Keyboard Shortcuts: Editing and formatting text
- CTRL+F or F3
- Find
- SHIFT+F4
- Repeat previous Find
- CTRL+H
- Find and replace
- F7
- Check spelling
- CTRL+B
- Make text bold
- CTRL+I
- Italicize text
- CTRL+U
- Underline text
- CTRL+SHIFT+K
- Make text small capital letters
- CTRL+SHIFT+S
- Change text style
- CTRL+SHIFT+F
- Change text font
- CTRL+SHIFT+P
- Change text size
- CTRL+SHIFT+C
- Copy formatting
- CTRL+SHIFT+V
- Paste formatting
- CTRL+SPACEBAR
- Return character formatting to the current text style
- CTRL+=
- Apply or remove subscript formatting
- CTRL+SHIFT+=
- Apply or remove superscript formatting
- CTRL+SHIFT+]
- Increase space between letters in a word (kerning)
- CTRL+SHIFT+[
- Decrease space between letters in a word (kerning)
- CTRL+]
- Increase font size by 1.0 point
- CTRL+[
- Decrease font size by 1.0 point
- CTRL+SHIFT+>
- Increase to the next size in the Font Size box
- CTRL+SHIFT+<
- Decrease to the next size in the Font Size box
Keys for Format Painter
- CTRL+SHIFT+C
- Copy formatting from text
- CTRL+SHIFT+V
- Apply copied formatting to text
Keys for Open, Save As, and Insert Picture dialog boxes
The Open, Insert Picture, and Save As dialog boxes support standard dialog box keyboard shortcuts. (To view standard shortcuts for dialog boxes, refer to the Use Dialog Boxes and Use Edit Boxes Within Dialog Boxes sections in the main Keyboard Shortcuts topic.) These dialog boxes also support the shortcuts below.
- ALT+1
- Go to the previous folder
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- ALT+2
- Up One Level
button: open the folder up one level above the open folder
- ALT+3
- Search the Web
button: close the dialog box and open your Web search page
- ALT+4
- Delete
button: delete the selected folder or file
- ALT+5
- Create New Folder
button: create a new folder
- ALT+6
- Views
button: switch among available folder views
- ALT+7 or ALT+L
- Tools button: show the Tools menu
- SHIFT+F10
- Display a shortcut menu for a selected item such as a folder or file
- TAB
- Move between options or areas in the dialog box
- F4 or ALT+I
- Open the Look in list
- F5
- Refresh the file list
Keys for document and program windows
- ALT+TAB
- Switch to the next window
- ALT+SHIFT+TAB
- Switch to the previous window
- CTRL+W or CTRL+F4
- Close the active window
- CTRL+F5
- Restore the size of the active window after you've maximized it
- F6
- Move to a task pane from another pane in the program window (clockwise direction). You may need to press F6 more than once.
- Note If pressing F6 doesn't display the task pane you want, try pressing ALT to place focus on the menu bar, and then pressing CTRL+TAB to move to the task pane.
- SHIFT+F6
- Move to a pane from another pane in the program window (counterclockwise direction)
- CTRL+F6
- When more than one window is open, switch to the next window
- CTRL+SHIFT+F6
- Switch to the previous window
- CTRL+F7
- When a document window is not maximized, performs the Move command (on the Control menu for the window). Use the arrow keys to move the window, and, when finished, press ESC.
- CTRL+F8
- When a document window is not maximized, performs the Size command (on the Control menu for the window). Use the arrow keys to resize the window, and, when finished, press ESC.
- CTRL+F9
- Minimize a window to an icon (works only for some Microsoft Office XP programs)
- CTRL+F10
- Maximize or restore a selected window
- PRINT SCREEN
- Copy a picture of the screen to the Clipboard
- ALT+PRINT SCREEN
- Copy a picture of the selected window to the Clipboard
Keys for menus and toolbars
- F10 or ALT
- Select the menu bar, or close an open menu and submenu at the same time
- TAB or SHIFT+TAB
- When a toolbar is selected, select the next or previous button or menu on the toolbar
- CTRL+TAB or CTRL+SHIFT+TAB
- When a toolbar is selected, select the next or previous toolbar
- ENTER
- Open the selected menu, or perform the action for the selected button or command
- SHIFT+F10
- Display the shortcut menu for the selected item
- ALT+SPACEBAR
- Display the window shortcut menu (Control menu)
- DOWN ARROW or UP ARROW
- When a menu or submenu is open, select the next or previous command
- LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW
- Select the menu to the left or right. When a submenu is open, switch between the main menu and the submenu.
- HOME or END
- Select the first or last command on the menu or submenu
- ESC
- Close an open menu. When a submenu is open, close only the submenu.
- CTRL+DOWN ARROW
- Display the full set of commands on a menu
Note You can use the keyboard to select any menu command on the menu bar. Press ALT to select the menu bar. Press the letter that is underlined in the menu name that contains the command you want. In the menu that appears, press the letter underlined in the command name that you want.
Keys for the task pane
- F6
- Move to a task pane from another pane in the program window. (You might need to press F6 more than once.)
- CTRL+TAB
- When a menu or toolbar is active, move to a task pane. (You might need to press CTRL+TAB more than once.)
- TAB or SHIFT+TAB
- When a task pane is active, select the next or previous option in the task pane
- CTRL+DOWN ARROW
- Display the full set of commands on the task pane menu
- DOWN ARROW or UP ARROW
- Move among choices in a selected submenu; move among certain options in a group of options
- LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW
- Select the menu to the left or right, or, with a submenu visible, switch between the main menu and the submenu
- SPACEBAR or ENTER
- Open the selected menu, or perform the action assigned to the selected button
- SHIFT+F10
- Open a shortcut menu; open a drop-down menu for the selected gallery item
- HOME or END
- When a menu or submenu is visible, select the first or last command on the menu or submenu
- PAGE UP
- Move up one page
- PAGE DOWN
- Move down one page
- CTRL+HOME or CTRL+END
- Move to the top or bottom of a list
Keys for Help window
To use the Help window, the Microsoft Office Assistant must be turned off. To turn off the Assistant, press F1 to display the Assistant. Press ALT+O to open the Options dialog box. Press ALT+U to clear the Use the Office Assistant check box, and then press ENTER. Press F1 to display the Help window.
- F1
- Display the Help window if the Assistant is turned off (if the Assistant is turned on, F1 displays the Assistant balloon).
In the Help window
- F6
- Switch between the Help topic and the Contents, Answer Wizard, Index pane
- TAB
- Select Show All or Hide All at the top of a topic, or the next hidden text or hyperlink
- SHIFT+TAB
- Select the previous hidden text, hyperlink, Show All, or Hide All
- ENTER
- Perform the action for the selected Show All, Hide All, hidden text, or hyperlink
- ALT+O
- Display the Options menu to access any Help toolbar command
- ALT+O, and then press T
- Hide or show the pane with the Contents, Answer Wizard, and Index tabs
- ALT+O, and then press B
- Display the previously viewed topic
- ALT+O, and then press F
- Display the next topic in a previously displayed sequence of topics
- ALT+O, and then press H
- Return to the specified home page
- ALT+O, and then press S
- Stop the Help window from opening a Help topic (useful if you want to stop a Web page from downloading)
- ALT+O, and then press I
- Open the Internet Options dialog box for Microsoft Internet Explorer, where you can change accessibility settings
- ALT+O, and then press R
- Refresh the topic (useful if you have linked to a Web page)
- ALT+O, and then press P
- Print all topics in a book or a selected topic only
- ALT+F4
- Close the Help window
Note If you use a screen review or reading utility or other accessibility aid, you'll get the best results with Help if you enter questions in the Answer Wizard tab in the Help window rather than in the Office Assistant balloon or in the Ask a Question box.
Keys for open Help topics
Press F6 to switch from the Contents, Answer Wizard, Index pane to the open Help topic.
- ALT+RIGHT ARROW
- Go to the next Help topic
- ALT+LEFT ARROW
- Go to the previous Help topic
- TAB
- Select Show All, Hide All, or the next hidden text or hyperlink
- SHIFT+TAB
- Select the previous hidden text, hyperlink, Show All, or Hide All
- ENTER
- Perform the action for the selected Show All, Hide All, hidden text, or hyperlink
- UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW
- Scroll toward the beginning or end of a Help topic
- PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN
- Scroll toward the beginning or end of a Help topic in large increments
- HOME or END
- Go to the beginning or end of a Help topic
- CTRL+P
- Print the current Help topic
- CTRL+A
- Select the entire Help topic
- CTRL+C
- Copy the selected items to the Clipboard
- SHIFT+F10
- Display a shortcut menu
Keys for Contents, Answer Wizard, and Index pane
Press F6 to switch from the Help topic to the Contents, Answer Wizard, Index pane.
- CTRL+TAB
- Switch to the next tab
- ALT+C
- Switch to the Contents tab
- ALT+A
- Switch to the Answer Wizard tab
- ALT+I
- Switch to the Index tab
- ENTER
- Open a selected book or Help topic
- DOWN ARROW
- Select the next book or Help topic
- UP ARROW
- Select the previous book or Help topic
- SHIFT+F10
- Display a shortcut menu
Note If you use a screen review or reading utility or other accessibility aid, you'll get the best results with Help if you enter questions in the Answer Wizard tab in the Help window rather than in the Microsoft Office Assistant balloon or in the Ask a Question box.
Keys for Office Assistant
To perform the following actions, the Microsoft Office Assistant must be turned on and visible. To turn on or show the Office Assistant, press ALT+H to open the Help menu, and then press O. With the Assistant visible, press F1 to display the Assistant balloon.
- F1
- Display the Assistant balloon (if the Assistant is turned off, F1 opens the Help window)
In the Assistant balloon
- ALT+number
- Select a Help topic from the list the Assistant displays. ALT+1 is the first topic, ALT+2 is the second, and so on.
- ALT+DOWN ARROW
- Display more Help topics in the Assistant list
- ALT+UP ARROW
- Display previous Help topics in the Assistant list
- ESC
- Close an Assistant message or a tip
In some wizards or dialogs
- TAB
- Move to the Help
button in the wizard
- SPACEBAR, with the Help
button selected
- Show the Assistant in a wizard or dialog box. To hide the Assistant, press SPACEBAR again. Note that not all wizards or dialog boxes have Help provided by the Assistant.
Note If you use a screen review or reading utility or other accessibility aid, you'll get the best results with Help if you enter questions in the Answer Wizard tab in the Help window rather than in the Office Assistant balloon or in the Ask a Question box.
Keys for dialog boxes
- TAB
- Move to the next option or option group
- SHIFT+TAB
- Move to the previous option or option group
- CTRL+TAB
- Switch to the next tab in a dialog box
- CTRL+SHIFT+TAB
- Switch to the previous tab in a dialog box
- Arrow keys
- Move between options in an open drop-down list, or between options in a group of options
- SPACEBAR
- Perform the action assigned to the selected button; check or clear the selected check box
- First letter of an option in a drop-down list
- Open the list if it is closed and move to that option in the list
- ALT+ the letter underlined in an option
- Select an option; select or clear a check box
- ALT+DOWN ARROW
- Open a selected drop-down list
- ESC
- Close a selected drop-down list; cancel a command and close a dialog box
- ENTER
- Perform the action assigned to a default button in a dialog box
Keys for edit boxes within dialog boxes
An edit box is a blank in which you type or paste an entry, such as your user name or the path to a folder.
- HOME
- Move to the beginning of the entry
- END
- Move to the end of the entry
- LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW
- Move one character to the left or right
- CTRL+LEFT ARROW
- Move one word to the left
- CTRL+RIGHT ARROW
- Move one word to the right
- 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+HOME
- Select from the insertion point to the beginning of the entry
- SHIFT+END
- Select from the insertion point to the end of the entry