full-screen mode. Ever found footing faltering over displays? Our visual mantle extends, suddenly every nook fragile nuances drama bound.

Choosing not to be background wallpaper, Douglas deviously demanded attention amid new digital landscapes. But humans won! Technological signage lives on our terms, not Douglas’s paws (though formidable each).

Leaving with Grace​

At the meeting’s poetic denouement, where every hat tips, there exists Alt + Q. Command + W on Mac wraps conclusion in elegant ceremony. Command secrecy collapses meeting rooms and frees one’s self from mundane decorum.

Douglas, oblivious to intertwined fates, plans future laptop sieges - mild curiosity glows in quizzical stare, eyes our touchpads, dreams mischief - but now keyboard commands are ours. With experience and, dare I say, feline-prompted wisdom, we share with diligence.

The denouement we link, a continuum shared between Douglas’s traditions and our newer, human keyboard sovereignty - spies, shortcuts, and digital paladins.

For those keen, perhaps meeting’s conclusion ushers Douglas’s truce - a weary yawn, regime’s impromptu lion - the tapestry our newfound shortcut bravado crafted.

Here's to discovering new ways to connect and weave humor, joy, and togetherness - lovingly lest sour trials from our beloved meetings loom. Our infinity against oblivion; us and Douglas, champions shared. Salut!