ComboShelf

Microsoft Report Builder keyboard shortcuts

Report Builder moves and sizes report items with the arrow keys, and inserts tables, charts and maps with a run of ribbon letters starting at Alt+I. Microsoft's list covers both Microsoft Report Builder, for Reporting Services and Power BI Report Server, and Power BI Report Builder, for paginated reports in the Power BI service. The last group is Report Designer inside Visual Studio, whose keys for sizing an item differ; all three run on Windows only.

72 shortcutsWindowsChecked 27 September 2026

Checked against Microsoft Learn — Keyboard shortcuts for accessibility in paginated reports in Report Builder and Microsoft Learn — Reporting Services in SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT). Version: Microsoft Report Builder and Power BI Report Builder, current releases; Report Designer in Visual Studio (SSDT).

72 shortcuts

The top 16 are the Report Builder shortcuts this page marks as the ones to learn first, in the order they appear here. The drill asks the marked ones first too, shuffled. Or tick your own and print those.

The 16 to learn first: the shortcuts the Report Builder page marks as the ones to learn first, in the order they appear on it.

Your own sheet: the Report Builder shortcuts you ticked.

Getting around Report Builder

Practise these
Run the report # Alt+H is the ribbon's Home tab, so the second form goes through the ribbon.F5orAlt plusHthenR
Go back to design mode #F8
Move between the areas of the window # The ribbon, the design surface, the Grouping pane, the Properties pane and the Report Data pane.F6orShift plusF6
Move to the ribbon #Alt plus
Move to the ribbon's Home tab #Alt plusH
Move to the ribbon's Insert tab #Alt plusI
Move to the ribbon's View tab #Alt plusV
Move between the ribbon's tabs #Right arroworLeft arrow
Move within an area # Within a ribbon tab, for example.TaborShift plusTab
Move through a dropdown list #Up arroworDown arroworLeft arroworRight arrow
Tick or clear a checkbox on the View tab #Space bar
Open the Report Builder menu #Alt plusF
Create a report #Control plusN
Open a report #Control plusO
Save the report #Control plusSorAlt plusS
Open help # Opens the Report Builder Help file.F1

The design surface

Report items are selected, moved and sized from the keyboard alone.

Select items on the design surface # In Report Designer, Tab moves the focus to the next report item.TaborShift plusTab
Move the selected item # Report Designer in Visual Studio uses the same keys.Up arroworDown arroworLeft arroworRight arrow
Move the selected item in small steps # Microsoft's table reads CtrlL here, a slip for Ctrl.Control plusUp arroworControl plusDown arroworControl plusLeft arroworControl plusRight arrow
Resize the selected item # In Report Designer in Visual Studio it is Ctrl+Shift and an arrow instead.Shift plusUp arroworShift plusDown arroworShift plusLeft arroworShift plusRight arrow
Resize the selected item in small steps #Control plusShift plusUp arroworControl plusShift plusDown arroworControl plusShift plusLeft arroworControl plusShift plusRight arrow
Align the edges of the selected items # Select several items first.Alt plusHthenA
Take hold of a division line between areas # Such as the line between the Grouping pane and the design surface.Tab
Move the division line # Up and Down move the line between the Grouping pane and the design surface; Left and Right the line between the Report Data pane and the design surface.Up arroworDown arroworLeft arroworRight arrow

Editing and formatting

Practise these
Copy # The Alt+H forms here go through the ribbon's Home tab.Control plusCorAlt plusHthenC
Cut #Control plusXorAlt plusHthenX
Paste #Control plusVorAlt plusHthenV
Select all #Control plusA
Undo #Control plusZorAlt plusZ
Redo #Control plusYorAlt plusY
Zoom in #Control plusPlus
Zoom out #Control plusMinus
Merge table cells # Through the ribbon's Home tab, like the other Alt+H keys.Alt plusHthenM
Split a table cell #Alt plusHthenU
Open the font, font size or border size list # On the Home tab: the font family, font size and border point size lists.Alt plusDown arrow
Open the font colour list # On the Home tab.Down arrow

Inserting report items

Microsoft writes these as Alt + I + a letter: Alt+I is the ribbon's Insert tab, and the last letter picks the item.

Insert a table #Alt plusIthenA
Insert a matrix #Alt plusIthenM
Insert a list #Alt plusIthenL
Insert a chart #Alt plusIthenC
Insert a gauge #Alt plusIthenG
Insert a map # P, not M: M is the matrix.Alt plusIthenP
Insert a data bar #Alt plusIthenD
Insert a sparkline #Alt plusIthenK
Insert an indicator #Alt plusIthenU
Insert a text box #Alt plusIthenT
Insert an image #Alt plusIthenI
Insert a line #Alt plusIthenN
Insert a rectangle #Alt plusIthenE
Insert a subreport #Alt plusIthenS
Insert a report header #Alt plusIthenH

Maps

With a map viewport selected.

Pan the map #Control plusUp arroworControl plusDown arroworControl plusLeft arroworControl plusRight arrow
Zoom in on the map # The same keys as zooming the report itself.Control plusPlus
Zoom out on the map #Control plusMinus
Turn on accelerator mode for panning and zooming # Microsoft writes it as Ctrl + Left select.Control plusclick

Report Designer in Visual Studio

Report Designer is the authoring environment in SQL Server Data Tools, inside Visual Studio. Some of its keys differ from Report Builder's.

Practise these
Show the Report Data window #Control plusAlt plusD
Show the Properties window #F4
Build the selected project #Control plusShift plusB
Start debugging # In Report Builder, F5 runs the report.F5
Move to the next open window # In Report Builder, F6 moves between the areas of its window.F6
Move the focus to the next report item #Tab
Move the selected report item #Up arroworDown arroworLeft arroworRight arrow
Nudge the selected report item # The same keys as Report Builder's small steps.Control plusUp arroworControl plusDown arroworControl plusLeft arroworControl plusRight arrow
Make the selected report item bigger or smaller # Report Builder uses Shift and an arrow for this, and Ctrl+Shift for small steps.Control plusShift plusUp arroworControl plusShift plusDown arroworControl plusShift plusLeft arroworControl plusShift plusRight arrow
Open the selected report item's shortcut menu #Shift plusF10
Go to the start of the visible text in a text box #Control plusHome
Go to the end of the visible text in a text box #Control plusEnd
Select to the start of the visible text in a text box #Shift plusHome
Select to the end of the visible text in a text box #Shift plusEnd
Select to the start of the expression in a text box # Shift+Home stops at the start of the visible text instead.Control plusShift plusHome
Select to the end of the expression in a text box #Control plusShift plusEnd

Next

Power BI

Power BI Desktop runs on Windows only, and its keys reach past the report canvas into visuals, table cells, the model diagram and the DAX formula bar.

133 shortcuts · Windows

SSMS

SQL Server Management Studio takes most of its editing keys from Visual Studio, then adds its own for running queries, execution plans and the results pane.

155 shortcuts · Windows

Excel

Excel rewards the keyboard more than any other program on this site: the difference between a competent user and a fast one is almost entirely in this list.

116 shortcuts · Windows and Mac

Visual Studio

Visual Studio, Microsoft's full IDE for Windows, leans on two-step chords: press Ctrl+K, then Ctrl+C, to comment out a selection.

129 shortcuts · Windows

Microsoft Report Builder keyboard shortcuts — comboshelf.com. Checked 27 September 2026 against Microsoft Learn — Keyboard shortcuts for accessibility in paginated reports in Report Builder.