Ms Word
Below is a detailed list of important MS Word shortcut keys, including their function and explanation. These are useful for students, computer courses (BCC/DCA/ADCA), office work, and competitive exams.
1. Basic Shortcut Keys
| Shortcut | Function | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + N | New Document | Creates a new Word document. |
| Ctrl + O | Open | Opens an existing Word document. |
| Ctrl + S | Save | Saves the current document. |
| Ctrl + Shift + S | Save As | Saves the document with a new name/location. |
| Ctrl + P | Opens the Print window. | |
| Ctrl + W | Close Document | Closes the current document. |
| Alt + F4 | Close Word | Closes Microsoft Word. |
| Ctrl + Z | Undo | Reverses the last action. |
| Ctrl + Y | Redo | Repeats/reapplies an undone action. |
| Ctrl + F | Find | Searches for text in the document. |
| Ctrl + H | Replace | Finds text and replaces it with another text. |
| Ctrl + G | Go To | Moves to a specific page, section, line, etc. |
2. Copy, Cut and Paste
| Shortcut | Function | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + A | Select All | Selects all text/content in the document. |
| Ctrl + C | Copy | Copies selected text or object. |
| Ctrl + X | Cut | Removes and copies selected content. |
| Ctrl + V | Paste | Inserts copied or cut content. |
| Ctrl + Shift + V | Paste Special | Pastes content using a selected format. |
| Ctrl + Alt + V | Paste Special Dialog | Opens Paste Special options in many Word versions. |
Example
Suppose you have:
Computer Course
Select it → Ctrl + C → place the cursor elsewhere → Ctrl + V.
The text will be copied to the new location.
3. Text Formatting Shortcut Keys
| Shortcut | Function | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + B | Bold | Makes text bold. |
| Ctrl + I | Italic | Makes text italic. |
| Ctrl + U | Underline | Underlines selected text. |
| Ctrl + Shift + W | Underline Words | Underlines words but not spaces. |
| Ctrl + Shift + D | Double Underline | Applies double underline. |
| Ctrl + Shift + X | Small Caps | Applies small-cap formatting where supported. |
| Ctrl + Shift + A | All Caps | Changes selected text to uppercase formatting. |
| Ctrl + Shift + K | Small Caps | Applies small capital letters. |
| Ctrl + Shift + > | Increase Font Size | Increases font size. |
| Ctrl + Shift + < | Decrease Font Size | Decreases font size. |
| Ctrl + ] | Increase Font Size | Increases font size by 1 point. |
| Ctrl + [ | Decrease Font Size | Decreases font size by 1 point. |
Example
Normal:
computer
Ctrl + B:
computer
Ctrl + I:
computer
Ctrl + U:
computer
4. Paragraph Alignment
| Shortcut | Function | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + L | Align Left | Aligns paragraph to the left. |
| Ctrl + E | Center | Centers the paragraph. |
| Ctrl + R | Align Right | Aligns paragraph to the right. |
| Ctrl + J | Justify | Aligns text evenly along both margins. |
Easy Trick
L = Left
E = Center
R = Right
J = Justify
5. Line and Paragraph Spacing
| Shortcut | Function | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + 1 | Single Spacing | Sets single line spacing. |
| Ctrl + 2 | Double Spacing | Sets double line spacing. |
| Ctrl + 5 | 1.5 Spacing | Sets 1.5 line spacing. |
| Ctrl + 0 | Add/Remove Space | Adds or removes space before a paragraph depending on context/version. |
| Ctrl + M | Increase Indent | Increases paragraph indentation. |
| Ctrl + Shift + M | Decrease Indent | Decreases paragraph indentation. |
| Ctrl + T | Hanging Indent | Creates a hanging indent. |
| Ctrl + Shift + T | Reduce Hanging Indent | Reduces hanging indentation. |
6. Navigation Shortcut Keys
| Shortcut | Function | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Home | Beginning of Line | Moves cursor to beginning of current line. |
| End | End of Line | Moves cursor to end of current line. |
| Ctrl + Home | Beginning of Document | Moves to the beginning of the document. |
| Ctrl + End | End of Document | Moves to the end of the document. |
| Ctrl + Left Arrow | Previous Word | Moves cursor one word to the left. |
| Ctrl + Right Arrow | Next Word | Moves cursor one word to the right. |
| Ctrl + Up Arrow | Previous Paragraph | Moves to previous paragraph. |
| Ctrl + Down Arrow | Next Paragraph | Moves to next paragraph. |
| Page Up | Previous Screen | Moves one screen upward. |
| Page Down | Next Screen | Moves one screen downward. |
| Ctrl + Page Up | Previous Page | Moves toward the previous page. |
| Ctrl + Page Down | Next Page | Moves toward the next page. |
7. Selecting Text
| Shortcut | Function | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Shift + Left Arrow | Select Left Character | Selects one character to the left. |
| Shift + Right Arrow | Select Right Character | Selects one character to the right. |
| Shift + Up Arrow | Select Up | Selects text upward. |
| Shift + Down Arrow | Select Down | Selects text downward. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Left Arrow | Select Previous Word | Selects the previous word. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow | Select Next Word | Selects the next word. |
| Shift + Home | Select to Line Start | Selects from cursor to beginning of line. |
| Shift + End | Select to Line End | Selects from cursor to end of line. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Home | Select to Document Start | Selects from cursor to beginning of document. |
| Ctrl + Shift + End | Select to Document End | Selects from cursor to end of document. |
| Ctrl + A | Select All | Selects all document content. |
8. Delete Shortcut Keys
| Shortcut | Function | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Backspace | Delete Left | Deletes character to the left of cursor. |
| Delete | Delete Right | Deletes character to the right of cursor. |
| Ctrl + Backspace | Delete Previous Word | Deletes the word before the cursor. |
| Ctrl + Delete | Delete Next Word | Deletes the word after the cursor. |
9. Font and Text Case
| Shortcut | Function | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + D | Font Dialog Box | Opens the Font dialog box. |
| Shift + F3 | Change Case | Changes text between lowercase, UPPERCASE, Title Case, etc. |
| Ctrl + Shift + A | All Caps | Formats selected text in uppercase. |
| Ctrl + Shift + K | Small Caps | Formats selected text in small capitals. |
Example of Shift + F3
computer
Press Shift + F3:
COMPUTER
Press again:
Computer
Press again:
computer
10. Insert Related Shortcut Keys
| Shortcut | Function | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + Enter | Page Break | Inserts a new page. |
| Shift + Enter | Line Break | Starts a new line without starting a new paragraph. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Enter | Column Break | Inserts a column break. |
| Ctrl + K | Hyperlink | Inserts a hyperlink. |
| Alt + Shift + D | Date Field | Inserts the current date field. |
| Alt + Shift + T | Time Field | Inserts the current time field. |
| Alt + Shift + P | Page Number Field | Inserts a page-number field in supported contexts. |
11. Tables Shortcut Keys
Some table shortcuts work when the cursor is inside a Word table.
| Shortcut | Function | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Tab | Next Cell | Moves to the next table cell. |
| Shift + Tab | Previous Cell | Moves to the previous cell. |
| Alt + Home | First Cell in Row | Moves to first cell of the row. |
| Alt + End | Last Cell in Row | Moves to last cell of the row. |
| Alt + Page Up | First Cell in Column | Moves to the top cell of the column. |
| Alt + Page Down | Last Cell in Column | Moves to the bottom cell of the column. |
| Ctrl + Tab | Tab Character | Inserts a tab inside a table cell. |
Important
Pressing Tab in the last cell of a table generally creates a new row.
12. Review and Proofreading
| Shortcut | Function | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| F7 | Spelling & Grammar | Checks spelling and grammar. |
| Shift + F7 | Thesaurus | Opens thesaurus for synonyms. |
| Alt + F7 | Next Spelling/Grammar Error | Moves to the next detected error. |
| Ctrl + Alt + M | New Comment | Inserts a comment. |
| Ctrl + Shift + E | Track Changes | Turns Track Changes on/off. |
13. Function Keys in MS Word
| Key | Function |
|---|---|
| F1 | Help |
| F2 | Move selected text/object |
| F3 | Insert AutoText/Building Block |
| F4 | Repeat last action |
| F5 | Go To dialog box |
| F6 | Move between document/interface areas |
| F7 | Spelling & Grammar |
| F8 | Extend selection |
| F9 | Update selected field |
| F10 | Activate KeyTips/Menu shortcuts |
| F11 | Next field |
| F12 | Save As |
Important Exam Shortcuts
F1 → Help
F2 → Move
F5 → Go To
F7 → Spelling & Grammar
F12 → Save As
14. Ctrl + Function Keys
| Shortcut | Function |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + F1 | Expand/Collapse Ribbon |
| Ctrl + F2 | Print Preview |
| Ctrl + F3 | Cut to Spike |
| Ctrl + F4 | Close current document/window |
| Ctrl + F5 | Restore document window size |
| Ctrl + F6 | Switch between open documents |
| Ctrl + F9 | Insert empty field |
| Ctrl + F10 | Maximize/restore document window |
| Ctrl + F11 | Lock a field |
| Ctrl + F12 | Open document |
15. Alt + Shortcut Keys
| Shortcut | Function |
|---|---|
| Alt + F | File menu |
| Alt + H | Home tab |
| Alt + N | Insert tab |
| Alt + P | Layout tab |
| Alt + S | References tab |
| Alt + M | Mailings tab |
| Alt + R | Review tab |
| Alt + W | View tab |
| Alt + Q | Search/Tell Me |
| Alt + Shift + D | Insert Date |
| Alt + Shift + T | Insert Time |
| Alt + F8 | Macro dialog box |
| Alt + F11 | VBA Editor |
16. Document View Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Function |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + Alt + P | Print Layout View |
| Ctrl + Alt + O | Outline View |
| Ctrl + Alt + N | Draft View |
| Alt + W, F | Focus/reading-related view depending on Word version |
17. Zoom Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Function |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + Mouse Wheel | Zoom in/out |
| Ctrl + + | Zoom-related action in some contexts |
| Ctrl + 0 | Reset/formatting-related shortcut depending on context |
For reliable zoom control, the Zoom slider at the bottom-right of Word can be used.
18. Special Characters and Symbols
| Shortcut | Function |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + Shift + Spacebar | Non-breaking space |
| Ctrl + – | Optional hyphen in some contexts |
| Ctrl + Shift + – | Non-breaking hyphen |
| Ctrl + Shift + 8 | Show/Hide paragraph marks and formatting symbols |
Example
When you press:
Ctrl + Shift + 8
Word can show formatting marks such as:
¶
These marks are useful when formatting documents.
19. Field and Document Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Function |
|---|---|
| F9 | Update selected field |
| Shift + F9 | Show/hide selected field code |
| Alt + F9 | Show/hide all field codes |
| Ctrl + F9 | Insert field |
| F11 | Next field |
| Shift + F11 | Previous field |
| Ctrl + Shift + F11 | Unlock field |
| Ctrl + Shift + F9 | Unlink a field |
20. Advanced Editing Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Function |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + Spacebar | Clear direct character formatting |
| Ctrl + Q | Clear paragraph formatting |
| Ctrl + Shift + C | Copy formatting |
| Ctrl + Shift + V | Paste formatting |
| Ctrl + Alt + 1 | Apply Heading 1 |
| Ctrl + Alt + 2 | Apply Heading 2 |
| Ctrl + Alt + 3 | Apply Heading 3 |
| Ctrl + Shift + N | Apply Normal style |
21. Useful Shortcuts for Students
If you are learning MS Word, first memorize these 20 most important shortcuts:
| No. | Shortcut | Use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ctrl + N | New document |
| 2 | Ctrl + O | Open |
| 3 | Ctrl + S | Save |
| 4 | Ctrl + P | |
| 5 | Ctrl + A | Select All |
| 6 | Ctrl + C | Copy |
| 7 | Ctrl + X | Cut |
| 8 | Ctrl + V | Paste |
| 9 | Ctrl + Z | Undo |
| 10 | Ctrl + Y | Redo |
| 11 | Ctrl + B | Bold |
| 12 | Ctrl + I | Italic |
| 13 | Ctrl + U | Underline |
| 14 | Ctrl + F | Find |
| 15 | Ctrl + H | Replace |
| 16 | Ctrl + K | Hyperlink |
| 17 | Ctrl + L | Left Align |
| 18 | Ctrl + E | Center Align |
| 19 | Ctrl + R | Right Align |
| 20 | Ctrl + J | Justify |
Easy Way to Remember
Editing:C = Copy → Ctrl+CX = Cut → Ctrl+XV = Paste → Ctrl+VZ = Undo → Ctrl+ZY = Redo → Ctrl+Y
Formatting:B = Bold → Ctrl+BI = Italic → Ctrl+IU = Underline → Ctrl+U
Alignment:L = Left → Ctrl+LE = Center → Ctrl+ER = Right → Ctrl+RJ = Justify → Ctrl+J