Is there a keyboard shortcut that closes Word files without saving changes, which I might be accidentally hitting while typing? I use Windows XP Home. Stafford M Linsley
The standard shortcut for closing a Windows application is Alt+F4 (hold down the Alt key then press the F4 function key), which is hard to do by accident, but there are several other ways to close applications or files. For example, Alt-F usually selects the File menu, which then allows C (for close) or X (for exit). Alt-Spacebar is the standard way to pop up the window menu (to maximise or minimise a window) and this may also let you close or quit. Word's AutoSave and AutoRecover functions should mean you don't lose much if any work (see Automatically save and recover Office files).
Either way, it's a good idea to make hitting Ctrl-S (for Save) a reflex action whenever you come to a natural pause.
Backchat: Bill Taylor has come up with "a very simple typo that causes a Word document to be closed without saving". It's "Ctrl+W - an unadvertised keyboard shortcut for Close". He says he learned the hard way by typing "When" and hitting Ctrl instead of the shift key. I've previously recommended Ctrl-W as a quick way of closing unwanted popups and browser windows.
