Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts — All 261, From the Official Docs

Q: What are Alt access keys in Word?

Press and release Alt and Word overlays a letter on every ribbon tab. Type that letter to open the tab, and Word then shows letters for every command inside it. It is a sequence, not a chord, and it reaches commands that have no modifier shortcut — which is most of the ribbon.

Q: How do I return to where I was last editing in Word?

Shift + F5 moves the cursor to the last change you made. It works after reopening a document, which makes it the fastest way to resume a long edit. Pressing it repeatedly cycles through the last few edit locations.

Q: What does F8 do in Word?

It turns on extend-selection mode. Each subsequent press widens the selection by one unit — word, then sentence, then paragraph, then the whole document. Shift + F8 shrinks it back and Esc leaves the mode. It is the quickest way to select by structure rather than by dragging.

Q: How do I select a vertical block of text in Word?

Press Ctrl + Shift + F8, then use the arrow keys. This selects a rectangular block across lines, which is the only way to edit an aligned column of text that is not inside a table.

Q: Why doesn't Ctrl + Shift + 8 work in Word?

It has to be the 8 on the number row. Microsoft notes specifically that the numeric keypad does not trigger this shortcut, which toggles the display of nonprinting characters such as paragraph marks and spaces.

Q: Are Word shortcuts the same on Mac and on the web?

No, and this is the most common source of wrong Word shortcut lists. Microsoft documents Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and Word for the web separately in the same article, with materially different key sets — the ribbon access keys in particular do not transfer. This page covers the Windows desktop version only.

261 shortcuts in 14 categories. Sourced from Microsoft Support — Keyboard shortcuts in Word · checked against Word for Microsoft 365, Windows desktop on 2026-08-02.

Word has two entirely separate keyboard systems, and most shortcut lists only show you one of them. The first is the familiar modifier set: Ctrl + B for bold, Ctrl + S to save, the ones everyone half-knows. The second is the access-key system, where pressing Alt lights up letters over every ribbon tab and you drive the entire interface by spelling out a path — Alt, R, P, 1, L shows the comment list. Access keys reach commands that have no modifier shortcut at all, which is most of Word.

The difference matters practically. Modifier shortcuts are chords: you hold the keys together. Access keys are sequences: you press and release Alt, then type letters one at a time, and Word shows you the next set of options at every step. That means you never have to memorise a full access-key path — press Alt and read the screen. This page lists the paths Microsoft documents so you can learn the frequent ones, but the discovery mechanism is built in.

The function keys are the third system and the most underused. Microsoft documents them as a matrix rather than a list: F5 alone opens Go To, Shift + F5 moves to the last change you made, Ctrl + F5 restores the window size. That last-change behaviour is worth singling out — reopen a document and press Shift + F5 and Word returns your cursor to where you stopped editing, which no menu exposes. We have broken Microsoft's matrix into 36 individual entries so each combination is searchable on its own.

A few Word-specific behaviours cause repeat confusion. Ctrl + Shift + 8 toggles nonprinting characters, but only from the number row — the numeric keypad does not work, and Microsoft says so explicitly. F8 enters extend-selection mode, where every subsequent press widens the selection by one unit (word, sentence, paragraph, document) and Esc exits; it is the fastest structural selection tool in Word and almost nobody uses it. And Ctrl + Shift + F8 followed by arrow keys selects a vertical block of text, which is the only way to edit a column in a non-table layout.

Everything on this page is from Microsoft's official Word keyboard shortcuts reference, scoped to the Windows desktop version. Microsoft documents Mac, iOS, Android and Word for the web in the same article with substantially different key sets; mixing them is the most common error in third-party Word shortcut lists. If a shortcut here does not work, check that you are not in Word for the web, where the ribbon access keys in particular differ.

All Microsoft Word shortcuts

Essentials (26) · Navigation (25) · Selection (15) · Editing (15) · Paragraph Formatting (16) · Character Formatting (14) · Insert & Special Characters (32) · Tables (11) · Ribbon & Access Keys (25) · Review & References (20) · Fields & Mail Merge (19) · Languages & Input (4) · Printing (3) · Function Keys (36)

Essentials (26)

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl` + `O`	Open a document
`Ctrl` + `N`	Create a new document
`Ctrl` + `S`	Save the document
`Ctrl` + `W`	Close the document
`Ctrl` + `X`	Cut the selected content to the Clipboard
`Ctrl` + `C`	Copy the selected content to the Clipboard
`Ctrl` + `V`	Paste the contents of the Clipboard
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `V`	Paste text only
`Ctrl` + `A`	Select all document content
`Ctrl` + `B`	Apply bold formatting to text
`Ctrl` + `I`	Apply italic formatting to text
`Ctrl` + `U`	Apply underline formatting to text
`Ctrl` + `Left bracket ([)`	Decrease the font size by 1 point
`Ctrl` + `Right bracket (])`	Increase the font size by 1 point
`Ctrl` + `E`	Center the text
`Ctrl` + `L`	Align the text to the left
`Ctrl` + `R`	Align the text to the right
`Esc`	Cancel a command
`Ctrl` + `Z`	Undo the previous action
`Ctrl` + `Y`	Redo the previous action, if possible
`Ctrl` + `Plus sign (` + `)`	Zoom in
`Ctrl` + `Minus sign (-)`	Zoom out
`Ctrl` + `0`	Return back to 100% zoom
`Ctrl` + `Scroll`	Zoom in and out with mouse
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `S`	Split the document window
`Alt` + `Shift` + `C or Ctrl` + `Alt` + `S`	Remove the document window split

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl` + `Left`	Move the cursor one word to the left
`Ctrl` + `Right`	Move the cursor one word to the right
`Ctrl` + `Up`	Move the cursor up by one paragraph
`Ctrl` + `Down`	Move the cursor down by one paragraph
`End`	Move the cursor to the end of the current line
`Home`	Move the cursor to the beginning the current line
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `Page Up`	Move the cursor to the top of the screen
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `Page Down`	Move the cursor to the bottom of the screen
`Page Up`	Move the cursor by scrolling the document view up by one screen
`Page Down`	Move the cursor by scrolling the document view down by one screen
`Ctrl` + `Page Down`	Move the cursor to the top of the next page
`Ctrl` + `Page Up`	Move the cursor to the top of the previous page
`Ctrl` + `End`	Move the cursor to the end of the document
`Ctrl` + `Home`	Move the cursor to the beginning of the document
`Shift` + `F5`	Move the cursor to the location of the previous revision
`Ctrl` + `F`	Display the Navigation task pane, to search within the document content
`Ctrl` + `G`	Display the Go To dialog box, to navigate to a specific page, bookmark, footnote, table, comment, graphic, or other location
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `Z`	Cycle through the locations of the four previous changes made to the document
`Type the page number, then press Enter`	Go to a specific page
`Ctrl` + `Plus (` + `)`	Zoom in
`Ctrl` + `Minus (-)`	Zoom out
`Alt` + `W, F`	Switch to the Read Mode view
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `P`	Switch to the Print Layout view
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `O`	Switch to the Outline view
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `N`	Switch to the Draft view

Selection (15)

Shortcut	Action	Notes
`Shift` + `Arrow keys`	Select text
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Left`	Select the word to the left
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Right`	Select the word to the right
`Shift` + `Home`	Select from the current position to the beginning of the current line
`Shift` + `End`	Select from the current position to the end of the current line
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Up`	Select from the current position to the beginning of the current paragraph
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Down`	Select from the current position to the end of the current paragraph
`Shift` + `Page Up`	Select from the current position to the top of the screen
`Shift` + `Page Down`	Select from the current position to the bottom of the screen
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Home`	Select from the current position to the beginning of the document
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `End`	Select from the current position to the end of the document
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `Shift` + `Page Down`	Select from the current position to the bottom of the window
`F8`	Start extending the selection	In the extend selection mode, clicking a location in the document extends the current selection to that location
`Shift` + `F8`	Reduce the selection
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `F8, then press the`	Select a vertical block of text

Editing (15)

Shortcut	Action	Notes
`Ctrl` + `Backspace`	Delete one word to the left
`Ctrl` + `Delete`	Delete one word to the right
`Alt, H, F, O`	Open the Clipboard task pane and enable the Office Clipboard, which allows you to copy and paste content between Microsoft 365 apps
`Alt` + `F3`	Define an AutoText block with the selected content
`Ctrl` + `F3`	Cut the selected content to the Spike
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `F3`	Paste the contents of the Spike
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `C`	Copy the selected text formatting
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `V`	Paste the selected text formatting
`Alt` + `Shift` + `R`	Copy the header or footer used in the previous section of the document
`Ctrl` + `H`	Display the Replace dialog box, to find and replace text, specific formatting, or special items
`Alt, N, J, J`	Display the Object dialog box, to insert a file object into the document
`Alt, N, M`	Insert a SmartArt graphic
`Alt, N, W`	Insert a WordArt graphic
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `8`	Display all nonprinting characters	do not use the numeric keypad
`Shift` + `F1`	Display the Reveal Formatting task pane

Paragraph Formatting (16)

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl` + `J`	Justify the paragraph
`Ctrl` + `M`	Indent the paragraph
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `M`	Remove a paragraph indent
`Ctrl` + `T`	Create a hanging indent
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `T`	Remove a hanging indent
`Ctrl` + `Q`	Remove paragraph formatting
`Ctrl` + `1`	Apply single spacing to the paragraph
`Ctrl` + `2`	Apply double spacing to the paragraph
`Ctrl` + `5`	Apply 1.5-line spacing to the paragraph
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `K`	Enable AutoFormat
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `N`	Apply the Normal style
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `1`	Apply the Heading 1 style
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `2`	Apply the Heading 2 style
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `3`	Apply the Heading 3 style
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `S`	Display the Apply Styles task pane
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `Shift` + `S`	Display the Styles task pane

Character Formatting (14)

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl` + `D or Ctrl` + `Shift` + `F`	Display the Font dialog box
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Right angle bracket (>)`	Increase the font size
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Left angle bracket (<)`	Decrease the font size
`Shift` + `F3`	Switch the text between upper case, lower case, and title case
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `A`	Change the text to all upper case
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `H`	Hide the selected text
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `L`	Add a bulleted list
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `W`	Apply underline formatting to the words, but not the spaces
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `D`	Apply double-underline formatting
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `K`	Apply small caps formatting
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Minus sign (-)`	Apply subscript formatting
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Plus sign (` + `)`	Apply superscript formatting
`Ctrl` + `Spacebar`	Remove manual character formatting
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Q`	Change the selected text to the Symbol font

Insert & Special Characters (32)

Shortcut	Action	Notes
`Shift` + `Enter`	Insert a line break
`Ctrl` + `Enter`	Insert a page break
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Enter`	Insert a column break
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `Minus sign`	Insert an em dash (—)	on the numeric keypad
`Ctrl` + `Minus sign`	Insert an en dash (–)	on the numeric keypad
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `Minus sign (-)`	Insert an optional hyphen
`Shift` + `Alt` + `Minus sign(-)`	Insert a nonbreaking hyphen
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Spacebar`	Insert a nonbreaking space
`Press`	Insert a copyright symbol (©)
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `R`	Insert a registered trademark symbol (®)
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `T`	Insert a trademark symbol (™)
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `Period (.)`	Insert an ellipsis (…)
`The character code, then press Alt` + `X`	Insert the Unicode character for the specified Unicode (hexadecimal) character code. For example, to insert the euro currency symbol ( ), type 20AC, and then hold down Alt and press X. Tip: To find out the Unicode character code for a selected character, press Alt+X
`Alt` + `the character code`	Insert the ANSI character for the specified ANSI (decimal) character code. For example, to insert the euro currency symbol, hold down Alt and press 0128 on the numeric keypad	on the numeric keypad
Ctrl + Grave accent (`), the letter	À, è, ì, ò, ù, À, È, Ì, Ò, Ù
`Ctrl` + `Single quotation mark ('), the letter`	Á, é, í, ó, ú, ý Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Caret (^), the letter`	Â, ê, î, ô, û Â, Ê, Î, Ô, Û
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Tilde (~), the letter`	Ã, ñ, õ Ã, Ñ, Õ
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Colon (:), the letter`	Ä, ë, ï, ö, ü, ÿ, Ä, Ë, Ï, Ö, Ü, Ÿ
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `At sign (@), a or A`	Å, Å
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Ampersand (&), a or A`	Æ, Æ
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Ampersand (&), o or O`	Œ, Œ
`Ctrl` + `Comma (, ), c or C`	Ç, Ç
`Ctrl` + `Single quotation mark ('), d or D`	Ð, Ð
`Ctrl` + `Forward slash (/), o or O`	Ø, Ø
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `Shift` + `Question mark (?)`	¿
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `Shift` + `Exclamation point (!)`	¡
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Ampersand (&), s`	SS
`Ctrl` + `K`	Insert a hyperlink
`Alt` + `Left`	Go back one page
`Alt` + `Right`	Go forward one page
`F9`	Refresh the page

Tables (11)

Shortcut	Action
`Tab key`	Move to the next cell in the row and select its content
`Shift` + `Tab`	Move to the previous cell in the row and select its content
`Alt` + `Home`	Move to the first cell in the row
`Alt` + `End`	Move to the last cell in the row
`Alt` + `Page Up`	Move to the first cell in the column
`Alt` + `Page Down`	Move to the last cell in the column
`Up`	Move to the previous row
`Alt` + `Shift` + `Up`	Move one row up
`Alt` + `Shift` + `Down`	Move one row down
`Enter`	Insert a new paragraph in a cell
`Ctrl` + `Tab`	Insert a tab character in a cell

Ribbon & Access Keys (25)

Shortcut	Action	Notes
`Alt, Q, then Enter the search term`	Move to the Tell Me or Search field on the Ribbon to search for assistance or Help content
`Alt, F`	Open the File page to use Backstage view
`Alt, H`	Open the Home tab to use common formatting commands, paragraph styles, and the Find tool
`Alt, N`	Open the Insert tab to insert tables, pictures and shapes, headers, or text boxes
`Alt, G`	Open the Design tab to use themes, colors, and effects, such as page borders
`Alt, P`	Open the Layout tab to work with page margins, page orientation, indentation, and spacing
`Alt, S`	Open the References tab to add a table of contents, footnotes, or a table of citations
`Alt, M`	Open the Mailings tab to manage Mail Merge tasks and to work with envelopes and labels
`Alt, R`	Open the Review tab to use Spell Check, set proofing languages, and to track and review changes to your document
`Alt, W`	Open the View tab to choose a document view or mode, such as Read Mode or Outline view. You can also set the zoom magnification and manage multiple document windows
`Alt, F1`	Open the Help box
`Alt, L`	Open the Developer box
`Alt or F10`	Select the active tab on the ribbon and activate the access keys	To move to a different tab, use access keys or the arrow keys
`Tab key or Shift` + `Tab`	Move the focus to commands on the ribbon
`Ctrl` + `Left or Right`	Move between command groupings on the ribbon
`Arrows`	Move among the items on the ribbon
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `F10`	Show the tooltip for the ribbon element currently in focus
`Spacebar or Enter`	Activate the selected button
`Down`	Open the list for the selected command
`Alt` + `Down`	Open the menu for the selected button
`Ctrl` + `F1`	Expand or collapse the ribbon
`Shift` + `F10`	Open the context menu	Or, on a Windows keyboard, the Windows Menu key (between the right Alt and right Ctrl keys)
`Right`	Move to the submenu when a main menu is open or selected
`Alt` + `Z, A`	Toggle AutoSave on or off
`Alt` + `B`	Open the dialog box to rename the document or save it to another location

Review & References (20)

Shortcut	Action	Notes
`Alt, R, P, 1, L`	Show list of comments
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `M`	Insert a comment
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `E`	Turn change tracking on or off
`Alt` + `Shift` + `C`	Close the Reviewing Pane
`Alt` + `Shift` + `O`	Mark a table of contents entry
`Alt` + `Shift` + `I`	Mark a table of authorities entry (citation)
`Alt` + `Shift` + `F12, Spacebar`	Choose citation options
`Alt` + `Shift` + `X`	Mark an index entry
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `F`	Insert a footnote
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `D`	Insert an endnote
`Alt` + `Shift` + `Right angle bracket (>)`	Go to the next footnote
`Alt` + `Shift` + `Left angle bracket (<)`	Go to the previous footnote
`Alt` + `Shift` + `Left`	Promote a paragraph
`Alt` + `Shift` + `Right`	Demote a paragraph
`Alt` + `Shift` + `Plus sign (` + `)`	Expand the text under a heading
`Alt` + `Shift` + `A`	Expand or collapse all text or headings
`Forward slash`	Hide or display the character formatting	/) (on the numeric keypad
`Alt` + `Shift` + `L`	Switch between showing the first line of body text and showing all body text
`Alt` + `Shift` + `1`	Show all headings with the Heading 1 style
`Alt` + `Shift` + `Heading level number`	Show all headings with the specified heading level

Fields & Mail Merge (19)

Shortcut	Action
`Alt` + `Shift` + `D`	Insert a DATE field
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `L`	Insert a LISTNUM field
`Alt` + `Shift` + `P`	Insert a PAGE field
`Alt` + `Shift` + `T`	Insert a TIME field
`Ctrl` + `F9`	Insert an empty field
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `F7`	Update the linked information in a Word source document
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `F9`	Unlink a field
`Shift` + `F9`	Switch between a selected field code and its result
`Alt` + `F9`	Switch between all field codes and their results
`Alt` + `Shift` + `F9`	Run GOTOBUTTON or MACROBUTTON from a field displaying field results
`F11`	Go to the next field
`Shift` + `F11`	Go to the previous field
`Ctrl` + `F11`	Lock a field
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `F11`	Unlock a field
`Alt` + `Shift` + `K`	Preview the mail merge
`Alt` + `Shift` + `N`	Merge a document
`Alt` + `Shift` + `M`	Print the merged document
`Alt` + `Shift` + `E`	Edit a mail-merge data document
`Alt` + `Shift` + `F`	Insert a merge field

Languages & Input (4)

Shortcut	Action
`Alt` + `R, U, L`	Display the Language dialog box to set the proofing language
`Alt` + `R, L`	Set default languages
Alt + Back quote (`)	Switch to the Japanese Input Method Editor (IME) for a 101-key keyboard, if available
`Right Alt`	Switch to the Korean Input Method Editor (IME) for a 101-key keyboard, if available

Printing (3)

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl` + `P`	Print the document
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `I`	Switch to print preview
`Page Up or Page Down`	Move by one preview page when zoomed out

Function Keys (36)

Shortcut	Action
`F1`	Displays the Word help task pane
`Alt` + `F1`	Moves to the next field
`Alt` + `Shift` + `F1`	Moves to the previous field
`F2`	Moves the selected text or graphic
`Shift` + `F2`	Copies the selected text or graphic
`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
`F4`	Repeats the last command or action, if possible
`Shift` + `F4`	Repeats the last Find or Go To action
`Ctrl` + `F4`	Closes the current document
`Alt` + `F4`	Closes Word
`F5`	Displays the Go To dialog box
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `F5`	Displays the Bookmark dialog box
`Alt` + `F5`	Restores the document window size
`F6`	Switch between the document, task pane, status bar, and ribbon
`Shift` + `F6`	Switches between the document, ribbon, status bar, and task pane
`Ctrl` + `F6`	Switches to the next document window when more than one document is open
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `F6`	Switches to the previous document window when more than one document is open
`Alt` + `F6`	Moves from an open dialog box back to the document, for dialog boxes that support this behavior
`F7`	Displays the Editor task pane to check spelling and grammar in the document or the selected text
`Shift` + `F7`	Displays the Thesaurus task pane
`Alt` + `F7`	Finds the next spelling or grammatical error
`Alt` + `Shift` + `F7`	Displays the Translator task pane
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `F8`	Turns extend selection mode on and off
`Alt` + `F8`	Displays the Macro dialog box to create, run, edit, or delete a macro
`F10`	Turns KeyTips on or off
`Ctrl` + `F10`	Maximizes or restores the document window size
`Alt` + `F10`	Displays the Selection task pane
`Alt` + `Shift` + `F10`	Displays the menu or message for available actions, for example, for pasted text or an AutoCorrect change
`Alt` + `F11`	Opens the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications editor, in which you can create a macro using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)
`F12`	Displays the Save As dialog box
`Shift` + `F12`	Saves the document
`Ctrl` + `F12`	Displays the Open dialog box
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `F12`	Displays the Print tab in the Backstage view
`Alt` + `Shift` + `F12`	Selects the Table of Contents button in the Table of Contents container when the container is active

📜 Every shortcut on this page comes from Microsoft Support — Keyboard shortcuts in Word. Checked against Word for Microsoft 365, Windows desktop on 2026-08-02. Entries the source itself flags as unverified are excluded.

Frequently asked questions

What are Alt access keys in Word?

Press and release Alt and Word overlays a letter on every ribbon tab. Type that letter to open the tab, and Word then shows letters for every command inside it. It is a sequence, not a chord, and it reaches commands that have no modifier shortcut — which is most of the ribbon.

How do I return to where I was last editing in Word?

Shift + F5 moves the cursor to the last change you made. It works after reopening a document, which makes it the fastest way to resume a long edit. Pressing it repeatedly cycles through the last few edit locations.

What does F8 do in Word?

It turns on extend-selection mode. Each subsequent press widens the selection by one unit — word, then sentence, then paragraph, then the whole document. Shift + F8 shrinks it back and Esc leaves the mode. It is the quickest way to select by structure rather than by dragging.

How do I select a vertical block of text in Word?

Press Ctrl + Shift + F8, then use the arrow keys. This selects a rectangular block across lines, which is the only way to edit an aligned column of text that is not inside a table.

Why doesn't Ctrl + Shift + 8 work in Word?

It has to be the 8 on the number row. Microsoft notes specifically that the numeric keypad does not trigger this shortcut, which toggles the display of nonprinting characters such as paragraph marks and spaces.

Are Word shortcuts the same on Mac and on the web?