Word keyboard shortcuts
Word shortcuts pay off most in long documents: applying heading styles from the keyboard keeps the navigation pane and table of contents correct, and copying formatting with Ctrl+Shift+C/V saves repeated trips to the font menu.
Most-used Word shortcuts
- New documentCtrlN
- SaveCtrlS
- BoldCtrlB
- ItalicCtrlI
- Center alignCtrlE
- Left alignCtrlL
- Select word to the left or rightCtrlShift←
- Go to start of documentCtrlHome
Practise Word shortcuts
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Word shortcut cheat sheet
30 shortcutsTap an action to copy its keys
Basics
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| New document | CtrlN | ⌘cmdN |
| Save | CtrlS | ⌘cmdS |
| Save As | F12 | ⌘cmd⇧shiftS |
| Find | CtrlF | ⌘cmdF |
| Replace | CtrlH | ⌃controlH |
| Undo | CtrlZ | ⌘cmdZ |
| Redo | CtrlY | ⌘cmdY |
| Insert hyperlink | CtrlK | ⌘cmdK |
| Insert page break | CtrlEnter | ⌘cmd↩return |
Format
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Bold | CtrlB | ⌘cmdB |
| Italic | CtrlI | ⌘cmdI |
| Underline | CtrlU | ⌘cmdU |
| Increase font size | CtrlShift. | ⌘cmd⇧shift. |
| Decrease font size | CtrlShift, | ⌘cmd⇧shift, |
| Change case | ShiftF3 | ⇧shiftF3 |
| Subscript | Ctrl= | ⌘cmd= |
| Superscript | CtrlShift= | ⌘cmd⇧shift= |
| Clear character formatting | CtrlSpace | ⌃controlSpace |
| Copy formatting | CtrlShiftC | ⌘cmd⇧shiftC |
| Paste formatting | CtrlShiftV | ⌘cmd⇧shiftV |
Paragraph
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Center align | CtrlE | ⌘cmdE |
| Left align | CtrlL | ⌘cmdL |
| Justify | CtrlJ | ⌘cmdJ |
| Heading 1 style | CtrlAlt1 | ⌘cmd⌥option1 |
| Heading 2 style | CtrlAlt2 | ⌘cmd⌥option2 |
| Normal style | CtrlShiftN | ⌘cmd⇧shiftN |
| Bulleted list | CtrlShiftL | ⌘cmd⇧shiftL |
Navigate
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Select word to the left or right | CtrlShift← | ⌥option⇧shift← |
| Go to start of document | CtrlHome | ⌘cmdHome |
| Word count | CtrlShiftG | ⌘cmd⇧shiftG |
Source: Microsoft Support: Keyboard shortcuts in Word. Defaults for the current version as documented by Microsoft; custom keymaps and non-US keyboard layouts can differ.
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Quick answers
Word shortcut questions
What is the strikethrough shortcut in Word?
Word for Windows has no default single shortcut; press Ctrl+D to open the Font dialog and tick Strikethrough (Alt+K), or add a custom shortcut. Word for Mac uses Cmd+Shift+X.
How do I insert a page break?
Ctrl+Enter on Windows, Cmd+Return on a Mac.
Also practise: Windows · Mac · Excel · PowerPoint · Outlook