Back of page on word

Quick tip: In Microsoft Word, in a document with in-document hyperlinks, after navigating to another location in the document by clicking on a hyperlink (typically by holding Ctrl and clicking the link, as Word will prompt when the mouse cursor is hovered over a link), you can go back to where you were before in the document by using Alt+LeftArrow (hold down the Alt key and press the Left Arrow key) – similar to clicking on the Back button in a web browser.

Alt+RightArrow also works to go forward once again after using the Alt+LeftArrow shortcut to go back.

These are a good shortcuts to be aware of, since Word doesn’t by default show Back/Forward buttons in the toolbar like a browser does.  (This is the case in Word 2003 – I don’t have a copy of Word 2007 in front of me at the moment to check.)

In Word 2003, you can get Word to show Back/Forward buttons in the toolbar by making Word’s Web toolbar visible.  (Right-click a blank area of the toolbar at the top of the Word window, and select Web from the context menu that appears.)

The Alt+LeftArrow and Alt+RightArrow keyboard shortcuts to navigate Back or Forward respectively also work in most web browsers on Windows.

This article describes the keyboard shortcuts and function keys in Word for Windows.

Notes: 

  • To quickly find a shortcut in this article, you can use Search. Press Ctrl+F, and then type your search words.

  • If an action that you use often does not have a shortcut key, you can record a macro to create one. For instructions, go to Create or run a macro or Use a screen reader to create a macro in Word.

  • If you are using Microsoft Word Starter, be aware that not all the features listed for Word are supported in Word Starter. For more information about the features available in Word Starter, go to Word features that are not fully supported in Word Starter.

  • Get these keyboard shortcuts in a Word document at this link: Word 2016 for Windows keyboard shortcuts.

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

Frequently used shortcuts

This table shows the most frequently used shortcuts in Microsoft Word.

To do this

Press

Open a document.

Ctrl+O

Create a new document.

Ctrl+N

Save the document.

Ctrl+S

Close the document.

Ctrl+W

Cut the selected content to the Clipboard.

Ctrl+X

Copy the selected content to the Clipboard.

Ctrl+C

Paste the contents of the Clipboard.

Ctrl+V

Select all document content.

Ctrl+A

Apply bold formatting to text.

Ctrl+B

Apply italic formatting to text.

Ctrl+I

Apply underline formatting to text.

Ctrl+U

Decrease the font size by 1 point.

Ctrl+Left bracket ([)

Increase the font size by 1 point.

Ctrl+Right bracket (])

Center the text.

Ctrl+E

Align the text to the left.

Ctrl+L

Align the text to the right.

Ctrl+R

Cancel a command.

Esc

Undo the previous action.

Ctrl+Z

Redo the previous action, if possible.

Ctrl+Y

Adjust the zoom magnification.

Alt+W, Q, then use the Tab key in the Zoom dialog box to go to the value you want.

Split the document window.

Ctrl+Alt+S

Remove the document window split.

Alt+Shift+C or Ctrl+Alt+S

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Close a task pane

To close a task pane using the keyboard:

  1. Press F6 until the task pane is selected.

  2. Press Ctrl+Spacebar.

  3. Use the arrow keys to select Close, and then press Enter.

Ribbon keyboard shortcuts

The ribbon groups related options on 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 letters in small images next to the tabs and options as shown in the image below.

Key Tips in the ribbon in Word 365

Note: Add-ins and other programs can add new tabs to the ribbon and might provide access keys for those tabs.

You can combine the Key Tips letters with the Alt key to make shortcuts called Access Keys for the ribbon options. 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 Office 2013 and Office 2010, 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 of Microsoft 365. If you know the entire key sequence, go ahead and use it. If you don’t know the sequence, 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.

To do this

Press

Move to the Tell Me or Search field on the Ribbon to search for assistance or Help content.

Alt+Q, then enter the search term.

Open the File page to use Backstage view.

Alt+F

Open the Home tab to use common formatting commands, paragraph styles, and the Find tool.

Alt+H

Open the Insert tab to insert tables, pictures and shapes, headers, or text boxes.

Alt+N

Open the Design tab to use themes, colors, and effects, such as page borders.

Alt+G

Open the Layout tab to work with page margins, page orientation, indentation, and spacing.

Alt+P

Open the References tab to add a table of contents, footnotes, or a table of citations.

Alt+S

Open the Mailings tab to manage Mail Merge tasks and to work with envelopes and labels.

Alt+M

Open the Review tab to use Spell Check, set proofing languages, and to track and review changes to your document.

Alt+R

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+W

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Work in the ribbon with the keyboard

To do this

Press

Select the active tab on the ribbon and activate the access keys.

Alt or F10. To move to a different tab, use access keys or the arrow keys.

Move the focus to commands on the ribbon.

Tab key or Shift+Tab

Move between command groupings on the ribbon.

Ctrl+Left or Right arrow key

Move among the items on the ribbon.

Arrow keys

Show the tooltip for the ribbon element currently in focus.

Ctrl+Shift+F10

Activate the selected button.

Spacebar or Enter

Open the list for the selected command.

Down arrow key

Open the menu for the selected button.

Alt+Down arrow key

When a menu or submenu is open, move to the next command.

Down arrow key

Expand or collapse the ribbon.

Ctrl+F1

Open the context menu.

Shift+F10

Or, on a Windows keyboard, the Windows Menu key (between the right Alt and right Ctrl keys)

Move to the submenu when a main menu is open or selected.

Left arrow key

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Navigate the document

To do this

Press

Move the cursor one word to the left.

Ctrl+Left arrow key

Move the cursor one word to the right.

Ctrl+Right arrow key

Move the cursor up by one paragraph.

Ctrl+Up arrow key

Move the cursor down by one paragraph.

Ctrl+Down arrow key

Move the cursor to the end of the current line.

End

Move the cursor to the beginning the current line.

Home

Move the cursor to the top of the screen.

Ctrl+Alt+Page up

Move the cursor to the bottom of the screen.

Ctrl+Alt+Page down

Move the cursor by scrolling the document view up by one screen.

Page up

Move the cursor by scrolling the document view down by one screen.

Page down

Move the cursor to the top of the next page.

Ctrl+Page down

Move the cursor to the top of the previous page.

Ctrl+Page up

Move the cursor to the end of the document.

Ctrl+End

Move the cursor to the beginning of the document.

Ctrl+Home

Move the cursor to the location of the previous revision.

Shift+F5

Move the cursor to the location of the last revision made before the document was last closed.

Shift+F5, immediately after opening the document.

Cycle through floating shapes, such as text boxes or images.

Ctrl+Alt+5, and then the Tab key repeatedly

Exit the floating shape navigation and return to the normal navigation.

Esc

Display the Navigation task pane, to search within the document content.

Ctrl+F

Display the Go To dialog box, to navigate to a specific page, bookmark, footnote, table, comment, graphic, or other location.

Ctrl+G

Cycle through the locations of the four previous changes made to the document.

Ctrl+Alt+Z

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Navigate the document using the browse options in Word 2007 and 2010

In Word 2007 and 2010, you can browse the document by various types of objects, such as fields, footnotes, headings, and graphics.

To do this

Press

Open the list of browse options to define the type of object to browse by.

Ctrl+Alt+Home

Move to the previous object of the defined type.

Ctrl+Page up

Move to the next object of the defined type.

Ctrl+Page down

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Preview and print documents

To do this

Press

Print the document.

Ctrl+P

Switch to print preview.

Ctrl+Alt+I

Move around the preview page when zoomed in.

Arrow keys

Move by one preview page when zoomed out.

Page up or Page down

Move to the first preview page when zoomed out.

Ctrl+Home

Move to the last preview page when zoomed out.

Ctrl+End

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Select text and graphics

To do this

Press

Select text.

Shift+Arrow keys

Select the word to the left.

Ctrl+Shift+Left arrow key

Select the word to the right.

Ctrl+Shift+Right arrow key

Select from the current position to the beginning of the current line.

Shift+Home

Select from the current position to the end of the current line.

Shift+End

Select from the current position to the beginning of the current paragraph.

Ctrl+Shift+Up arrow key

Select from the current position to the end of the current paragraph.

Ctrl+Shift+Down arrow key

Select from the current position to the top of the screen.

Shift+Page up

Select from the current position to the bottom of the screen.

Shift+Page down

Select from the current position to the beginning of the document.

Ctrl+Shift+Home

Select from the current position to the end of the document.

Ctrl+Shift+End

Select from the current position to the bottom of the window.

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Page down

Select all document content.

Ctrl+A

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Extend a selection

To do this

Press

Start extending the selection.

F8

In the extend selection mode, clicking a location in the document extends the current selection to that location.

Select the nearest character to the left or right.

F8, Left or Right arrow key

Expand the selection.

F8 repeatedly to expand the selection to the entire word, sentence, paragraph, section, and document.

Reduce the selection.

Shift+F8

Select a vertical block of text.

Ctrl+Shift+F8, then press the arrow keys

Stop extending the selection.

Esc

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Edit text and graphics

To do this

Press

Delete one word to the left.

Ctrl+Backspace

Delete one word to the right.

Ctrl+Delete

Open the Clipboard task pane and enable the Office Clipboard, which allows you to copy and paste content between Microsoft 365 apps.

Alt+H, F, O

Cut the selected content to the Clipboard.

Ctrl+X

Copy the selected content to the Clipboard.

Ctrl+C

Paste the contents of the Clipboard.

Ctrl+V

Move the selected content to a specific location.

F2, move the cursor to the destination, and then press Enter.

Copy the selected content to a specific location.

Shift+F2, move the cursor to the destination, and then press Enter.

Define an AutoText block with the selected content.

Alt+F3

Insert an AutoText block.

The first few characters of the AutoText block, and then press Enter when the ScreenTip appears.

Cut the selected content to the Spike.

Ctrl+F3

Paste the contents of the Spike.

Ctrl+Shift+F3

Copy the selected formatting.

Ctrl+Shift+C

Paste the selected formatting.

Ctrl+Shift+V

Copy the header or footer used in the previous section of the document.

Alt+Shift+R

Display the Replace dialog box, to find and replace text, specific formatting, or special items.

Ctrl+H

Display the Object dialog box, to insert a file object into the document.

Alt+N, J, J

Insert a SmartArt graphic.

Alt+N, M

Insert a WordArt graphic.

Alt+N, W

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Align and format paragraphs

To do this

Press

Center the paragraph.

Ctrl+E

Justify the paragraph.

Ctrl+J

Align the paragraph to the left.

Ctrl+L

Align the paragraph to the right.

Ctrl+R

Indent the paragraph.

Ctrl+M

Remove a paragraph indent.

Ctrl+Shift+M

Create a hanging indent.

Ctrl+T

Remove a hanging indent.

Ctrl+Shift+T

Remove paragraph formatting.

Ctrl+Q

Apply single spacing to the paragraph.

Ctrl+1

Apply double spacing to the paragraph.

Ctrl+2

Apply 1.5-line spacing to the paragraph.

Ctrl+5

Add or remove space before the paragraph.

Ctrl+0 (zero)

Enable AutoFormat.

Ctrl+Alt+K

Apply the Normal style.

Ctrl+Shift+N

Apply the Heading 1 style.

Ctrl+Alt+1

Apply the Heading 2 style.

Ctrl+Alt+2

Apply the Heading 3 style.

Ctrl+Alt+3

Display the Apply Styles task pane.

Ctrl+Shift+S

Display the Styles task pane.

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S

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Format characters

To do this

Press

Display the Font dialog box.

Ctrl+D or Ctrl+Shift+F

Increase the font size.

Ctrl+Shift+Right angle bracket (>)

Decrease the font size.

Ctrl+Shift+Left angle bracket (<)

Increase the font size by 1 point.

Ctrl+Right bracket (])

Decrease the font size by 1 point.

Ctrl+Left bracket ([)

Switch the text between upper case, lower case, and title case.

Shift+F3

Change the text to all upper case.

Ctrl+Shift+A

Hide the selected text.

Ctrl+Shift+H

Apply bold formatting.

Ctrl+B

Add a bulleted list.

Ctrl+Shift+L

Apply underline formatting.

Ctrl+U

Apply underline formatting to the words, but not the spaces.

Ctrl+Shift+W

Apply double-underline formatting.

Ctrl+Shift+D

Apply italic formatting.

Ctrl+I

Apply small caps formatting.

Ctrl+Shift+K

Apply subscript formatting.

Ctrl+Equal sign ( = )

Apply superscript formatting.

Ctrl+Shift+Plus sign (+)

Remove manual character formatting.

Ctrl+Spacebar

Change the selected text to the Symbol font.

Ctrl+Shift+Q

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Manage text formatting

To do this

Press

Display all nonprinting characters.

Ctrl+Shift+8 (do not use the numeric keypad)

Display the Reveal Formatting task pane.

Shift+F1

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Insert special characters

To do this

Press

Insert a line break.

Shift+Enter

Insert a page break.

Ctrl+Enter

Insert a column break.

Ctrl+Shift+Enter

Insert an em dash (—).

Ctrl+Alt+Minus sign (on the numeric keypad)

Insert an en dash (–).

Ctrl+Minus sign (on the numeric keypad)

Insert an optional hyphen.

Ctrl+Hyphen (-)

Insert a nonbreaking hyphen.

Ctrl+Shift+Hyphen (-)

Insert a nonbreaking space.

Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar

Insert a copyright symbol (©).

Ctrl+Alt+C

Insert a registered trademark symbol (®).

Ctrl+Alt+R

Insert a trademark symbol (™).

Ctrl+Alt+T

Insert an ellipsis (…)

Ctrl+Alt+Period (.)

Insert the Unicode character for the specified Unicode (hexadecimal) character code. For example, to insert the euro currency symbol (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.

The character code, then press Alt+X

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.

Alt+the character code (on the numeric keypad)

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Work with web content

To do this

Press

Insert a hyperlink.

Ctrl+K

Go back one page.

Alt+Left arrow key

Go forward one page.

Alt+Right arrow key

Refresh the page.

F9

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Work with tables

Move around in a table

To do this

Press

Move to the next cell in the row and select its content.

Tab key

Move to the previous cell in the row and select its content.

Shift+Tab

Move to the first cell in the row.

Alt+Home

Move to the last cell in the row.

Alt+End

Move to the first cell in the column.

Alt+Page up

Move to the last cell in the column.

Alt+Page down

Move to the previous row.

Up arrow key

Move to the next row.

Down arrow key

Move one row up.

Alt+Shift+Up arrow key

Move one row down.

Alt+Shift+Down arrow key

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Select table content

To do this

Press

Select the content in the next cell.

Tab key

Select the content in the previous cell.

Shift+Tab

Extend a selection to adjacent cells.

Shift+Arrow keys

Select a column.

Select the top or bottom cell of the column, and then press Shift+Up or Down arrow key

Select a row.

Select the first or last cell in the row, and then press Shift+Alt+End or Home.

Select the whole table.

Alt+5 on the numeric keypad, with Num Lock switched off

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Insert paragraphs and tab characters in a table

To do this

Press

Insert a new paragraph in a cell.

Enter

Insert a tab character in a cell.

Ctrl+Tab

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Review a document

To do this

Press

Insert a comment.

Ctrl+Alt+M

Turn change tracking on or off.

Ctrl+Shift+E

Close the Reviewing Pane.

Alt+Shift+C

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Work with references, citations, and indexing

Use the following shortcuts to add references to your document, such as a table of contents, footnotes, and citations.

To do this

Press

Mark a table of contents entry.

Alt+Shift+O

Mark a table of authorities entry (citation).

Alt+Shift+I

Choose citation options.

Alt+Shift+F12, Spacebar

Mark an index entry.

Alt+Shift+X

Insert a footnote.

Ctrl+Alt+F

Insert an endnote.

Ctrl+Alt+D

Go to the next footnote.

Alt+Shift+Right angle bracket (>)

Go to the previous footnote.

Alt+Shift+Left angle bracket (<)

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Work with mail merge and fields

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

To do this

Press

Preview the mail merge.

Alt+Shift+K

Merge a document.

Alt+Shift+N

Print the merged document.

Alt+Shift+M

Edit a mail-merge data document.

Alt+Shift+E

Insert a merge field.

Alt+Shift+F

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Work with fields

To do this

Press

Insert a DATE field.

Alt+Shift+D

Insert a LISTNUM field.

Ctrl+Alt+L

Insert a PAGE field.

Alt+Shift+P

Insert a TIME field.

Alt+Shift+T

Insert an empty field.

Ctrl+F9

Update the linked information in a Word source document.

Ctrl+Shift+F7

Update the selected fields.

F9

Unlink a field.

Ctrl+Shift+F9

Switch between a selected field code and its result.

Shift+F9

Switch between all field codes and their results.

Alt+F9

Run GOTOBUTTON or MACROBUTTON from a field displaying field results.

Alt+Shift+F9

Go to the next field.

F11

Go to the previous field.

Shift+F11

Lock a field.

Ctrl+F11

Unlock a field.

Ctrl+Shift+F11

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Work with text in other languages

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.

To do this

Press

Display the Language dialog box to set the proofing language.

Alt+R, U, L

Set default languages.

Alt+R, L

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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.

To insert this

Press

à, è, ì, ò, ù,
À, È, Ì, Ò, Ù

Ctrl+Grave accent (`), the letter

á, é, í, ó, ú, ý
Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý

Ctrl+Single quotation mark (‘), the letter

â, ê, î, ô, û
Â, Ê, Î, Ô, Û

Ctrl+Shift+Caret (^), the letter

ã, ñ, õ
Ã, Ñ, Õ

Ctrl+Shift+Tilde (~), the letter

ä, ë, ï, ö, ü, ÿ,
Ä, Ë, Ï, Ö, Ü, Ÿ

Ctrl+Shift+Colon (:), the letter

å, Å

Ctrl+Shift+At sign (@), a or A

æ, Æ

Ctrl+Shift+Ampersand (&), a or A

œ, Œ

Ctrl+Shift+Ampersand (&), o or O

ç, Ç

Ctrl+Comma (,), c or C

ð, Ð

Ctrl+Single quotation mark (‘), d or D

ø, Ø

Ctrl+Forward slash (/), o or O

¿

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Question mark (?)

¡

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Exclamation point (!)

ß

Ctrl+Shift+Ampersand (&), s

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Use Input Method Editors for East Asian languages

To do this

Press

Switch to the Japanese Input Method Editor (IME) for a 101-key keyboard, if available.

Alt+Tilde (~)

Switch to the Korean Input Method Editor (IME) for a 101-key keyboard, if available.

Right Alt

Switch to the Chinese Input Method Editor (IME) for a 101-key keyboard, if available.

Ctrl+Spacebar

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Work with document views

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

To do this

Press

Switch to the Read Mode view.

In Word 2007 and 2010, this is called Full Screen Reading view.

Alt+W, F

Switch to the Print Layout view.

Ctrl+Alt+P

Switch to the Outline view.

Ctrl+Alt+O

Switch to the Draft view.

Ctrl+Alt+N

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Outline a document

These shortcuts only apply when the document is in the Outline view.

To do this

Press

Promote a paragraph.

Alt+Shift+Left arrow key

Demote a paragraph.

Alt+Shift+Right arrow key

Demote the paragraph to body text.

Ctrl+Shift+N

Move the selected paragraphs up.

Alt+Shift+Up arrow key

Move the selected paragraphs down.

Alt+Shift+Down arrow key

Expand the text under a heading.

Alt+Shift+Plus sign (+)

Collapse the text under a heading.

Alt+Shift+Minus sign (-)

Expand or collapse all text or headings.

Alt+Shift+A

Hide or display the character formatting.

Forward slash (/) (on the numeric keypad)

Switch between showing the first line of body text and showing all body text.

Alt+Shift+L

Show all headings with the Heading 1 style.

Alt+Shift+1

Show all headings with the specified heading level.

Alt+Shift+Heading level number

Insert a tab character.

Ctrl+Tab

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Move through the document in Read Mode

To do this

Press

Move to the beginning of the document.

Home

Move to the end of the document.

End

Go to a specific page.

Type the page number, then press Enter

Exit Read Mode.

Esc

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Use function key shortcuts

Key

Description

F1

  • F1 alone: displays the Word help task pane.

  • Shift+F1: displays or hides context-sensitive help or the Reveal Formatting task pane.

  • Ctrl+F1: displays or hides the ribbon.

  • Alt+F1: moves to the next field.

  • Alt+Shift+F1: moves to the previous field.

F2

  • F2 alone: moves the selected text or graphic. Use the arrow keys to place the cursor where you want to move the text or graphic, and then press Enter to move, or press Esc to cancel.

  • Shift+F2: copies the selected text or graphic. 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

  • Shift+F3: switches the selected text between upper case, lower case, and title case.

  • Ctrl+F3: cuts the selected content to the Spike. You can cut multiple texts and graphics to the Spike, and paste them as a group to another location.

  • Ctrl+Shift+F3: pastes the contents of the Spike.

  • Alt+F3: creates a new Building Block.

F4

  • F4 alone: 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

  • F5 alone: displays the Go To dialog box.

  • Shift+F5: moves the cursor to the last change.

  • Ctrl+Shift+F5: displays the Bookmark dialog box.

  • Alt+F5: restores the document window size.

F6

  • F6 alone: switch between the document, task pane, status bar, and ribbon. In a document that has been split, F6 includes the split panes when switching between panes and the task pane.

  • 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

  • F7 alone: displays the Editor task pane to check spelling and grammar in the document or the selected text.

  • Shift+F7: displays the Thesaurus task pane.

  • Ctrl+Shift+F7: updates the linked information in a Word source document.

  • Alt+F7: finds the next spelling or grammatical error.

  • Alt+Shift+F7: in Word 2013 and newer, displays the Translator task pane. In Word 2007 and 2010, displays the Research task pane.

F8

  • F8 alone: extends the selection. For example, if a word is selected, the selection size is extended to one sentence.

  • Shift+F8: reduces the selection. For example, if a paragraph is selected, the selection size is reduced to one sentence.

  • Ctrl+Shift+F8: turns extend selection mode on and off. In the extend selection mode, the arrow keys extend the selection.

  • Alt+F8: displays the Macro dialog box to create, run, edit, or delete a macro.

F9

  • F9 alone: updates the selected fields.

  • Shift+F9: switches between a field code and its result.

  • Ctrl+F9: inserts an empty field.

  • Ctrl+Shift+F9: unlinks the current field.

  • Alt+F9: switches between all field codes and their results.

  • Alt+Shift+F9: runs GOTOBUTTON or MACROBUTTON from a field displaying field results.

F10

  • F10 alone: turns KeyTips on or off.

  • Shift+F10: displays the shortcut menu for the selected item.

  • 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.

F11

  • F11 alone: moves to the next field.

  • Shift+F11: moves to the previous field.

  • Ctrl+F11: locks the current field.

  • Ctrl+Shift+F11: unlocks the current field.

  • Alt+F11: opens the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications editor, in which you can create a macro using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).

F12

  • F12 alone: 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.

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See also

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.

Notes: 

  • 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.

  1. To open the System Preferences, press The Command button.+Spacebar, type system preferences, and press Return.

  2. To go to Keyboard Settings, type keyboard and press Return.

  3. In the Shortcuts tab, press Control+F7 to change the Full Keyboard Access setting from Text boxes and lists only to All Controls.

In this topic

  • Frequently used shortcuts

  • Shortcut conflicts

  • Navigate the document

  • Select text and graphics

  • Edit text and graphics

  • Work with tables

  • Drawing

  • Work with fields

  • Outline a document

  • Review a document

  • Use footnotes and endnotes

  • Work with right-to-left languages

  • Use function key shortcuts

Frequently used shortcuts

This table lists frequently used shortcuts in Word for Mac.

To do this

Press

Undo the previous action.

The Command button.+Z or F1

Redo the previous action, if possible.

The Command button.+Y

Cut the selected content to the Clipboard.

The Command button.+X or F2

Copy the selected content to the Clipboard.

The Command button.+C or F3

Paste the contents of the Clipboard.

The Command button.+V or F4

Display the shortcut menu for the selected item. *

Shift+F10

Display the Go To dialog box.

The Command button.+Option+G or F5

Display the Spelling and Grammar dialog box.

The Command button.+Option+L or F7

Enable extended selection mode.

F8

Switch to the next window.

The Command button.+Grave accent ( ` )

Switch to the previous window.

The Command button.+Shift+Grave accent (`)

Display the Save As dialog box.

The Command button.+Shift+S

Find text (move focus to the Search in Document box).

The Command button.+F

Display the Find and Replace pane.

Control+H

Display the Print dialog box.

The Command button.+P

Close the current document.

The Command button.+F4

Expand or minimize the ribbon.

The Command button.+Option+R

Find the next spelling or grammatical error. The Check spelling as you type feature must be enabled.

Option+F7

Open the Dictionary.

In Word 2011, Option+Shift+F7

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Shortcut conflicts

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

  1. From the Apple menu, select System Preferences.

  2. Select Keyboard.

  3. Select the Shortcuts tab.

  4. Select Mission Control.

  5. Clear the check box for the keyboard shortcut conflicting with the Word for Mac shortcut that you want to use.

Navigate the document

To do this

Press

Move the cursor one word to the left.

Option+Left arrow key

Move the cursor one word to the right.

Option+Right arrow key

Move the cursor up by one paragraph.

The Command button.+Up arrow key

Move the cursor down by one paragraph.

The Command button.+Down arrow key

Move the cursor to the beginning of the current line.

The Command button.+Left arrow

Home

Move the cursor to the end of the current line.

The Command button.+Right arrow key

End

Move the cursor to the top of the previous page.

The Command button.+Page up

On a MacBook, press The Command button.+Fn+Up arrow key

Move the cursor to the top of the next page.

The Command button.+Page down

On a MacBook, press The Command button.+Fn+Down arrow key

Move the cursor to the beginning of the document.

The Command button.+Home

On a MacBook, press The Command button.+Fn+Left arrow key

Move the cursor to the end of the document.

The Command button.+End

On a MacBook, press The Command button.+Fn+Right arrow key

Move the cursor to the previous insertion point.

Shift+F5

Move the cursor by scrolling the document view up by one screen.

Page up

Move the cursor by scrolling the document view down by one screen.

Page down

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Select text and graphics

Tip: If you know the key combination to move the cursor, you can generally select the text by using the same key combination while holding down Shift. For example, The Command button.+Right arrow moves the cursor to the next word, and The Command button.+Shift+Right arrow selects the text from the cursor to the beginning of the next word.

To do this

Press

Select multiple items that are not next to each other.

Select the first item that you want, hold down The Command button., and then mouse click the additional items.

Select text.

Shift+Arrow keys

Select the word to the left.

Shift+Option+Left arrow key

Select the word to the right.

Shift+Option+Right arrow key

Select from the current position to the beginning of the current line.

The Command button.+Shift+Left arrow key

Shift+Home

Select from the current position to the end of the current line.

The Command button.+Shift+Right arrow key

Shift+End

Select from the current position to the beginning of the current paragraph.

The Command button.+Shift+Up arrow key

Select from the current position to the end of the current paragraph.

The Command button.+Shift+Down arrow key

Select from the current position to the top of the screen.

Shift+Page up

Select from the current position to the bottom of the screen.

Shift+Page down

Select from the current position to the beginning of the document.

The Command button.+Shift+Home

Select from the current position to the end of the document.

The Command button.+Shift+End

Select from the current position to the bottom of the window.

The Command button.+Shift+Option+Page down

Select all document content.

The Command button.+A

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Extend a selection

To do this

Press

Start extending the selection. *

F8

In the extend selection mode, clicking a location in the document extends the current selection to that location.

Select the nearest character to the left.

F8, Left arrow key

Select the nearest character to the right.

F8, Right arrow key

Expand the selection.

F8 repeatedly to expand the selection to the entire word, sentence, paragraph, section, and document.

Reduce the selection. *

Shift+F8

Select a vertical block of text.

The Command button.+Shift+F8, then press the arrow keys

Stop extending the selection.

Esc

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Edit text and graphics

To do this

Press

Cut the selected content to the Clipboard.

The Command button.+X

F2

Copy the selected content to the Clipboard.

The Command button.+C

F3

Paste the contents of the Clipboard.

The Command button.+V

F4

Display the Paste Special dialog box.

The Command button.+Control+V

Cut the selected content to the Spike.

The Command button.+F3

Paste the contents of the Spike.

The Command button.+Shift+F3

Copy the selected formatting.

The Command button.+Shift+C

Paste the copied formatting.

The Command button.+Shift+V

Create an AutoText entry.

Option+F3

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Align and format paragraphs

To do this

Press

Center the paragraph.

The Command button.+E

Justify the paragraph.

The Command button.+J

Align the paragraph to the left.

The Command button.+L

Align the paragraph to the right.

The Command button.+R

Indent the paragraph.

Control+Shift+M

Remove a paragraph indent.

The Command button.+Shift+M

Create a hanging indent.

The Command button.+T

Remove a hanging indent.

The Command button.+Shift+T

Apply single-spacing to the paragraph.

The Command button.+1

Apply double-spacing to the paragraph.

The Command button.+2

Apply 1.5-line spacing to the paragraph.

The Command button.+5

Enable AutoFormat.

The Command button.+Option+K

Apply the Normal style.

The Command button.+Shift+N

Apply the Heading 1 style.

The Command button.+Option+1

Apply the Heading 2 style.

The Command button.+Option+2

Apply the Heading 3 style.

The Command button.+Option+3

Apply the List style.

The Command button.+Shift+L, when the cursor is at the beginning of a line

Insert a nonbreaking space.

Option+Spacebar

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Format characters

To do this

Press

Increase the font size.

The Command button.+Shift+Right angle bracket (>)

Decrease the font size.

The Command button.+Shift+Left angle bracket (<)

Increase the font size by 1 point.

The Command button.+Right bracket (])

Decrease the font size by 1 point.

The Command button.+Left bracket ([)

Display the Font dialog box.

The Command button.+D

Switch the text between upper case, lower case, and title case.

Shift+F3

Change the text to all upper case.

The Command button.+Shift+A

Apply bold formatting.

The Command button.+B

Add a bulleted list.

The Command button.+Shift+L

Apply underline formatting.

The Command button.+U

Apply underline formatting to the words, but not the spaces.

The Command button.+Shift+W

Apply double-underline formatting.

The Command button.+Shift+D

Apply italics formatting.

The Command button.+I

Apply small caps formatting.

The Command button.+Shift+K

Apply strike-through formatting.

The Command button.+Shift+X

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Insert special characters

To do this

Press

Insert an empty field.

The Command button.+F9

Insert a line break.

Shift+Return

Insert a page break.

The Command button.+Return

Insert a column break.

The Command button.+Shift+Return

Insert a nonbreaking hyphen.

The Command button.+Shift+Hyphen (-)

Insert a registered trademark symbol (®).

Option+R

Insert a trademark symbol (™).

Option+2

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Work with tables

Move around in a table

To do this

Press

Move to the next cell and select its content.

Tab key

Move to the previous cell and select its content.

Shift+Tab

Move to the next row.

Down arrow key

Move to the previous row.

Up arrow key

Move to the first cell in the row.

Control+Home

Move to the last cell in the row.

Control+End

Move to the first cell in the column.

Control+Page up

Move to the last cell in the column.

Control+Page down

Add a new row to the bottom of the table.

Tab key, at the end of the last row

Insert a row.

The Command button.+Control+I

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Select table content

To do this

Press

Select the content in the next cell.

Tab key

Select the content in the previous cell.

Shift+Tab

Extend a selection to adjacent cells.

Shift+Arrow keys

Select a row.

Select the first or last cell in the row, and then press Shift+Alt+End or Home.

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Resize table columns with the ruler

To do this

Press

Retain the column sizes to the right and change the table width.

Drag the column boundary in the ruler

Move a single column line and retain the table width.

Shift+Drag the column boundary in the ruler

Equally resize all columns to the right and retain the table width.

The Command button.+Shift+Drag the column boundary in the ruler

Proportionally resize all columns to the right and retain the table width.

The Command button.+Drag the column boundary in the ruler

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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.

To do this

Press

Move a single column line and retain the table width.

Drag the column boundary

Retain column sizes to the right and change the table width.

Shift+Drag the column boundary

Equally resize all columns to the right and retain the table width.

The Command button.+Shift+Drag the column boundary

Proportionally resize all columns to the right and retain the table width.

The Command button.+Drag the column boundary

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Insert paragraphs and tab characters in a table

To do this

Press

Insert a new paragraph in a cell.

Return

Insert a Tab character in a cell.

Option+Tab

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Drawing

To do this

Press

Toggle drawing mode.

The Command button.+Control+Z

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Work with fields

To do this

Press

Insert a DATE field.

Control+Shift+D

Insert a LISTNUM field.

The Command button.+Option+Shift+L

Insert a PAGE field.

Control+Shift+P

Insert a TIME field.

Control+Shift+T

Insert an empty field.

The Command button.+F9

Update the selected fields. *

F9

Switch between a field code and its result. *

Shift+F9

Switch between all field codes and their results.

Option+F9

Run GOTOBUTTON or MACROBUTTON from a field displaying field results.

Option+Shift+F9

Lock a field.

The Command button.+F11

Unlock a field.

The Command button.+Shift+F11

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Outline a document

These shortcuts only apply when the document is in the Outline view.

To do this

Press

Promote a paragraph.

Control+Shift+Left arrow key

Demote a paragraph.

Control+Shift+Right arrow key

Demote the paragraph to body text.

The Command button.+Shift+N

Move the selected paragraphs up. *

Control+Shift+Up arrow key

Move the selected paragraphs down. *

Control+Shift+Down arrow key

Expand the text under a heading.

Control+Shift+Plus sign (+)

Collapse text under a heading. *

Control+Shift+Minus sign (-)

Expand all body text and headings, or collapse all body text.

Control+Shift+A

Switch between showing the first line of body text and showing all body text.

Control+Shift+L

Show all headings with the specified heading level.

Control+Shift+Heading level number

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Review a document

To do this

Press

Insert a comment.

The Command button.+Option+A

Turn change tracking on or off.

The Command button.+Shift+E

Move to the beginning of a comment.

Home

Move to the end of a comment.

End

(The End key is not available on all keyboards.)

Move to the beginning of the list of comments.

The Command button.+Home, in the Reviewing Pane.

Move to the end of the list of comments.

The Command button.+End, in the Reviewing Pane.

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Use footnotes and endnotes

To do this

Press

Insert a footnote.

The Command button.+Option+F

Insert an endnote.

The Command button.+Option+E

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Work with right-to-left languages

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:

  1. Go to Apple > System Preferences > Keyboard.

  2. On the Input Sources tab, select the language for which you want to enable shortcuts.

  3. On the right side of the tab, select the check box for Enable keyboard shortcuts.

To do this

Press

Switch the writing direction to right-to-left.

Control+The Command button.+ Left arrow key

Switch the writing direction to left-to-right.

Control+The Command button.+ Right arrow key

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Use function key 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.

Key

Description

F1

  • F1 alone: undoes the previous action.

F2

  • F2 alone: cuts the selected content to the Clipboard.

  • Shift+F2: copies the selected text or graphic. Use the arrow keys to place the cursor where you want to copy the text or graphic, and then press Return to copy, or press Esc to cancel.

F3

  • F3 alone: copies the selected content to the Clipboard.

  • Shift+F3: switches the selected text between upper case, lower case, and title case.

  • The Command button.+F3: cuts the selected content to the Spike. You can cut multiple texts and graphics to the Spike, and paste them as a group to another location.

  • The Command button.+Shift+F3: pastes the contents of the Spike.

  • Option+F3: creates an AutoText entry.

F4

  • F4 alone: pastes the content from the Clipboard.

  • Shift+F4: repeats the last Find or Go To action.

  • The Command button. Shift+F4: repeats the last Find or Go To action.

F5

  • F5 alone: displays the Go To dialog box.

  • Shift+F5: moves the cursor to the last change.

  • The Command button.+Shift+F5: displays the Bookmark dialog.

F6

  • F6 alone: switch between the document, task pane, status bar, and ribbon. In a document that has been split, F6 includes the split panes when switching between panes and the task pane.

  • Shift+F6: switches between the document, ribbon, status bar, and task pane.

  • The Command button.+F6: switches to the next document window when more than one document is open.

  • The Command button.+Shift+F6: switches to the previous document window when more than one document is open.

F7

  • F7 alone: displays the Spelling and Grammar dialog box.

  • Shift+F7: displays the Thesaurus task pane.

  • The Command button.+Shift+F7: updates the linked information in a Word source document.

  • Option+F7: finds the next spelling or grammatical error.

  • Option+Shift+F7: opens the Dictionary.

F8

  • F8 alone *: extends the selection. For example, if a word is selected, the selection size is extended to one sentence.

  • Shift+F8 *: reduces the selection. For example, if a paragraph is selected, the selection size is reduced to one sentence.

  • The Command button.+Shift+F8: turns extend selection mode on and off. In the extend selection mode, the arrow keys extend the selection.

  • Option+F8: displays the Macro dialog box to create, run, edit, or delete a macro.

F9

  • F9 alone *: updates the selected fields.

  • Shift+F9 *: switches between a field code and its result.

  • The Command button.+F9: inserts an empty field.

  • The Command button.+Shift+F9: unlinks the current field.

  • Option+F9: switches between all field codes and their results.

  • Option+Shift+F9: runs GOTOBUTTON or MACROBUTTON from a field displaying field results.

F10

  • Shift+F10 *: displays the shortcut menu for the selected item.

F11

  • F11 alone *: moves to the next field.

  • Shift+F11 *: moves to the previous field.

  • The Command button.+F11: locks the current field.

  • The Command button.+Shift+F11: unlocks the current field.

  • Option+F11: opens the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications editor, in which you can create a macro using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).

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Change function key preferences

  1. In the Apple menu, select System Preferences.

  2. Select Keyboard.

  3. On the Keyboard tab, select the check box for Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys.

See also

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 in Word for the web.

Notes: 

  • 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.

In this topic

  • Frequently used shortcuts

  • Ribbon keyboard shortcuts

  • Navigate the document

  • Edit and format the document

  • Work with comments

Frequently used shortcuts

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.

To do this

Press

In the Reading view, open a PDF-based view tagged to work with screen readers.

Press the Tab key until you reach the Accessibility Mode button, and then press Enter

Find text in the Reading view.

Ctrl+F or F3

Find text in the Editing view.

Ctrl+F or Ctrl+G

Find and replace text in the Editing view.

Ctrl+H

Hide the task pane, if one is open.

Esc

Switch to the Zoom control.

Alt+Period, W, then Q or Alt+Windows logo key, W, then Q

Print the document.

Ctrl+P

Move to the next landmark region.

Ctrl+F6

Go to the Tell Me or Search text field.

Alt+Q

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Ribbon keyboard shortcuts

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.

The ribbon with the access keys in  Word for Web

  • 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 do this

Press

Open the Tell Me or Search text field on the ribbon to type a search term.

Alt+Period, Q or Alt+Windows logo key, Q

Open the File tab to use the Backstage view.

Alt+Period, F or Alt+Windows logo key, F

Open the Home tab to format text and use the Find tool.

Alt+Period, H or Alt+Windows logo key, H

Open the Insert tab to insert a picture, link, comment, header or footer, or a page number. You can also access the Symbol gallery.

Alt+Period, N or Alt+Windows logo key, N

Open the Page Layout tab to set page margins, orientation, and size, and paragraph spacing.

Alt+Period, A or Alt+Windows logo key, A

Open the References tab to insert a table of contents, footnotes, or endnotes.

Alt+Period, S or Alt+Windows logo key, S

Open the Review tab to check spelling, add comments, or track and review changes to your document.

Alt+Period, R or Alt+Windows logo key, R

Open the View tab to choose a view, open the Navigation pane, edit the Header & Footer, and to Zoom the document view.

Alt+Period, W or Alt+Windows logo key, W

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Use Search

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.

  1. Select the item or place in your document, presentation, or spreadsheet where you want to perform an action.

  2. To go to the Search text field, press Alt+Q.

  3. Type the search words for the action that you want to perform. For example, if you want to add a bulleted list, type bullets.

  4. Press the Down arrow key to browse through the search results.

  5. 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.

To do this

Press

Select the active tab on the ribbon, and activate the access keys.

Alt+Period or Alt+Windows logo key. To move to a different tab, use an access key or the Tab key.

When a Ribbon tab is selected, move the focus to the tab commands.

Enter, then Tab key or Shift+Tab

Activate a selected button.

Spacebar or Enter

Open the list for a selected command.

Spacebar or Enter

Open the menu for a selected button.

Alt+Down arrow key

When a menu or submenu is open, move to the next command.

Down arrow key

Collapse or expand the ribbon.

Ctrl+F3

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Navigate the document

To do this

Press

Move the cursor right by one word.

Ctrl+Right arrow key

Move the cursor left by one word.

Ctrl+Left arrow key

Move the cursor up by one paragraph.

Ctrl+Up arrow key

Move the cursor down by one paragraph.

Ctrl+Down arrow key

Move the cursor to the beginning of the current line.

Home

Move the cursor to the end of the current line.

End

Move the cursor to the beginning of the document.

Ctrl+Home

Move the cursor to the end of the document.

Ctrl+End

Select text.

Shift+Arrow keys

Select the word to the right.

Shift+Ctrl+Right arrow key

Select the word to the left.

Shift+Ctrl+Left arrow key

Select the paragraph above.

Shift+Ctrl+Up arrow key

Select the paragraph below.

Shift+Ctrl+Down arrow key

Select from the current position to the beginning of the line.

Shift+Home

Select from the current position to the end of the line.

Shift+End

Select from the current position to the beginning of the document.

Shift+Ctrl+Home

Select from the current position to the end of the document.

Shift+Ctrl+End

Select all document content.

Ctrl+A

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Edit and format the document

To do this

Press

Cut the selected content to the Clipboard.

Ctrl+X

Copy the selected content to the Clipboard.

Ctrl+C

Paste the content from the Clipboard.

Ctrl+V

Undo the previous action.

Ctrl+Z

Redo the previous action.

Ctrl+Y

Shrink the font size.

Ctrl+Left bracket ([)

Grow the font size.

Ctrl+Right bracket (])

Apply bold formatting to the selected text.

Ctrl+B

Apply italic formatting to the selected text.

Ctrl+I

Underline the selected text.

Ctrl+U

Align the paragraph to the left.

Ctrl+L

Align the paragraph to the right.

Ctrl+R

Center the paragraph.

Ctrl+E

Justify the paragraph.

Ctrl+J

Create a bulleted list.

Ctrl+Period (.)

Create a numbered list.

Ctrl+Slash (/)

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See also

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

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  • Question

  • One of the best feature in word 2010 is the «Browse headings» tree that appears on the left side when you search (Ctrl+F) you document.

    It will be really great if there is a «back» or «Previous location» or «navigate backward» functionality that can be added so that user can have better experience. (keyboard shortcut if available)

All replies

  • What about the «Previous Heading» button?  Doesn’t that do what you are talking about?


    Hope this helps.

    Doug Robbins — Word MVP,
    dkr[atsymbol]mvps[dot]org
    Posted via the Community Bridge

    «Jamil Haddadin» wrote in message news:d2be9d3e-8b40-4a90-bf2c-e4b91236de28@communitybridge.codeplex.com…

    One of the best feature in word 2010 is the «Browse headings» tree that appears on the left side when you search (Ctrl+F) you document.

    It will be really great if there is a «back» or «Previous location» or «navigate backward» functionality that can be added so that user can have better experience. (keyboard shortcut if available)


    Doug Robbins — Word MVP dkr[atsymbol]mvps[dot]org

  • It seems I didnt explain it will…

    Suppose U have the following sectionsL:

    1, 1.1, 1.2, 2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.2.1

    suppose I click on the document map in the following sequence:

    1.1 —> 2.1 —> 1.2 —>
    2

    what I click on this button, I need to go through this sequence 1.2 then 2.1 then 
    1.1.

    Is it clear now?

  • Hi Jamil

    The UP and DOWN arrows (top right) of pane go backward/forward through the headings — if that is what you mean.

    «Jamil Haddadin» wrote in message news:d2be9d3e-8b40-4a90-bf2c-e4b91236de28@communitybridge.codeplex.com…

    One of the best feature in word 2010 is the «Browse headings» tree that appears on the left side when you search (Ctrl+F) you document.

    It will be really great if there is a «back» or «Previous location» or «navigate backward» functionality that can be added so that user can have better experience. (keyboard shortcut if available)


    janine@ribbonspace.com www.ribbonspace.com Documents and Ribbons. Simple Efficient Office Automation.

  • thanks for your replays.

    Again, your suggestion is similar to the previous one which is using «Previous heading» button…. these arrows allow you to go through the headings «sequantially» but I dont want that. I want to navigate through them according to my last location in
    a «stack order» based.

    let me explain it in an example with more details:

    Suppose I have the following headings

    1, 1.1, 1.2, 2, 2.1, 2.2, 3, 3.1, 3.2

    Suppose my current location was  at 2.1, then i selected (using the mouse pointer) 1.1 then i selected 3.1; What i want to have is the facility of going through the reverse sequence of headings using one button; in other words; I want to click
    on this «magical button» to go to 1.1 and if click it again i will go to 2.1.

    if I go with your suggestion I will go to 3 then 2.2 then 2.1 then 2 then 1.1 then 1 which is the normal sequence…

    I wish it is clear now

    • Proposed as answer by

      Tuesday, March 15, 2011 12:58 PM

    • Unproposed as answer by
      Lesatik
      Tuesday, March 15, 2011 12:58 PM

  • Thank you very much for your reply, but the back button is not working at all and it is always disabled…

    I tried that before starting this thread

  • I agree with Jamil—the back button only works if navigating chapters via links in the document itself. What he and I are trying to do is use Word 2010’s
    Navigation Pane (the list of chapters by default along the left side of the page). If I use the Navigation pane, and click chapter 5, and then chapter 2, I’d like to be able to click «back» and get to chapter 5 again.

    This was possible in Word 97/2000/2003 through similar navigation through the «document map» and the back button in the «web toolbar». In Word 2010, the back button remains disabled if a chapter is clicked in the navigation pane.

    Bump!

  • Doug — Where can i locate the previous button in word 2010?

    I have bookmarks in my document and I would like for the user to go back to the previous page prior to clicking the bookmark.

    thanks!

  • Here is another way to understand what is desired: the Word equivalent of the Visual Studio

    Navigate Backward feature.

  • I am not sure if this has been answered but I found that if you hold ALT+LeftArrowKey it will let you navigate back to a link you selected to jump to the location.

    That is the closest I found, and its not releated to a «Section» but rather the link you clicked to jump to that bookmark in the document.


    —Nicolas

  • Yep! That was what I was looking for. Alt + Left Arrow will take me back to the page I was on when I clicked on a link that takes me to a different page on the same document. Thank you NicolasFM!

    • Edited by
      Markivk
      Saturday, May 25, 2013 9:12 PM

  • Thanks a lot.. for the answer.. this concludes my serach for BACK BUTTON  :)

    Alt + Left Arrow  — ohhh! what a relief..

    I had over 500 pages documents with lots of hyperlinks.. I would have gone mad!!

  • Edward, did you ever find something that’s like the VS Nav Backward?  I’d like to hear about it, if so- thanks!

  • Alt + Left Arrow is OK, but would prefer something more like Visual Studio.  I have a funny feeling it doesn’t exist, but would be awesome!

Image of Susan Harkins

on

June 24, 2020, 11:20 AM PDT

Two ways to return to where you last were in a Microsoft Word document

If you browse a lot, you might want to make use of these two easy methods for returning to where you started in Microsoft Word.


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Image: Screenshot

That title’s a bit ambiguous because where you last were could mean different things to different users. What users really want is to look around in a document without losing their place. If you’re reading a book, you can bookmark the spot. You can do the same in a Word document, but that’s a bit dramatic if all you’re looking for is a quick way to return to where you last were. In this article, I’ll show you two easy ways to do that, even though where you last were doesn’t mean the same thing in both tips.

I’m using Microsoft 365, but you can use earlier versions. There’s no demonstration file because you won’t need one. I used the RAND() function to create a few paragraphs of text and then copied them several times to create a five-page document. The space bar tip works in the browser, the Shift+F5 tip doesn’t. Enlarging the cursor carries over into the browser but increasing the size of the insertion point doesn’t.

SEE: Office 365: A guide for tech and business leaders (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Finding where you last were in Word

The phrase where you last were could mean two different things. Either you want to go back to the spot where the insertion pointer is, or you want to return to the last edit. Sometimes, the spot is the same and sometimes it isn’t. Fortunately, there are two quick ways to satisfy both possibilities.

Getting back to the insertion pointer in Word

It’s common for a user to be reviewing a part of the document that’s nowhere near the insertion point. The user might be referencing related information or checking to make sure information was included in a later section. There are many reasons for viewing content that is paragraphs, pages, or even full sections away from the insertion point. All that’s required to get home is a tap of your shoes–I mean, the space bar. It really is that simple.

Now, let’s suppose you’re working in a long document (which is difficult to represent in a single figure, so lend me your imagination a bit). You can see in Figure A that the insertion point is on the first page, but let’s say you’re reviewing content on page 4. (You’d probably scroll down rather than displaying multiple pages as I have. I’m displaying multiples to represent what we’re doing.)

Figure A

Now, let’s suppose you’re reading page 4 or 14 or 421, and you want to return to the insertion point, and you don’t remember exactly where it is. Remember, the insertion point is where you can edit the document and not necessarily where you’re currently viewing. All you have to do is press the space bar and Word immediately returns you to the insertion point. You’ll want to delete the space of course, but that’s the quickest and easiest method for getting back to where you last were. This is one of those simple tips that works more often than not without doing a single special thing. However, this quick and easy solution won’t always work. For instance, if you use Page Down to browse the document, it won’t work because Page Down moves the insertion point!

Get back to the last edit(s)

In some cases, where you last were will refer to the last edit you made. That may or may not be where the insertion point is. To find the last edit, simply press Shift+F5. You can press this combo to find the last three places in the document where you edited content. Keep in mind that a single keystroke is an edit, so sometimes this combo won’t work as you expected.

Try it now by making simple edits in a longish document—remove a word, add a space, apply bold—and then press Shift+F5 to return to each of those edits. If you have more than one document open, the combo might even take you to another document!

SEE: Recap: Microsoft Build 2020 (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

How to enlarge the cursor and insertion point

Neither of these tips is perfect but don’t give up. They’re both worth the effort of familiarity. However, there’s one more tip to offer. The cursor is small. Even when working on the same page, it can be difficult to find. One way to attack this is to make the cursor larger and thereby more visible. (Notice that I’m talking about the cursor and not the insertion point—we’ll get to that next.)

This solution is a Windows solution and it isn’t perfect (nothing in this article has been) but it can help. Here’s what you can do:

  1. In Cortana, type Control Panel and choose Mouse from the list to the right (Figure B).
  2. In the resulting dialog, click the Pointers tab.
  3. From the Customize list, choose Text Selector, and then click Browse.
  4. Thumb down to the I beam choice and select a bold, larger item (Figure C).
  5. Click Open, Apply, and OK. The new insertion point is much larger than the out-of-the box icon.

Figure B

Figure C

That’s helpful to a point, but what about the insertion point? You can also enlarge it. To increase the size (or thickness) of the blinking cursor (the insertion point), do the following:

  1. In Cortana, type Ease of Access mouse settings and choose the system settings item from the resulting list.
  2. Click Mouse and Pointer on the left.
  3. Scroll down to change cursor thickness and use the thumb to increase the size. Figure D shows the insertion point at its full thickness. The thickest setting can be confusing as it resembles insertion mode a bit. Reset the thickness until you find the one that’s right for you.

Figure D

Keep in mind that changing the insertion point and the cursor are Windows settings, so they impact more than Word. You will see the modifications in other applications that use them.

It’s not a silver bullet

Nothing I’ve shown you in this article will work perfectly, as you expect, every single time. As you become more familiar with each, you’ll intuitively know what will work best in any given situation. Whether you change the visual impact of the cursor and the insertion point is up to you.

Also See

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  • What to do if you’re still running Windows 7 (free PDF)
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How Do I Insert or Delete a Page Break in Word?

Have you ever wanted to format a document into different sections? If so, the page breaks in Word allow you to personalize your documents better and faster.

With Word’s many styles and themes, it can be quite hard to only stick to one thing throughout your entire document. When using page breaks, you can break your documents up into sections. This allows for more efficient formatting throughout your file.

Quick Answers on How to Insert or Delete Page Breaks

In newer versions of Word, you can find page breaks in two locations. One is by navigating to the Insert tab. From here, choose the Page Break button.

  insert or delete a page break in Word

More breaks are available if you go to the Layout tab, then click on the Breaks button. A menu with all available page breaks opens up. When you insert them, they’ll break the page wherever your blinking cursor is in your document.

For older versions of Word, such as Office 2007 or 2010, simply click on Page Break from the Insert tab. Other breaks are available in the Page Layout tab. Locate the Breaks button, similar to new Word editions.

To remove a page break, go to the Home tab and click on the icon to show section and page breaks. Find the page break in your document which you want to remove. Double click on it then press the Delete button on your keyboard.

Types of Breaks in Word

  •     Page Break
  •     Column Break
  •     Text Wrapping
  •     Next Page, Section Break, and Even/Odd Page Breaks

How to Insert a page break in Word

Newer versions of Word

  1. Open your document in Word and find the part where you want to insert a page break.
  2. Click into your document where you want the break to happen.
  3. Navigate to the Layout tab.
     how to delete page break in word
  4. Choose Breaks and pick the type of break you want to insert.
    remove page break in word
  5. Click on the break to insert it into your document.

Older versions of Word

  1. Open your document in Word and find the part where you want to insert a page break.
  2. Click into your document where you want the break to happen.
  3. Navigate to the Page Layout tab.
     how to insert a page break
  4. Click on Breaks to open a list of available page breaks.
  5. Choose your desired break and insert it into your document by clicking on it once.

How to Delete a Page Break

  1. Click on the icon in your Home tab. This will show all nonprinting characters, including page breaks.
  2. Locate the page break you want to remove then double click on it.
    locate page break
  3. Press the Delete key on your keyboard.

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When you’re working on a long document, separating it into different parts makes it much easier to navigate. Microsoft Word eases your workflow by letting you insert document breaks, namely section and page breaks.

Microsoft Word section BreakMicrosoft Word section BreakMicrosoft Word section Break

Understanding page breaks and sections breaks is an important part of learning MS Word (Image source: Envato Elements)

As you’ll see in this article by defining section and page breaks you can apply specific formatting elements in different parts of your document. You’ll also have better control over pagination. 

Read on to learn how to use section and page breaks in Word to make your document more visually appealing and easier for readers to make their way around. Finally, we’ll show you some great sources for professionally designed Word templates.

How to Add Breaks in MS Word (Quick Start Video)

Are you ready to learn how how to insert breaks in MS Word? The short video below will give you a head start on inserting, viewing, and deleting MS Word section and page breaks:

To learn even more about breaks in Word (including the difference betwen section breaks and page breaks), study the written tutorial below.

Understanding Section and Page Breaks

Section and page breaks are types of breaks or partitions in a Word document. In this section, you’ll learn some basics:

1. Microsoft Word Section Break vs Page Break

A page break is a partition in the text of the document. At a page break, the succeeding text is automatically placed on top of a new page.

Microsoft Word Page BreakMicrosoft Word Page BreakMicrosoft Word Page Break

The text after a Microsoft Word page break is automatically placed at the top of the next page.

But, with a section break for Word the text is partitioned — along with the formatting associated with it: 

  • page numbers
  • margins
  • headers and footers
  • paper size and/or orientation

Also, a Microsoft Word section break may or may not begin on a new page (more on that below).

2. Why Use Microsoft Section and Page Breaks?

Section and page breaks are useful for partitioning different parts of a document, especially a long one. 

In a book, you’d use section breaks to divide it into chapters as well as delineate the front matter from the back matter. The title page, copyright page, table of contents, individual chapters, index, etc., would be separate sections.

For example, you usually want a new chapter of a book (or similar) document to begin on a new page. This is when a page break is most useful.

A section break for MS Word is useful for visually distinguishing parts of a document. An example of where you might use a section break is in a proposal where you want the summary to have a different layout. In this case, the summary section could have its own header, footer, and margins that are different from the rest of the document. 

By using section breaks, each chapter can have a different running header, including the chapter title.

Section break WordSection break WordSection break Word

Create different running headers for each chapter by using section breaks.

Microsoft Word Section breaks also let you use lower case numbers for page numbers on the introduction of the book and Arabic numerals on the rest of the pages. 

Similarly, a section break in Microsoft Word lets you use a two-column format in the index section and a single column everywhere else.

You’ll also want to use section and page breaks when you want to control the pagination of your document. For example, the first page of your document may be a cover page. But you don’t want the cover page to be page 1 of your document. By inserting a section break after the cover page, you can make the next page be page 1.

You accomplish these results by inserting different types of section and page breaks in Word.

3. Types of Microsoft Word Section Breaks

There are four types of section breaks in MS Word:

  1. Next Page. This type of section break forces the text to the right of the cursor to a new section on the following page. All the formatting associated with the text is carried through to the new section as well.
  2. Continuous. A continuous section break creates a new section but keeps the text on the same page. This means two different sections can have their own formatting yet remain on the same page.
  3. Odd Page. This kind of section break moves the text to the right of the cursor to the top of the next odd-numbered page. If you’re on page 3, for example, and you insert an Odd Page Section Break, the next section will start on top of page 5 (page 4 will be blank). Book chapters usually begin on the next odd page of the book.
  4. Even Page. An Even Page section break moves the text to the right of the cursor to the top of the next even-numbered page. So, if you’re on page 6 and you insert an Even Page Section Break, the new section will begin on page 8 (leaving page 7 blank).

4. Types of Page Breaks

As for Microsoft Word page breaks, there are two kinds:

Microsoft Word page breakMicrosoft Word page breakMicrosoft Word page break

How to insert a page break in MS Word.
  1. Simple Page Breaks. A simple page break moves text to the right of the cursor to the top of the next page.
  2. Column Breaks. If your document is broken up into columns, a column break moves text to the right of the cursor to the top of the next column.

How to View Existing Breaks in an MS Word Doc 

By default, section and page breaks are invisible in Word. You can only see their effects. You’ll see changes in formatting and pagination for each section. That’s because these breaks don’t appear when the document is printed.

As you’re editing and formatting your document, you may need to see page and section breaks. To view existing page and section breaks in Word, on the Home tab, then click on the Paragraph button.

Display section break WordDisplay section break WordDisplay section break Word

The Paragraph button allows you to see formatting.

How to Insert Section Breaks in Your Word Docs

To insert a page or section break, place the cursor where you want one section/page to end and the next section/page to begin.

Go to Insert > Break, then choose the specific type of page break or section break you want to insert.

Insert section break - WordInsert section break - WordInsert section break - Word

The image above shows how to insert section break in Word.

Or, click on the Layout tab. Then click on the Breaks button on the ribbon and select the type of page or section break you wish to insert.

Insert section break - WordInsert section break - WordInsert section break - Word

You can also insert section breaks in Word through the Layout tab.

How to Remove/Delete Section and Page Breaks in Word

To remove a section or page break in Word, first display all the breaks.

Select the section or page break you want to remove by highlighting it. Click on either the Delete or Backspace key on your keyboard.

How to delete section break in wordHow to delete section break in wordHow to delete section break in word

How to delete section break in Word

When you delete a section break, the text in the section adopts the formatting of the next section.

Tips for Using Section and Page Breaks in MS Word

Are you just getting comfortable with using Microsoft Word section and page breaks? Here are some extra tips to help you use them effectively:

1. Keep Your Section Breaks to a Minimum

Insert a section break in Word only when you have to (see above for when it’s a good idea to do so). Having more sections than necessary makes it more difficult to make global changes to your document, because you’d have to manually make those changes in each section. 

2. Pay Attention to Which Section You’re In

If you’ve divided your document into sections, always be aware of what section you’re in when you make formatting changes. That’s because these changes will apply only to the section you’re currently in — that’s the section where your cursor is. If you want to make a formatting change to apply to the whole document, select the entire document first before making your changes.

3. Microsoft Word May Change a Continuous Section Break to the Other Section Break Types

You may be surprised that your continuous section break has been converted into a different type of section break. This happens when you’ve got a continuous section break. Then, in the next section, you try to apply a different header/footer, pagination, margins, or page size and orientation. Those formatting changes require a page break. And so, Word will automatically change the section break type to one that results in a page break.

Streamline Your Microsoft Word Workflow With Templates

Word template for proposalWord template for proposalWord template for proposal

Word templates like this proposal template help you create impressive-looking documents.

There are other ways to streamline your MS Word workflow. One of them is using premium Word templates, like the ones you’ll find at Envato. Premium templates for Microsoft Word are created by professional designers to provide impressive layouts. These templates are customizable with your content, images, and branding. You can also adjust the design and layout as you please.

Envato Elements gives you unlimited downloads of Word templates as well as other inputs you need to complete your projects — fonts, graphics, stock photos, and more — all for one flat monthly subscription fee.

Word Templates - Envato ElementsWord Templates - Envato ElementsWord Templates - Envato Elements

Starting with a Microsoft Word template is another great way to streamline your workflow in Word.

Or, go to GraphicRiver for Microsoft Word templates and other creative elements on a pay-per-use basis. It’s a terrific source for one-off projects.

Make Your Document Easier to Read and Navigate

Now you know how to use section and page breaks in Microsoft Word to better organize your document. Section breaks also let you have more granular control over the formatting of specific parts of your document. These make your document look better as well as easier to read and navigate through.

Use the steps you learned in this article to properly use section and page breaks. Also, use Word templates to make it much easier and faster to create impressive documents. Envato Elements provides unlimited downloads of templates for Word for one monthly subscription. For occasional projects, GraphicRiver is an excellent source of Word templates where you pay for each use.

Editorial Note: This tutorial has been updated to add a video by Andrew Childress.

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