100+ MS Word Shortcuts to Make Work Easier

Microsoft Word is one of the most widely used word-processing software worldwide. Whether you're a student, a professional, or someone who frequently deals with documents, knowing the right keyboard shortcuts can save you a lot of time and effort. Instead of navigating through multiple menus, you can perform various functions quickly using keyboard shortcuts. In this guide, we’ll explore over 100 MS Word shortcuts categorized for ease of use.

Basic MS Word Shortcuts

These shortcuts help with fundamental actions like opening, saving, and printing documents.

• Ctrl + N – Create a new document

• Ctrl + O – Open an existing document

• Ctrl + S – Save the document

• F12 – Open 'Save As' dialog box

• Ctrl + P – Print the document

• Ctrl + W – Close the document

• Alt + F4 – Close MS Word

Text Editing Shortcuts

Editing text is a major part of using MS Word. These shortcuts will help you quickly modify text without using the mouse.

• Ctrl + C – Copy text

• Ctrl + X – Cut text

• Ctrl + V – Paste text

• Ctrl + Z – Undo the last action

• Ctrl + Y – Redo the last action

• Ctrl + A – Select the entire document

• Ctrl + F – Find a word or phrase in the document

• Ctrl + H – Replace a word or phrase

• Ctrl + E – Center text

• Ctrl + L – Align text to the left

• Ctrl + R – Align text to the right

• Ctrl + J – Justify text

Formatting Shortcuts

Formatting is crucial to making a document readable and visually appealing. These shortcuts speed up the formatting process.

• Ctrl + B – Bold text

• Ctrl + I – Italicize text

• Ctrl + U – Underline text

• Ctrl + Shift + W – Underline words but not spaces

• Ctrl + Shift + D – Double underline text

• Ctrl + Shift + K – Convert text to small caps

• Ctrl + Shift + A – Convert text to all caps

• Ctrl + Shift + C – Copy formatting

• Ctrl + Shift + V – Paste formatting

• Ctrl + Spacebar – Remove formatting

Paragraph Formatting Shortcuts

Paragraph formatting is essential for making documents more structured and presentable.

• Ctrl + M – Indent paragraph

• Ctrl + Shift + M – Remove paragraph indent

• Ctrl + T – Create a hanging indent

• Ctrl + Shift + T – Reduce hanging indent

• Ctrl + 1 – Single line spacing

• Ctrl + 2 – Double line spacing

• Ctrl + 5 – 1.5-line spacing

• Ctrl + Shift + L – Apply bullet points

• Ctrl + Shift + N – Apply normal text style

Navigation Shortcuts

Navigating through a long document using a mouse can be time-consuming. These shortcuts help you move around quickly.

• Ctrl + Left Arrow – Move cursor one word left

• Ctrl + Right Arrow – Move cursor one word right

• Ctrl + Up Arrow – Move cursor one paragraph up

• Ctrl + Down Arrow – Move cursor one paragraph down

• Ctrl + Home – Move to the beginning of the document

• Ctrl + End – Move to the end of the document

• Page Up – Move one screen up

• Page Down – Move one screen down

• Alt + Ctrl + Page Up – Move to the top of the visible window

• Alt + Ctrl + Page Down – Move to the bottom of the visible window

Paragraph Formatting Shortcuts

Paragraph formatting is essential for making documents more structured and presentable.

• Ctrl + M – Indent paragraph

• Ctrl + Shift + M – Remove paragraph indent

• Ctrl + T – Create a hanging indent

• Ctrl + Shift + T – Reduce hanging indent

• Ctrl + 1 – Single line spacing

• Ctrl + 2 – Double line spacing

• Ctrl + 5 – 1.5-line spacing

• Ctrl + Shift + L – Apply bullet points

• Ctrl + Shift + N – Apply normal text style

Navigation Shortcuts

Navigating through a long document using a mouse can be time-consuming. These shortcuts help you move around quickly.

• Ctrl + Left Arrow – Move cursor one word left

• Ctrl + Right Arrow – Move cursor one word right

• Ctrl + Up Arrow – Move cursor one paragraph up

• Ctrl + Down Arrow – Move cursor one paragraph down

• Ctrl + Home – Move to the beginning of the document

• Ctrl + End – Move to the end of the document

• Page Up – Move one screen up

• Page Down – Move one screen down

• Alt + Ctrl + Page Up – Move to the top of the visible window

• Alt + Ctrl + Page Down – Move to the bottom of the visible window

Table Shortcuts

MS Word allows you to work with tables, and these shortcuts make table management much easier.

• Tab – Move to the next cell

• Shift + Tab – Move to the previous cell

• Alt + Shift + Up Arrow – Move a row up

• Alt + Shift + Down Arrow – Move a row down

• Ctrl + Shift + + – Insert a new row

• Ctrl + - – Delete a row

• Ctrl + A (in a table) – Select the entire table

Header, Footer, and Page Shortcuts

Managing headers, footers, and pages is easier with these shortcuts.

• Alt + Ctrl + P – Switch to Print Layout view

• Alt + Ctrl + O – Switch to Outline view

• Alt + Ctrl + N – Switch to Draft view

• Ctrl + Enter – Insert a page break

• Ctrl + Shift + Enter – Insert a column break

• Alt + Shift + P – Insert page number

• Ctrl + Alt + H – Insert a hyperlink

Review and Proofreading Shortcuts

Checking spelling, grammar, and comments is easier with these shortcuts.

• F7 – Open spelling and grammar check

• Shift + F7 – Open thesaurus

• Ctrl + Shift + E – Toggle track changes on/off

• Ctrl + Alt + M – Insert a comment

• Ctrl + ] – Increase font size

• Ctrl + [ – Decrease font size