Keyboard shortcuts in Word
Using an external keyboard with keyboard shortcuts in Word may help you work more efficiently. For people with mobility or vision disabilities, keyboard shortcuts can be easier than using a touchscreen, and are a helpful alternative to using a mouse.
The shortcuts in this topic refer to the US keyboard layout. Keys for other layouts might not fully correspond to the keys on a US keyboard.
A plus sign ( + ) in a shortcut means that you need to press multiple keys at the same time.
A comma ( , ) in a shortcut means that you need to press multiple keys in order.
This article describes the keyboard shortcuts and function keys in Word for Windows.
To quickly find a shortcut in this article, press Ctrl+F, and enter your search word.
If an action does not have a corresponding shortcut key, you can record a macro to create one. Learn how here: Create or run a macro or Use a screen reader to create a macro in Word .
Not all shortcut features listed for Word are supported in Word Starter version. Learn more here: Word features that are not fully supported in Word Starter .
As reference, you can use this document .
In this topic
Frequently used shortcuts, ribbon keyboard shortcuts, navigate the document, preview and print documents, select text and graphics, edit text and graphics, work with web content, work with tables, review a document, work with references, citations, and indexing, work with mail merge and fields, work with text in other languages, work with document views, use function key shortcuts.
This table shows the most frequently used shortcuts in Microsoft Word.
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Close a task pane
To close a task pane using the keyboard:
Press F6 until the task pane is selected.
Press Ctrl+Spacebar.
Use the arrow keys to select Close , and then press Enter.
The ribbon area groups together related options in tabs. For example, on the Home tab, the Font group includes the Font Color option. Press the Alt key to display the ribbon shortcuts -- called Key Tips -- as seen below.
Note: Add-ins and other programs can add new tabs to the ribbon and possibly provide access keys for those tabs.
For various ribbon options you can combine the Key Tips letters with the Alt key to make shortcuts called Access Keys. For example, press Alt+H to open the Home tab, and Alt+Q to move to the Tell Me or Search field. Press Alt again to see Key Tips for the options for the selected tab.
Depending on the version of Microsoft 365 you are using, the Search text field at the top of the app window might be called Tell Me instead. Both offer a largely similar experience, but some options and search results can vary.
In newer versions of Office, most of the old Alt key menu shortcuts still work, too. However, you need to know the full shortcut. For example, press Alt, and then press one of the old menu keys E (Edit), V (View), I (Insert), and so on. A notification pops up saying you're using an access key from an earlier version. If you know the entire key sequence, you can still use it. Otherwise, press Esc and use Key Tips instead.
Use the Access Keys for ribbon tabs
To go directly to a tab on the ribbon, press one of the following access keys. Additional tabs might appear depending on your selection in the document.
Work in the ribbon with the keyboard
Extend a selection, align and format paragraphs, format characters, manage text formatting, insert special characters, move around in a table, select table content, insert paragraphs and tab characters in a table.
Use the following shortcuts to add references to your document, such as a table of contents, footnotes, and citations.
To use the following keyboard shortcuts, the Mailings ribbon tab must be selected. To select the Mailings tab, press Alt+M.
Perform a mail merge
Work with fields, set the proofing language.
Every document has a default language, typically the same default language as your computer's operating system. If your document also contains words or phrases in a different language, it's a good idea to set the proofing language for those words. This not only makes it possible to check spelling and grammar for those phrases, but it also enables assistive technologies like screen readers to handle them appropriately.
Insert international characters
To type a lowercase character by using a key combination that includes the Shift key, hold down the Ctrl+Shift+symbol keys simultaneously, and then release them before you type the letter.
Note: If you type extensively in another language, you might prefer to switch to a different keyboard instead.
Use Input Method Editors for East Asian languages
Word offers several different views of a document. Each view makes it easier to do certain tasks. For example, Read Mode enables you view the document as a horizontal sequence of pages, which you can quickly browse using the Left and Right arrow keys.
Switch the document view
Outline a document.
These shortcuts only apply when the document is in the Outline view.
Move through the document in Read Mode
Word help center
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word
Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word
Screen reader support for Word
This article describes the keyboard shortcuts and function keys in Word for Mac.
The settings in some versions of the Mac operating system (OS) and some utility applications might conflict with keyboard shortcuts and function key operations in Microsoft 365 for Mac. For information about changing the key assignment for a keyboard shortcut, see Mac Help for your version of macOS, your utility application, or refer to Shortcut conflicts .
If you don't find a keyboard shortcut here that meets your needs, you can create a custom keyboard shortcut. For instructions, go to Create a custom keyboard shortcut for Office for Mac .
Many of the shortcuts that use the Ctrl key on a Windows keyboard also work with the Control key in Word for Mac. However, not all do.
To quickly find a shortcut in this article, you can use Search. Press Command+F, and then type your search words.
For the best experience using your keyboard with the ribbon, enable your keyboard to access all controls.
To go to Keyboard Settings , type keyboard and press Return.
In the Shortcuts tab, press Control+F7 to change the Full Keyboard Access setting from Text boxes and lists only to All Controls .
Shortcut conflicts
Use footnotes and endnotes, work with right-to-left languages.
This table lists frequently used shortcuts in Word for Mac.
Some Word for Mac keyboard shortcuts conflict with default macOS keyboard shortcuts. This topic flags such shortcuts with an asterisk ( * ). To use these shortcuts, you may have to change your Mac keyboard settings to change the shortcut for the key.
Change system preferences for keyboard shortcuts
From the Apple menu, select System Preferences .
Select Keyboard .
Select the Shortcuts tab.
Select Mission Control .
Clear the check box for the keyboard shortcut conflicting with the Word for Mac shortcut that you want to use.
Resize table columns with the ruler
Resize table columns directly in a table.
Tip: To finely adjust the column width and display the column's measurements in the ruler when you resize the column, turn off the snap-to functionality by pressing Option with the shortcut keys.
Word supports right-to-left functionality for languages that work in a right-to-left or a combined right-to-left, left-to-right environment for writing, editing, and displaying text. In this context, right-to-left languages refers to any writing system that is written from right to left and includes languages that require contextual shaping, such as Arabic, and languages that do not.
Before you can use these keyboard shortcuts, you need to ensure keyboard shortcuts are enabled for the language you are using:
Go to Apple > System Preferences > Keyboard .
On the Input Sources tab, select the language for which you want to enable shortcuts.
On the right side of the tab, select the check box for Enable keyboard shortcuts .
Word for Mac uses the function keys for common commands, including Copy and Paste. For quick access to these shortcuts, you can change your Apple system preferences so you don't have to press the Fn key every time you use a function key shortcut.
Note: Changing system function key preferences affects how the function keys work on your Mac, not just in Word. After changing this setting, you can still perform the special features printed on a function key. Just press the Fn key. For example, to use the F12 key to change your volume, press Fn+F12.
If a function key doesn't work as you expect it to, press the Fn key in addition to the function key. If you don't want to press the Fn key each time, you can change your Apple system preferences. For instructions, go to Change function key preferences .
The following table provides the function key shortcuts for Word for Mac.
Change function key preferences
In the Apple menu, select System Preferences .
On the Keyboard tab, select the check box for Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys .
This article describes the keyboard shortcuts in Word for iOS.
If you're familiar with keyboard shortcuts on your macOS computer, the same key combinations work with Word for iOS using an external keyboard, too.
Edit and format the document
Frequently used shortcuts.
Word help & learning
This article describes the keyboard shortcuts in Word for Android.
Note: To quickly find a shortcut in this article, you can use Search. Press Ctrl+F, and then type your search words.
Word help & learning
This article describes the keyboard shortcuts in Word for the web.
If you use Narrator with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, you have to turn off scan mode in order to edit documents, spreadsheets, or presentations with Microsoft 365 for the web. For more information, refer to Turn off virtual or browse mode in screen readers in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update .
To quickly find a shortcut in this article, you can use Search. Press Ctrl+F and then type your search words.
When you use Word for the web, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because Word for the web runs in your web browser, the keyboard shortcuts are different from those in the desktop program. For example, you’ll use Ctrl+F6 instead of F6 for jumping in and out of the commands. Also, common shortcuts like F1 (Help) and Ctrl+O (Open) apply to the web browser – not Word for the web.
Work with comments
This table lists the most frequently used shortcuts in Word for the web.
Tip: To quickly create a new document in Word for the web, open your browser, type Word.new in the address bar, and then press Enter.
Word for the web offers shortcuts called access keys to navigate the ribbon. If you’ve used access keys to save time on Word for desktop computers, you’ll find access keys very similar in Word for the web.
On a Windows computer, access keys all start with Alt+Period (.) or Alt+Windows logo key, then add a letter for the ribbon tab. For example, to go to the Review tab, press Alt+Period, R or Alt+Windows logo key, R.
If you're using Word for the web on a Mac computer, press Control+Period (.) to start.
To get to the ribbon, press Alt+Period or Alt+Windows logo key. You can alternatively press Ctrl+F6 until you reach the Home tab.
To move between tabs on the ribbon, press the Tab key.
To hide the ribbon so you have more room to work, press Ctrl+F3. Repeat to display the ribbon again.
Go to the access keys for the ribbon
To go directly to a tab on the ribbon, press one of the following access keys:
To find an option or perform an action quickly, use the Search text field. To learn more about the Search feature, go to Find what you need with Microsoft Search .
Note: Depending on the version of Microsoft 365 you are using, the Search text field at the top of the app window might be called Tell Me instead. Both offer a largely similar experience, but some options and search results can vary.
Select the item or place in your document, presentation, or spreadsheet where you want to perform an action.
To go to the Search text field, press Alt+Q.
Type the search words for the action that you want to perform. For example, if you want to add a bulleted list, type bullets .
Press the Down arrow key to browse through the search results.
Once you've found the result that you want, press Enter to select it and to perform the action.
Work in the ribbon tabs and menus
The following shortcuts can save time when you work with the ribbon tabs and ribbon menus.
The following keyboard shortcuts only work when the Comments pane is open and selected (or "in focus" if you're using a screen reader).
Technical support for customers with disabilities
Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.
If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk .
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Use the arrow keys to place the cursor where you want to copy the text or graphic, and then press Enter to copy, or press Esc to cancel. Ctrl+F2: displays the print preview area on the Print tab in the Backstage view. Alt+Shift+F2: saves the document. Ctrl+Alt+F2: displays the Open dialog box. F3.