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Most helpful Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts

Most helpful Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts
Mike Braun

Mike Braun

  • Updated:

We all think we are masters of Word, but we all could be a little better.

Keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts allow you to save time and effort when accessing specific functions of the program. They’ll help you improve productivity and create your documents even faster.

Best keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Word

In Word, you can find the complete list of all the default keyboard shortcuts in the program. However, there are too many and trying to learn them all in one sitting is impossible.

For this reason, below you have a table with our favorite shortcuts. These can teach you how to select all, minimize a window, save, copy, delete, etc.

Make sure you bookmark this article so you don’t need to memorize all of these.

Let’s get started:

The most used Word keyboard shortcuts:

Chances are, you know about these. However, it’s never a bad idea to refresh your memory. 

  • CTRL + C: Copy
  • CTRL + X: Cut
  • CTRL + V: Paste
  • F7: Check spelling and grammar
  • CTRL + B: Apply bold to selected text or activate bold
  • CTRL + I: Apply italics to the selected text or activate italics
  • CTRL + U: Apply underline to selected text
  • CTRL + Z: Undo last action
  • CTRL + Y: Redo last action
  • CTRL + N: Create a new document
  • CTRL + O: Open a document
  • CTRL + W: Close a document
  • F12: Save as
  • CTRL + S: Save
  • CTRL + F: Search
  • CTRL + P: Print

The ones you probably don’t know about:

Let’s go one step further. These are the ones you will be glad you know when it comes time to write the 50-page term paper.

  • CTRL + E: Center a paragraph
  • CTRL + J: Justify a paragraph
  • CTRL + L: Align a paragraph to the left
  • CTRL + R: Align a paragraph to the right
  • CTRL + H: Opeh the find and replace dialog bax
  • Tab: Tab a paragraph
  • CTRL + 1: Define a single line spacing
  • CTRL + 2: Define double line spacing
  • CTRL + 5: Define a line spacing of 1.5 lines
  • CTRL + 0: Applies or removes 12 points of space above the current paragraph.
  • CTRL + Q:  Removes paragraph formatting that isn’t part of the style assigned to a selected paragraph.
  • CTRL + Delete: Delete a word to the left
  • CTRL + Enter: Insert a page break
  • CTRL + F4: Close the active window
  • CTRL + F12: Display the “Open” dialog
  • CTRL + SHIFT +<: Decrease font size
  • CTRL + SHIFT +>: Increase the font size
  • CTRL + SHIFT + Arrows: Select until the end of a word
  • SHIFT + F3: Change the letters to uppercase or lowercase
  • CTRL + SHIFT + L: Apply bulleted list
  • ALT + CTRL + D: Add the date
  • ALT + CTRL + N: Switch to Normal view
  • ALT + CTRL + I: Activate or deactivate the Preview
  • ALT + CTRL + O: Open Outlining tab
  • ALT + CTRL + C: Insert the copyright symbol
  • ALT + CTRL + R: Insert the registered trademark symbol
  • ALT + CTRL + T: Insert the trademark symbol
  • SHIFT + F3: Change uppercase or lowercase
  • SHIFT + Enter: Insert a line break
  • SHIFT + Right arrow: Select a character to the right
  • SHIFT + Left arrow: Select a character to the left
  • CTRL + Home or CTRL + End: Select until the end of a line

Armed with these shortcuts, you should be able to write more efficiently. Enjoy your new free time!

Mike Braun

Mike Braun

Mike Braun is a technology editor for Softonic. He spent his childhood being frustrated by Battletoads, then moved on to being frustrated by that lava level in Aladdin for Sega Genesis. A graduate of Florida State University, he now lives in Portland where he's working on a science fiction novel series and drinking too much coffee.

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