What are the most useful Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts?

The most essential Microsoft Word shortcuts are: Ctrl + N (New Document), Ctrl + O (Open), Ctrl + S (Save). These cover the most frequent actions and can significantly speed up your workflow.

What is the Microsoft Word shortcut for new document?

The Microsoft Word shortcut for new document is Ctrl + N on Windows or Cmd + N on Mac. Create a new blank document

What is the Microsoft Word shortcut for copy?

The Microsoft Word shortcut for copy is Ctrl + C on Windows or Cmd + C on Mac. Copy selected text to clipboard

What is the Microsoft Word shortcut for bold?

The Microsoft Word shortcut for bold is Ctrl + B on Windows or Cmd + B on Mac. Apply or remove bold formatting

How do I use keyboard shortcuts in Microsoft Word?

To use keyboard shortcuts in Microsoft Word, press the key combination while the application is focused. On Mac, replace Ctrl with Cmd and Alt with Option for most shortcuts.

How many keyboard shortcuts does Microsoft Word have?

Microsoft Word has 93 keyboard shortcuts across 9 categories. These cover all major features and workflows.

All Shortcuts

Microsoft Word Shortcuts & Commands — Complete Cheat Sheet (89)

Complete Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts for editing, formatting, navigation, and document management. Speed up your document workflow with these essential shortcuts.

About Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word is a popular productivity application used by professionals worldwide. Learning keyboard shortcuts can dramatically speed up your workflow — studies show shortcut users save an average of 8 days per year compared to mouse-only users.

This page covers all 93 Microsoft Word shortcuts across 9 categories: File & Document, Text Editing, Text Formatting, Paragraph & Alignment, Styles & Headings, Navigation & Selection, Tables, Review & Track Changes, View & Window. Each shortcut includes a description to help you understand when and how to use it effectively.

💡 Pro Tips for Microsoft Word Users

Start with the essentials: Learn Ctrl + N (New Document) and Ctrl + O (Open) first — these are the most commonly used.

Practice daily: Pick 2–3 new shortcuts each day and consciously use them instead of the mouse. Within a week, they become muscle memory.

Print this cheat sheet: Keep a reference nearby until shortcuts become automatic. Focus on the File & Document category first.

Productivity tip: Navigation and formatting shortcuts give the biggest time savings. Start with the shortcuts you'd use in every session.

Related Shortcut Pages

Excel PowerPoint Google Docs Gmail Jira Google Slides

Search all Microsoft Word shortcuts interactively

Interactive Shortcut Finder

All Microsoft Word Shortcuts

File & Document

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Ctrl` + `N`	New Document	Create a new blank document
`Ctrl` + `O`	Open	Open an existing document
`Ctrl` + `S`	Save	Save the current document
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `S`	Save As	Save document with a new name or format
`Ctrl` + `P`	Print	Open the print dialog
`Ctrl` + `W`	Close	Close the current document
`Ctrl` + `Z`	Undo	Undo the last action
`Ctrl` + `Y`	Redo	Redo the last undone action
`F12`	Save As Dialog	Open Save As dialog directly
`Ctrl` + `F4`	Close Window	Close the document window

Text Editing

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Ctrl` + `C`	Copy	Copy selected text to clipboard
`Ctrl` + `X`	Cut	Cut selected text to clipboard
`Ctrl` + `V`	Paste	Paste from clipboard
`Ctrl` + `A`	Select All	Select all content in the document
`Ctrl` + `F`	Find	Open Find dialog to search text
`Ctrl` + `H`	Find & Replace	Find and replace text in the document
`Ctrl` + `G`	Go To	Go to a specific page, line, or bookmark
`Delete`	Delete Character	Delete character to the right of cursor
`Backspace`	Delete Previous	Delete character to the left of cursor
`Ctrl` + `Delete`	Delete Word Right	Delete the word to the right of cursor
`Ctrl` + `Backspace`	Delete Word Left	Delete the word to the left of cursor
`Ctrl` + `D`	Font Dialog	Open Font dialog for detailed formatting

Text Formatting

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Ctrl` + `B`	Bold	Apply or remove bold formatting
`Ctrl` + `I`	Italic	Apply or remove italic formatting
`Ctrl` + `U`	Underline	Apply or remove underline formatting
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `W`	Word Underline	Underline words but not spaces
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `D`	Double Underline	Apply double underline formatting
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `K`	Small Caps	Format text as small capitals
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `A`	All Caps	Change text to all capitals
`Ctrl` + `=`	Subscript	Apply subscript formatting
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `=`	Superscript	Apply superscript formatting
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `C`	Copy Formatting	Copy formatting from selected text
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `V`	Paste Formatting	Apply copied formatting to selected text
`Ctrl` + `Space`	Clear Formatting	Remove all manual character formatting

Paragraph & Alignment

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Ctrl` + `E`	Center Align	Center-align the selected paragraph
`Ctrl` + `L`	Left Align	Left-align the selected paragraph
`Ctrl` + `R`	Right Align	Right-align the selected paragraph
`Ctrl` + `J`	Justify	Justify-align the selected paragraph
`Ctrl` + `1`	Single Spacing	Set line spacing to single
`Ctrl` + `2`	Double Spacing	Set line spacing to double
`Ctrl` + `5`	1.5 Line Spacing	Set line spacing to 1.5 lines
`Ctrl` + `0`	Add/Remove Space Before	Add or remove space before paragraph
`Ctrl` + `M`	Indent	Indent paragraph from the left
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `M`	Remove Indent	Remove paragraph indent from the left
`Ctrl` + `T`	Hanging Indent	Create a hanging indent
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `T`	Remove Hanging Indent	Remove a hanging indent
`Ctrl` + `Q`	Remove Paragraph Formatting	Remove manual paragraph formatting

Styles & Headings

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `1`	Heading 1	Apply Heading 1 style
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `2`	Heading 2	Apply Heading 2 style
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `3`	Heading 3	Apply Heading 3 style
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `N`	Normal Style	Apply Normal paragraph style
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `L`	List Bullet	Apply List Bullet style
`Alt` + `Ctrl` + `K`	AutoFormat	Start AutoFormat
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `S`	Apply Style	Open Apply Styles task pane

Navigation & Selection

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Ctrl` + `Home`	Go to Beginning	Move cursor to beginning of document
`Ctrl` + `End`	Go to End	Move cursor to end of document
`Ctrl` + `Left`	Previous Word	Move cursor one word to the left
`Ctrl` + `Right`	Next Word	Move cursor one word to the right
`Ctrl` + `Up`	Previous Paragraph	Move cursor to previous paragraph
`Ctrl` + `Down`	Next Paragraph	Move cursor to next paragraph
`Shift` + `Arrow`	Extend Selection	Extend selection character by character
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Arrow`	Select Word	Extend selection word by word
`Shift` + `Home`	Select to Line Start	Select from cursor to beginning of line
`Shift` + `End`	Select to Line End	Select from cursor to end of line
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Home`	Select to Start	Select from cursor to document start
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `End`	Select to End	Select from cursor to document end
`Page Up`	Page Up	Move one screen up
`Page Down`	Page Down	Move one screen down

Tables

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Tab`	Next Cell	Move to the next cell in a table
`Shift` + `Tab`	Previous Cell	Move to the previous cell in a table
`Alt` + `Home`	First Cell in Row	Move to the first cell in the current row
`Alt` + `End`	Last Cell in Row	Move to the last cell in the current row
`Alt` + `Page Up`	First Row	Move to the first row in the column
`Alt` + `Page Down`	Last Row	Move to the last row in the column
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Enter`	Split Table	Split the table at the cursor position

Review & Track Changes

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `E`	Track Changes	Turn Track Changes on or off
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `;`	Insert Comment	Insert a comment at the cursor
`Alt` + `Shift` + `C`	Close Comment Pane	Close the Reviewing Pane
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `*`	Show/Hide Marks	Show or hide paragraph marks and formatting
`F7`	Spell Check	Open spell check and grammar check
`Shift` + `F7`	Thesaurus	Open the Thesaurus
`Alt` + `F7`	Find Spelling Error	Find the next spelling or grammar error

View & Window

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Ctrl` + `F2`	Print Preview	Switch to Print Preview mode
`Alt` + `Ctrl` + `P`	Print Layout	Switch to Print Layout view
`Alt` + `Ctrl` + `O`	Outline View	Switch to Outline view
`Alt` + `Ctrl` + `N`	Draft View	Switch to Draft view
`Ctrl` + `F1`	Ribbon Toggle	Show or hide the Ribbon
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `F6`	Previous Window	Switch to the previous document window
`Ctrl` + `F10`	Maximize Window	Maximize the document window

Pro Tips

Press Ctrl+B, I, U for Bold, Italic, Underline without menus
Use Ctrl+Enter for page breaks instead of pressing Enter multiple times
Ctrl+Home/End jumps to the very beginning or end of the document
Use F7 for spell check on the entire document

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the shortcut for bold in Word?

Press Ctrl+B (Windows) or Cmd+B (Mac) to bold selected text.

How do I insert a page break in Word?

Press Ctrl+Enter to insert a page break at the cursor position.

What is the shortcut to select all text in Word?

Press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Cmd+A (Mac) to select all content in the document.

How do I quickly change font size in Word?

Press Ctrl+Shift+> to increase or Ctrl+Shift+< to decrease font size by one step.

Browse shortcuts for 248 platforms

Explore All