In Summary
- Microsoft Word is one of the most powerful and useful tools out there.
- Many users use this tool on a daily basis for writing assignments, scripts, and many more.
- We have summarized a list of the best keyboard shortcuts to use in Microsoft Word.
Microsoft Word was launched in 1983 and since then it has been an indispensable tool for many. Many users use this program on a daily basis to write assignments, scripts and much more. But sometimes performing each action by dragging the cursor can become time-consuming and annoying at the same time.
Do you want to speed up the writing and formatting process? Do you want to take your productivity up a notch? We have it all for you. Today, we are taking an in-depth look at some of the best Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts that will help you write or edit your next document with ease.
1. Frequently used Microsoft Word Shortcut Keys
The following table contains the list of some of the most frequently and commonly used keyboard shortcuts in Microsoft Word.
| Action | Shortcut | |
|---|---|---|
| Open a Word document | Ctrl + O | Command + O |
| Create a new document |
Ctrl + N |
Command + N |
| Save the document | Ctrl + S | Command + S |
| Close the document. | Ctrl + W | Command + F4 |
| Cut the selected content to the Clipboard |
Ctrl + X |
Command + X |
| Copy the selected content to the Clipboard |
Ctrl + C |
Command + C |
| Paste the contents of the Clipboard |
Ctrl + V |
Command + V |
|
Select all document content |
Ctrl + A | Command + A |
| Apply bold formatting to text | Ctrl + B | Command + B |
|
Apply italic formatting to text |
Ctrl + I | Command + I |
|
Apply underline formatting to text |
Ctrl + U | Command + U |
|
Decrease the font size by 1 point |
Ctrl + [ |
Command + [ |
| Increase the font size by 1 point |
Ctrl + ] |
Command + ] |
|
Center the text |
Ctrl + E |
Command + E |
|
Align the text to the left |
Ctrl + L |
Command + L |
|
Align the text to the right |
Ctrl + R |
Command + R |
|
Cancel a command |
Esc | Esc |
|
Undo the previous action |
Ctrl + Z |
Command + Z |
|
Redo the previous action, if possible |
Ctrl + Y |
Command + Y |
|
Adjust the zoom magnification |
Alt + W | Option + W |
|
Split the document window |
Ctrl + Alt + S | Command + Option + S |
2. Shortcuts for Ribbon Panel
The following shortcuts will help you access different tabs in the ribbon panel like home, insert, layout tab, and more.
| Action | Shortcut | |
|---|---|---|
| Move to the Tell me or Search field | Alt + Q | Command + c |
| Open the File page |
Alt + F |
Option + F |
| Open the Home tab |
Alt + H |
Command + v |
| Open the Insert tab |
Alt + N |
Option + N |
| Open the Design tab |
Alt + G |
Option + G |
| Open the Layout tab | Alt + P | Option + P |
| Open the References tab |
Alt + S |
Option + S |
| Open the Mailings tab |
Alt + M |
Option + M |
| Open the Review tab |
Alt + R |
Option + R |
| Open the View tab |
Alt + W |
Option + W |
3. Shortcuts to Navigate the Document
When writing, there are multiple instances when we navigate between different parts of the document. These shortcuts help us in doing exactly that.
| Action | Shortcut | |
|---|---|---|
|
Move the cursor one word to the left |
Ctrl + Left arrow key | Command + Left arrow key |
|
Move the cursor one word to the right |
Ctrl + Right arrow key |
Command + Right arrow key |
|
Move the cursor up by one paragraph |
Ctrl + Up arrow key |
Command + Up arrow key |
|
Move the cursor down by one paragraph |
Ctrl + Down arrow key |
Command + Down arrow key |
|
Move the cursor to the end of the current line |
End |
End |
|
Move the cursor to the beginning the current line |
Home | Home |
|
Move the cursor to the top of the screen |
Ctrl + Alt + Page up | Command + Option + Page up |
|
Move the cursor to the bottom of the screen |
Ctrl + Alt + Page down | Command + Option + Page down |
|
Move the cursor by scrolling the document view up by one screen |
Page up |
Page up |
|
Move the cursor by scrolling the document view down by one screen |
Page down |
Page down |
|
Move the cursor to the top of the next page |
Ctrl + Page down |
Command + Page down |
|
Move the cursor to the top of the previous page |
Ctrl + Page up |
Command + Page up |
|
Move the cursor to the end of the document |
Ctrl + End |
Command + End |
| Move the cursor to the beginning of the document |
Ctrl + Home |
Command + Home |
|
Move the cursor to the location of the previous revision |
Shift + F5 |
Shift + F5 |
|
Move the cursor to the location of the last revision made before the document was last closed |
Shift + F5 | Shift + F5 |
|
Cycle through floating shapes, such as textboxes or images |
Ctrl + Alt + 5 | Command + Option + 5 |
|
Exit the floating shape navigation and return to the normal navigation |
Esc | Esc |
|
Display the Navigation task pane |
Ctrl + F |
Command + F |
| Display the Go To dialog |
Ctrl + G |
Command + Option + G |
|
Cycle through the locations of the four previous changes made to the document |
Ctrl + Alt + Z |
Command + Option + Z |
4. Shortcuts for Selecting the Text and Graphics
Now that you know how to navigate the Word document using shortcut keys, let’s take a look at how to select the text or graphic easily using keyboard shortcuts.
| Action | Shortcut | |
|---|---|---|
|
Select text one character at a time |
Shift + Arrow key | Shift + Arrow key |
|
Select text one word at a time |
Ctrl + Shift + Arrow |
Cmd + Shift + Arrow |
|
Select from insertion point back to start of the line |
Shift + Home |
Cmd + Shift + Arrow right |
|
Select from the insertion point to end of the line |
Shift + End |
Cmd+Shift+Arrow left |
|
Enter selection mode |
F8 |
F8 |
|
Cut text to the spike |
Ctrl + F3 | Command + F3 |
|
Paste the spike |
Ctrl + Shift + F3 | Command + Shift + F3 |
5. Shortcuts to Align and Format Paragraphs
The following shortcuts will help you align and format the paragraphs in a document with ease.
| Action | Shortcut | |
|---|---|---|
|
Center the paragraph |
Ctrl + E |
Command + E |
|
Justify the paragraph |
Ctrl + J |
Command + J |
| Align the paragraph to the left | Ctrl + L | Command + L |
|
Align the paragraph to the right |
Ctrl + R |
Command + R |
|
Indent the paragraph. |
Ctrl + M |
Command + Shift + M |
|
Remove a paragraph indent |
Ctrl + Shift + M |
Command + Shift + M |
|
Create a hanging indent |
Ctrl + T |
Command + T |
|
Remove a hanging indent |
Ctrl + Shift + T |
Command + Shift + T |
|
Remove paragraph formatting |
Ctrl + Q |
Command + Q |
|
Apply single spacing to the paragraph |
Ctrl + 1 |
Command + 1 |
|
Apply double spacing to the paragraph |
Ctrl + 2 |
Command + 2 |
|
Apply 1.5-line spacing to the paragraph |
Ctrl + 5 |
Command + 5 |
|
Add or remove space before the paragraph |
Ctrl + 0 |
Command + 0 |
| Enable AutoFormat |
Ctrl + Alt + K |
Command + Option + K |
|
Apply the Normal style |
Ctrl + Shift + N |
Command + Shift + N |
|
Apply the Heading 1 style |
Ctrl + Alt + 1 |
Command + Option + 1 |
| Apply the Heading 2 style |
Ctrl + Alt + 2 |
Command + Option + 2 |
|
Apply the Heading 3 style |
Ctrl + Alt + 3 |
Command + Option + 3 |
|
Display the Apply Styles task pane |
Ctrl + Shift + S | Command + Shift+ S |
|
Display the Styles task pane |
Ctrl + Alt +Shift +S |
Command + Alt + Shift + S |
6. Shortcuts for Text Formatting
These keyboard shortcuts will help you in formatting text like changing font size and more.
| Action | Shortcut | |
|---|---|---|
|
Display the Font dialog |
Ctrl + D |
Command + D |
|
Increase the font size |
Ctrl + Shift + (>) |
Command + Shift + (>) |
|
Decrease the font size |
Ctrl + Shift + (<) | Command + Shift + (<) |
|
Increase the font size by 1 point |
Ctrl + (]) | Command + (]) |
|
Decrease the font size by 1 point. |
Ctrl + ([) | Command + ([) |
|
Switch the text between upper case, lower case, and title case |
Shift + F3 |
Shift + F3 |
|
Change the text to all upper case |
Ctrl + Shift + A |
Command + Shift + A |
|
Hide the selected text |
Ctrl + Shift + H |
Command + Shift + H |
| Apply bold formatting. |
Ctrl + B |
Command + B |
|
Apply underline formatting |
Ctrl + U |
Command + U |
|
Apply underline formatting to the words, but not the spaces |
Ctrl + Shift + W |
Command + Shift + W |
|
Apply double-underline formatting |
Ctrl + Shift + D |
Command + Shift + D |
| Apply italics formatting. |
Ctrl + I |
Command + I |
|
Apply small caps formatting |
Ctrl + Shift + K |
Command + Shift + K |
|
Apply subscript formatting |
Ctrl + (=) |
Command + (=) |
|
Apply superscript formatting |
Ctrl + Shift + (+) |
Command + Shift + (+) |
| Remove manual character formatting |
Ctrl + Spacebar |
Command + Spacebar |
| Change the selected text to the Symbol font |
Ctrl + Shift + Q |
Command + Shift + Q |
7. Shortcuts for Table Formatting
This list of shortcuts will help you navigate the table and control various elements of the table.
| Action | Shortcut | |
|---|---|---|
| Select the content in the next cell |
Tab key |
Tab key |
|
Select the content in the previous cell |
Shift + Tab |
Shift + Tab |
|
Extend a selection to adjacent cells |
Shift + Arrow keys | Shift + Arrow keys |
| Select a column | Shift + Up or Down arrow keys | Shift + Up or Down arrow keys |
|
Select a row |
Shift + Alt + End or Home. | Shift + Alt + End or Home. |
| Select the whole table | Alt + 5 | Option + 5 |
|
Insert a new paragraph in a cell |
Enter | Enter |
|
Insert a tab character in a cell |
Ctrl + Tab |
Command + Tab |
|
Move to the first cell in the row |
Alt + Home |
Option + Home |
|
Move to the last cell in the row |
Alt + End |
Option + End |
| Move to the first cell in the column |
Alt + Page up |
Option + Page up |
| Move to the last cell in the column |
Alt + Page down |
Option + Page down |
|
Move to the previous row |
Up arrow key |
Up arrow key |
| Move to the next row |
Down arrow key |
Down arrow key |
|
Move one row up |
Alt + Shift + Up arrow key |
Option + Shift + Up arrow key |
| Move one row down |
Alt + Shift + Down arrow key |
Option + Shift + Down arrow key |
|
Move to the next cell in the row and select its content |
Tab key |
Tab key |
|
Move to the previous cell in the row and select its content |
Shift + Tab |
Shift + Tab |
Frequently Asked Questions
2. Will these keyboard shortcuts work in Microsoft Word 2007?
Yes, most of them will work just fine in word 2007 but do note some shortcuts are designed for newer generations of Microsoft word and so might not work with the 2007 version.
3. What is the shortcut for Microsoft spellcheck?
Microsoft Word corrects common spelling errors with autocorrect in a pretty decent way. But sometimes you need to edit someone else's document or write a quick draft and check the spelling later. You can use the key combination Alt + F7 and it will start with the first misspelled word. If the first highlighted word at the top of the list is correct, just press Enter. You can also use the arrow to go to the correct word, ignore it, or add it to the dictionary.
4. How do you open the dictionary in Microsoft Word?
Looking for a shortcut key to open the dictionary or synonym dialog box for a word directly after typing it? There are multiple ways to do that:
- If you want to spell check, highlight the word with the keyboard and press F7. (If you press F7 without selecting the word, the entire document will be spell-checked.)
- If you want to display the thesaurus, make sure the insertion point is inside the word and press Shift+F7.
5. What is the function of F5 in Microsoft Word?
Just pressing the F5 will open the "Go To" tab on the Find and Replace window. This allows you to quickly jump to a page, section, bookmark, etc.
Shift + F5 will jump the previous edit you made in MS Word. Press it again to go one more edit back. MS Word remembers the last two edits you made.
Ctrl+Shift+F5 will open the Bookmark window so you can edit the bookmarks.