Keyboard shortcuts allow you to perform actions using only your keyboard that otherwise you would perform with your mouse. Many people find that using the keyboard is faster than using the mouse because their hands are already positioned above the keyboard, if they are typing in text.
The greatest obstacle to overcome in becoming proficient at using Word keyboard shortcuts is memorising them. Once you know them, though, you’ll probably find that they speed up your work flow tremendously.
Listed here are some of the most commonly used keyboard shortcuts that you will probably want to use daily. There are many more keyboard shortcuts available, but I didn’t want to clutter the selection up with shortcuts you would be unlikely to use. You can also download this list in PDF format: Word 2016 Keyboard Shortcuts.
Shortcut | Purpose |
Ctrl + Home | Jump to the top of the document |
Ctrl + End | Jump to the bottom of the document |
Ctrl + right arrow | Jump to the next word |
Ctrl + left arrow | Jump to the previous word |
Ctrl + down arrow | Jump to the next paragraph |
Ctrl + up arrow | Jump to the previous paragraph |
Home | Jump to the start of the line |
End | Jump to the end of the line |
Ctrl + c | Copy selected text/object |
Ctrl + v | Paste the copied text/object |
Ctrl + x | Cut selected text/object |
Ctrl + w | Close the document |
Ctrl + z | Undo the last operation |
Ctrl + y | Redo the last operation |
Ctrl + s | Save the document |
F12 | Save as |
Ctrl + n | Create a new document |
Ctrl + o | Open a document |
Ctrl + p | Print the document |
Alt | Display access keys |
Ctrl + f | Find |
Alt + tab | Alternate between open windows |
Shift + left arrow | Select or unselect one character to the left. |
Shift + right arrow | Select or unselect one character to the right. |
Ctrl + shift + left arrow | Select or unselect one word to the left |
Ctrl + shift + right arrow | Select or unselect one word to the right |
Shift + end | Select from the cursor to the end of the entry |
Shift + home | Select from the cursor to the beginning of the entry |
Ctrl + b | Make selected text bold |
Ctrl + u | Underline selected text |
Ctrl + shift + w | Underline selected words but not spaces |
Ctrl + shift + d | Double-underline text |
Ctrl + i | Make selected text italic |
Ctrl + shift + < | Decrease the font size of the selected text by one value |
Ctrl + shift + > | Increase the font size of the selected text by one value |
Ctrl + g | Go to a page, bookmark, footnote, table, comment, graphic, or other location |
Alt + ctrl + m | Insert a comment |
Ctrl + delete | Delete one word to the right |
Ctrl + backspace | Delete one word to the left |
Shift + enter | Insert a line breaks |
Ctrl + enter | Insert a page break |
Alt + ctrl + c | Insert a copyright symbol |
Alt + ctrl + t | Insert a trademark symbol |
In a table: tab | To jump to the next cell in the table |
In a table: shift + tab | To jump to the previous cell in the table |
Ctrl + shift + c | Copy formatting from text |
Ctrl + shift + v | Apply copied formatting to text |
F1 | Display help |