Microsoft Word is an essential tool for many professionals, students, and writers. Knowing keyboard shortcuts can dramatically increase your efficiency and make your work easier. Here’s a comprehensive guide to MS Word keyboard shortcuts, categorized for your convenience.
MS Word Frequently used shortcuts
| To do this | Press |
|---|---|
| Open a document. | Ctrl+O |
| Create a new document. | Ctrl+N |
| Save the document. | Ctrl+S |
| Close the document. | Ctrl+W |
| Cut the selected content to the Clipboard. | Ctrl+X |
| Copy the selected content to the Clipboard. | Ctrl+C |
| Paste the contents of the Clipboard. | Ctrl+V |
| Select all document content. | Ctrl+A |
| Apply bold formatting to text. | Ctrl+B |
| Apply italic formatting to text. | Ctrl+I |
| Apply underline formatting to text. | Ctrl+U |
| Decrease the font size by 1 point. | Ctrl+Left bracket ([) |
| Increase the font size by 1 point. | Ctrl+Right bracket (]) |
| Center the text. | Ctrl+E |
| Align the text to the left. | Ctrl+L |
| Align the text to the right. | Ctrl+R |
| Cancel a command. | Esc |
| Undo the previous action. | Ctrl+Z |
| Redo the previous action, if possible. | Ctrl+Y |
| Adjust the zoom magnification. | Alt+W, Q, then use the Tab key in the Zoom dialog box to go to the value you want. |
| Split the document window. | Ctrl+Alt+S |
| Remove the document window split. | Alt+Shift+C or Ctrl+Alt+S |
Basic Shortcuts
Frequently Used
- Ctrl + N: Create a new document
- Ctrl + O: Open an existing document
- Ctrl + S: Save the current document
- Ctrl + P: Print the document
- Ctrl + C: Copy selected text or item
- Ctrl + X: Cut selected text or item
- Ctrl + V: Paste copied or cut text or item
- Ctrl + Z: Undo an action
- Ctrl + Y: Redo an action
Formatting Text
- Ctrl + B: Bold selected text
- Ctrl + I: Italicize selected text
- Ctrl + U: Underline selected text
- Ctrl + Shift + >: Increase font size
- Ctrl + Shift + <: Decrease font size
Navigation Shortcuts
Moving Around the Document
- Ctrl + Right Arrow: Move the cursor to the beginning of the next word
- Ctrl + Left Arrow: Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous word
- Ctrl + Down Arrow: Move the cursor to the beginning of the next paragraph
- Ctrl + Up Arrow: Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph
- Home: Move the cursor to the beginning of the current line
- End: Move the cursor to the end of the current line
- Ctrl + Home: Move the cursor to the beginning of the document
- Ctrl + End: Move the cursor to the end of the document
Selecting Text
- Shift + Right Arrow: Extend selection one character to the right
- Shift + Left Arrow: Extend selection one character to the left
- Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow: Extend selection to the end of the next word
- Ctrl + Shift + Left Arrow: Extend selection to the beginning of the previous word
- Shift + End: Select from the cursor to the end of the line
- Shift + Home: Select from the cursor to the beginning of the line
- Ctrl + Shift + Home: Select from the cursor to the beginning of the document
- Ctrl + Shift + End: Select from the cursor to the end of the document
Editing and Formatting
Paragraph Formatting
- Ctrl + M: Increase indent
- Ctrl + Shift + M: Decrease indent
- Ctrl + 1: Single-line spacing
- Ctrl + 2: Double-line spacing
- Ctrl + 5: 1.5-line spacing
- Ctrl + E: Center align text
- Ctrl + L: Left align text
- Ctrl + R: Right align text
- Ctrl + J: Justify text
Styles and Formatting
- Ctrl + Shift + A: Change text to all caps
- Ctrl + Shift + K: Change text to small caps
- Ctrl + D: Open the font formatting window
- Ctrl + Shift + C: Copy formatting
- Ctrl + Shift + V: Paste formatting
Inserting Elements
- Alt + Ctrl + K: Insert a hyperlink
- Ctrl + K: Edit hyperlink
- Alt + Shift + D: Insert the current date
- Alt + Shift + T: Insert the current time
- Ctrl + Enter: Insert a page break
- Ctrl + Shift + Enter: Insert a column break
Reviewing and Proofing
- F7: Check spelling and grammar
- Shift + F7: Open the thesaurus
- Ctrl + Shift + E: Turn track changes on or off
- Alt + Shift + C: Close the Reviewing Pane if open
- Alt + Shift + R: Reject changes in document
Important Note About MS Word Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts can significantly boost your productivity, but remember that some shortcuts may differ slightly depending on your version of MS Word and your operating system (Windows or Mac). Familiarize yourself with the shortcuts that are most useful for your daily tasks, and practice them regularly to build muscle memory.
Tips and Tricks for Easy Remembering
- Group Related Shortcuts: Learn shortcuts in groups based on their categories, like formatting, navigation, and editing.
- Use Mnemonics: Create memory aids to remember shortcuts. For example, “Ctrl + B” for Bold can be remembered as “Bold = Beefy.”
- Regular Practice: Regular use and practice can help solidify these shortcuts in your memory.
- Print a Cheat Sheet: Keep a printed list of shortcuts handy while you work until you memorize them.
- Customize Shortcuts: MS Word allows customization of shortcuts. Modify them to keys that are more intuitive for you if the default ones are hard to remember.
By mastering these shortcuts, you can work more efficiently and make your experience with MS Word much more enjoyable. Happy typing
You can also read
- MS Word Official All Shortcuts Key
- Learn MS Word Step by Step in Assamese