MS Word Shortcut Keys List A To Z

A widely used writing and editing program for millions of users worldwide is Microsoft Office Word. With amazing tools and features for writing, editing and sharing documents it is the topmost choice for businesses and organizations.

Among its array of tools and functions, Microsoft also has some specific keyboard shortcuts that not only reduce your workload but cut down long working hours too. Shortcut keys act like magic when it comes to effective and smart working on Microsoft Office Word.

A-Z List of All Microsoft Office Word Shortcut Keys

What is the Shortcut Key In MS Word

Basically, shortcut keys are like secret passcodes for your system. That means instead of dragging the mouse just type in some formulas or press some keys to obtain the same result that hovering of mouse on the menu bar gives. It not only increases your productivity but reduces your screen timing and gives precise results. In short, your work is completed in less time.

Undo, Copy and Paste Shortcut Keys

Shortcut	Description
Ctrl + Z	Undo the last action
Ctrl + Y	Redo the last action
Ctrl + X	Cut
Ctrl + C	Copy
Ctrl + Shift + C	Copy text format
Ctrl + V	Paste
Ctrl + Shift + V	Ctrl + Shift + V

Select Text, Move, and Delete Text Shortcut Keys

Shortcut	Description
Shift + Arrow Right / Arrow Left	Extend selection one character to the right / to the left
Ctrl + Shift + Arrow Right / Arrow Left	Extend selection one word to the right / to the left
Shift + End / Home	Extend selection to the end / to beginning of a line
Shift + Arrow Down / Arrow Up	Extend selection one line down / one line up
Shift + Page Down / Page Up	Extend selection one screen down / one screen up
Ctrl + Shift + End / Home	Extend selection to end / to beginning of document
Alt + Ctrl + Shift + Page Down / Page Up	Extend selection to end / to beginning of visible window
Ctrl + A	Select all – Extend selection to entire document

Frequently used MS Word Shortcuts

Shortcut	Description
Ctrl + N	Create new document
Ctrl + O	Open document
Ctrl + W	Close document
Ctrl + S	Save document
F12	Save document as
Ctrl + P	Print document/ print preview
Ctrl + F6	Switch between multiple Word documents
Alt + F, R	Open Recent (file, recent)
Alt + Ctrl + P	Switch to Print Layout view
Alt + Ctrl + O	Switch to Outline view
Alt + Ctrl + N	Switch to Draft view (used to be normal view)
Ctrl + scroll mouse	Zoom in and zoom out
Alt + W, Q	Open Zoom Menu (no native shortcut exists for zoom in/ zoom out)
Alt + Ctrl + S	Split the document window

Format Text and Paragraph Shortcuts

Shortcut	Description
Ctrl + B	Apply/remove bold
Ctrl + I	Ctrl + I
Ctrl + U	Ctrl + U
Ctrl + D	Open the Font dialog box
Ctrl + Shift + D	Apply/remove double-underline
Ctrl + Shift + < , >	Decrease / Increase font size one value
Ctrl + =	Ctrl + =
Ctrl + Shift + =	Apply/remove superscript
Ctrl + R	Right-align paragraph
Ctrl + L	Left-align paragraph
Ctrl + E	Center-align paragraph
Ctrl + J	Justify-align paragraph
Ctrl + T	Increase hanging indent
Ctrl + Shift + T	Decrease hanging indent
Ctrl + Alt + H	Apply/remove Highlight Text Feature

Ctrl + Shift + W	Apply/remove words underline (only words, no spaces)
Ctrl + Shift + H	Apply/remove hidden formatting
Ctrl + Shift + A	Apply/remove all caps
Ctrl + Shift + K	Apply/remove small capitals
Shift + F3	Change between all upper-, first letter upper- and all lower-case
Alt + H, 4	Apply strike-through formatting (font dialog)
Ctrl + Shift + Q	Change the selection to the Symbol font
Shift + F1	Reveal Formatting (show all formats of selection)
Ctrl + M / Ctrl + Shift + M	Indent paragraph from the left and increase / decrease indent
Ctrl + 0	Add or remove one line space preceding a paragraph
Ctrl + 1	Set line-spacing to single-space
Ctrl + 2	Set line-spacing to double-space
Ctrl + 5	Set line-spacing to 1.5
Alt + Ctrl + Shift + S	Open or close Styles task pane

Shortcut	Description
Alt + Ctrl + 1	Apply Heading 1 style
Alt + Ctrl + 2	Apply Heading 2 style
Alt + Ctrl + 3	Apply Heading 3 style

Shortcut	Description
Ctrl + Shift + N	Apply Normal style

Shortcut	Description
Alt + Shift + Arrow Right / Arrow Left	Promote / demote headings

Shortcut	Description
Ctrl + Shift + S	Open Apply Styles task pane

Search and Replace Shortcut Keys

Shortcut	Description
Ctrl + H	Open Find and Replace window
Ctrl + H, then Alt + D	Open Find window
Shift + F4	Repeat last find after closing Find window
Ctrl + Tab	Jump between Find menu and document
Esc	Close traditional Search window if active
Ctrl + F	Open (new) Search menu in Navigation task pane
Alt + W, K	Open and close Navigation pane (View, Navigation)

Ribbon Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Description
Ctrl + F1	Show or hide the ribbon
Space or Enter	When in ribbon, open or activate the selected item
Alt + W, K	Open and close Navigation pane (View, Navigation)
F6 / Shift + F6	With Navigation Pane open: Switch forward/backwards between (1) Navigation Pane, (2) Bottom Taskbar, (3) Ribbon, and (4) Document
Tab / Shift + Tab	In Navigation Pane: Move through Navigation Pane options

Tables Shortcut Keys

Shortcut	Description
Arrow Down/Arrow Up	Jump one row down/one row up
Tab/Shift + Tab	Jump to (and select) next/previous table cell
Alt + Home/Alt + End	Jump to first column/jump to last column
Alt + Page Up/Alt + Page Down	Jump to first row/jump to last row
Ctrl + Arrow Left/Ctrl + Arrow Right	One cell to the left/to the right
Shift + End	Select current table cell
End, then Shift + Home	Select content of current table cell
Press and hold Shift + Arrow keys repeatedly	Extend selection to adjacent cells
Ctrl + Shift + F8	Extend selection or block
Alt + S on numeric keypad	Select an entire table
Alt + Shift + Arrow Up/Alt + Shift + Arrow Down	Move current row up or down
In first column, press Shift + End	Select row
In first row, press Alt + Shift + Page Down	Select column
Shift + Del	Delete columns with columns selected

Outline View Shortcut Keys

Shortcut	Description
Shift + Tab	Promote / Demote a paragraph (or Alt + Shift + Arrow Left / Arrow Right)
Ctrl + Shift + O	Switch to Outline View
Alt + Shift + Arrow Up / Arrow Down	Move selected paragraphs up / down
Ctrl + Shift + N	Demote to body text (set style to normal)
Alt + Shift + A	Expand or collapse all text or headings
Alt + Shift + I	Expand / Collapse text under a heading
/ key on the numeric keypad	Hide or display character formatting
Alt + Shift + L	Show the first line of body text or all body text
Alt + Shift + L	Show all headings with the Heading 1 style
Alt + Shift + n	Show all headings up to Heading n
Ctrl + Tab	Insert a tab character

Review Documents Shortcut Keys

Shortcut	Description
Alt + F10	Display the Selection and Visibility task pane
Ctrl + Shift + G	Open the Word Counting dialog box
Alt + Ctrl + M	Insert a comment
F7	Choose the Spelling command (Review tab)
Ctrl + Shift + E	Turn change tracking on or off
Alt + Shift + C	Close the Reviewing Pane if it is open
Ctrl + Shift + *	Display nonprinting characters

Enter Special Fields Shortcut Keys

Shortcut	Description
Ctrl + F9	Insert an empty field
Alt+Shift+I	Insert Mark Citation Field
Alt + Shift + P	Insert Page Number Field
Alt + Shift + D	Insert current Date Field
Ctrl + Shift + L	Insert a LISTNUM field
Alt + Shift + O	Insert Table of Contents
Alt + Shift + T	Insert current Time Field
Alt + Shift + X	Insert Mark Index Field
Shift + F9	Show or hide field code/result of selected field
Alt + F9	Show or hide field codes/results of all fields in document
F11 / Shift + F11	Go to the next field / previous field
Ctrl + Shift + F7	Update linked information in a Microsoft Word source document
Ctrl + Shift + F9	Unlink a field
Ctrl + F11 / Ctrl + Shift + F11	Lock a field / Unlock a field

Print Documents Shortcuts Keys

Shortcut	Description
Ctrl + P	Print a document (print preview)
Esc	Close print preview
Arrow keys, Page up / Page Down	Move around the preview pages (with focus on preview page)
Ctrl + Home / Ctrl + End	Move to first page / last page (with focus on preview page)

Conclusion

If you work with Microsoft, you should always know the magic tricks that make your work faster. A-Z formulae that greatly improve one’s productivity and efficiency when using the programme were covered in this article. As they say, practice makes perfect, and you can learn the software with constant practice. These keyboard shortcuts will make your work with Microsoft Word easier and faster. Using these tips and formulas, users can get more out of Microsoft Office Word.

MS Word Shortcut Keys List A To Z – FAQs

What is the shortcut key for copying text in MS Word?

Press “Copy” on the menu. Press Ctrl + C on your keyboard instead. Move the mouse to where you want to paste the text you copied. Right-click and pick “Paste” from the menu.

What is the use of Ctrl+A in MS Word?

Pressing Ctrl+A on your keyboard will pick all the text in a page or document. “Select all” is another name for it. When you press it, all the text in the open window is quickly highlighted, making it easy to change or remove.

What is the use of Ctrl+H in MS Word?

Pressing “Ctrl H” in Microsoft Word will open the “Find and Replace” dialogue box, where you may enter a word or phrase to be replaced and then choose another one. Holding down the “Ctrl” and “H” keys simultaneously will activate this keyboard shortcut.