Word keyboard shortcuts
Most of Word's shortcuts are decades old, but Microsoft has moved a few, and this page follows its current list, except where a row's note says otherwise. The formatting group is where the time goes: almost everything people do with the mouse on the Home tab has a key behind it.
Checked against Microsoft — Keyboard shortcuts in Word, Microsoft — New Zoom shortcuts in Word, Microsoft — Paste Text Only shortcut in Word and Microsoft — Common Office for Mac keyboard shortcuts. Version: Microsoft 365, desktop, Windows and Mac. Where Microsoft moved a key in 2023 or 2024, the note gives the older one, which Word 2021 and earlier may still use.
Showing the Windows keyboard. Showing the Mac keyboard.
86 shortcuts
The top 20 are the Word 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 20 to learn first: the shortcuts the Word page marks as the ones to learn first, in the order they appear on it.
Your own sheet: the Word shortcuts you ticked.
The ones that save the most time
Practise thesePaste without bringing the formatting along # The reason most documents end up with four fonts in them. Microsoft added it in 2023; before that, Ctrl+Shift+V pasted formatting. On a Mac, Cmd+Ctrl+V opens the Paste Special dialogue instead.WinControl plusShift plusVMacShift plusCommand plusV
Strip the character formatting from the selection # Paragraph formatting stays. Ctrl+Q clears that on Windows.WinControl plusSpace barMacControl plusSpace bar
Repeat the last thing you did # On a Mac, F4 pastes rather than repeating.WinF4orControl plusYMacCommand plusY
Copy the formatting of the selection # Ctrl+Shift+C until Microsoft moved it in 2023.WinControl plusAlt plusCMacOption plusCommand plusC
Paste that formatting onto something else # Ctrl+Shift+V until 2023, when that key became paste as plain text.WinControl plusAlt plusVMacOption plusCommand plusV
Count the words #WinControl plusShift plusGMacShift plusCommand plusG
Go back to where you last edited # On Windows, straight after you reopen a file, it goes to where you were editing when you closed it, and Ctrl+Alt+Z steps through the places of the last four changes.WinShift plusF5MacFunction key plusShift plusF5
Formatting text
Practise theseBold #WinControl plusBMacCommand plusB
Italic #WinControl plusIMacCommand plusI
Underline #WinControl plusUMacCommand plusU
Underline the words but not the spaces #WinControl plusShift plusWMacShift plusCommand plusW
Double underline #WinControl plusShift plusDMacShift plusCommand plusD
Small capitals #WinControl plusShift plusKMacShift plusCommand plusK
All capitals #WinControl plusShift plusAMacShift plusCommand plusA
Cycle the case of the selection # Between upper case, lower case and title case.WinShift plusF3MacFunction key plusShift plusF3
Subscript # Ctrl+= until 2023, when Microsoft gave that key to zoom in.WinControl plusShift plusMinusMacShift plusCommand plusMinus
Superscript #WinControl plusShift plusPlusMacShift plusCommand plusPlus
Grow the font # Ctrl+] and Ctrl+[ change the size one point at a time, Cmd+] and Cmd+[ on a Mac.WinControl plusShift plus>MacShift plusCommand plus>
Shrink the font #WinControl plusShift plus<MacShift plusCommand plus<
Open the font dialogue # Ctrl+Shift+F opens it too on Windows.WinControl plusDMacCommand plusD
Paragraphs and styles
Practise theseAlign left #WinControl plusLMacCommand plusL
Centre #WinControl plusEMacCommand plusE
Align right #WinControl plusRMacCommand plusR
Justify #WinControl plusJMacCommand plusJ
Indent the paragraph # On a Mac this one takes Control, not Command.WinControl plusMMacControl plusShift plusM
Remove the indent #WinControl plusShift plusMMacShift plusCommand plusM
Hanging indent #WinControl plusTMacCommand plusT
Remove the hanging indent #WinControl plusShift plusTMacShift plusCommand plusT
Single line spacing #WinControl plus1MacCommand plus1
Double line spacing #WinControl plus2MacCommand plus2
One and a half lines #WinControl plus5MacCommand plus5
Go back to 100% zoom # Microsoft gave Ctrl+0 to zoom in 2023. Before that it added or removed the space before a paragraph.WinControl plus0MacCommand plus0
Apply Heading 1 #WinControl plusAlt plus1MacOption plusCommand plus1
Apply Heading 2 #WinControl plusAlt plus2MacOption plusCommand plus2
Apply Heading 3 #WinControl plusAlt plus3MacOption plusCommand plus3
Apply the Normal style #WinControl plusShift plusNMacShift plusCommand plusN
Open the apply styles box # Windows only. On a Mac, Cmd+Shift+S is Save As.WinControl plusShift plusSMacNo shortcut
Open the styles pane #WinControl plusAlt plusShift plusSMacOption plusShift plusCommand plusS
Selecting
Practise theseSelect the whole document #WinControl plusAMacCommand plusA
Extend the selection one word #WinControl plusShift plusLeft arroworControl plusShift plusRight arrowMacOption plusShift plusLeft arroworOption plusShift plusRight arrow
Select to the end of the line #WinShift plusEndMacShift plusCommand plusRight arrow
Select to the start of the line #WinShift plusHomeMacShift plusCommand plusLeft arrow
Select to the end of the paragraph #WinControl plusShift plusDown arrowMacShift plusCommand plusDown arrow
Select to the end of the document #WinControl plusShift plusEndMacShift plusCommand plusEnd
Select a rectangle of text # Word's column select. Esc to leave it.WinControl plusShift plusF8thenarrow keysMacFunction key plusShift plusCommand plusF8thenarrow keys
Turn extend-selection mode on # Press again to widen from word to sentence, paragraph, section and document. Shift+F8 narrows it again. On a Mac, Microsoft marks both as clashing with a macOS shortcut, which may have to be changed in the Mac's keyboard settings first.WinF8MacFunction key plusF8
Inserting things
Practise theseInsert a page break #WinControl plusEnterMacCommand plusReturn
Insert a line break inside the paragraph #WinShift plusEnterMacShift plusReturn
Insert a column break #WinControl plusShift plusEnterMacShift plusCommand plusReturn
Insert a hyperlink #WinControl plusKMacCommand plusK
Insert a footnote #WinControl plusAlt plusFMacOption plusCommand plusF
Insert an endnote #WinControl plusAlt plusDMacOption plusCommand plusE
Insert a comment #WinControl plusAlt plusMMacOption plusCommand plusA
Insert a non-breaking space #WinControl plusShift plusSpace barMacOption plusSpace bar
Insert a non-breaking hyphen # Ctrl+Shift+Minus until 2023, when that key became subscript; Microsoft gave the hyphen this key in 2024. On a Mac, Microsoft also gives Opt+Shift+Minus for an em dash, so which of the two it types needs checking in Word.WinAlt plusShift plusMinusMacOption plusShift plusMinus
Insert an em dash # The minus on the numeric keypad. Ctrl and that minus alone give an en dash. Microsoft's Word list gives no em dash key on a Mac; its post on the 2023 changes gives Opt+Shift+Minus, the key the list gives for a non-breaking hyphen, so that needs checking in Word.WinControl plusAlt plusMinusMacNo shortcut
Insert the date # As a DATE field. Alt+Shift+T inserts the time, Ctrl+Shift+T on a Mac.WinAlt plusShift plusDMacControl plusShift plusD
Insert a field # F9 updates the selected field. Shift+F9 switches between its code and its result.WinControl plusF9MacFunction key plusCommand plusF9
Reviewing and tracked changes
Practise theseTurn track changes on or off #WinControl plusShift plusEMacShift plusCommand plusE
Insert a comment #WinControl plusAlt plusMMacOption plusCommand plusA
Check spelling # On a Mac, Cmd+Opt+L does the same without a function key.WinF7MacFunction key plusF7
Open the thesaurus #WinShift plusF7MacFunction key plusShift plusF7
Go to the next spelling or grammar mistake # On a Mac, Check spelling as you type has to be on.WinAlt plusF7MacFunction key plusOption plusF7
Files, views and the ribbon
Practise theseNew document #WinControl plusNMacCommand plusN
Open #WinControl plusOMacCommand plusO
Save #WinControl plusSMacCommand plusS
Save as #WinF12MacShift plusCommand plusS
Print #WinControl plusPMacCommand plusP
Print preview # Ctrl+F2 also works on Windows.WinControl plusAlt plusIMacOption plusCommand plusI
Close the document # Microsoft's Word for Mac list gives Cmd+F4; its list of shortcuts common to Office on a Mac gives Cmd+W to close a file. On Windows, Ctrl+F4 also closes the document and Alt+F4 closes Word.WinControl plusWMacCommand plusW
Show the key tips over the ribbon # F10 does the same.WinAlt plusMacNo shortcut
Open the Tell Me box # Called Search in some versions. Windows only: on a Mac, Cmd+Opt+R expands or minimises the ribbon.WinAlt plusQMacNo shortcut
Show or hide formatting marks # The 8 on the main keyboard, not the numeric keypad.WinControl plusShift plus8MacCommand plus8
Switch to reading view # Esc leaves it.WinAlt plusthenWthenFMacNo shortcut
Switch to outline view # Ctrl+Alt+O does the same.WinAlt plusthenWthenUMacNo shortcut
Split the window # Press it again, or Alt+Shift+C, to remove the split.WinControl plusAlt plusSMacOption plusCommand plusS
Next
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.
Docs
In Google Docs the key worth learning first is Alt+/, or Option+/ on a Mac, which finds any menu command when you type its name.
Sheets
Sheets deliberately borrows most of Excel's keys, so almost everything you already know still works.
Windows
These are the system shortcuts: they work on the desktop and inside almost any app, because Windows handles them before the app ever sees the key press.
Word keyboard shortcuts — comboshelf.com. Checked 25 September 2026 against Microsoft — Keyboard shortcuts in Word.