To differentiate from general keyboard input, most keyboard shortcuts require the user to press and hold several keys simultaneously or a sequence of keys one after the other. Keyboard shortcuts are generally used to expedite common operations by reducing input sequences to a few keystrokes, hence the term 'shortcut'.
Keyboard shortcuts are typically a means for invoking one or more commands using the keyboard that would otherwise be accessible only through a menu, a pointing device, different levels of a user interface, or via a command-line interface.
