You can also find the shortcut keys in popular programs by looking for underlined letters in their menus. In other words, 'Ctrl+S' tells you to press and hold the Ctrl and then press the S simultaneously. The de facto standard for listing a shortcut is listing the modifier key, a plus symbol, and another key. Shortcut keys are performed using the Alt key (on IBM compatible computers), Command (on Apple computers), Ctrl key, or Shift key in conjunction with another key. Shortcut keys help provide an easier and quicker method of navigating and executing commands in the computer software. How do I create a Windows shortcut key?.PC shortcut keys for special characters.