Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts

Q: How do I turn on Track Changes with the keyboard?

Press Ctrl+Shift+E on Windows or Cmd+Shift+E on Mac to toggle Track Changes on or off for the document.

Q: How do I insert a page break in Word?

Press Ctrl+Enter on Windows or Cmd+Enter on Mac to start a new page at the cursor. Use Shift+Enter for a soft line break instead.

Q: How do I apply heading styles quickly in Word?

Press Ctrl+Alt+1, 2, or 3 on Windows (Cmd+Option+1, 2, or 3 on Mac) for Heading 1 through 3, and Ctrl+Shift+N (Cmd+Shift+N) to return to the Normal style.

Q: What is the shortcut to change text case in Word?

Select the text and press Shift+F3. Each press cycles between lowercase, UPPERCASE, and Capitalize Each Word.

Q: How do I copy formatting from one place to another without the Format Painter?

Select the formatted text and press Ctrl+Shift+C (Cmd+Shift+C on Mac), then select the target text and press Ctrl+Shift+V (Cmd+Shift+V) to apply it.

Microsoft Word is the standard word processor for business documents, reports, and long-form writing. Because most of your time in Word is spent with hands on the keyboard already, its shortcuts pay off immediately: formatting, styles, navigation, and review actions all have direct keys. This reference covers the defaults for Windows and Mac. This cheat sheet covers 76 default shortcuts for Windows and Mac.

Files and General

New document	`Ctrl`+`NCmd`+`N`
Open document	`Ctrl`+`OCmd`+`O`
Save	`Ctrl`+`SCmd`+`S`
Save As	`F12Cmd`+`Shift`+`S`
Print	`Ctrl`+`PCmd`+`P`
Close document	`Ctrl`+`WCmd`+`W`
Undo	`Ctrl`+`ZCmd`+`Z`
Redo	`Ctrl`+`YCmd`+`Y`
Repeat last action	`F4Cmd`+`Y`
Find	`Ctrl`+`FCmd`+`F`
Find and replace	`Ctrl`+`HCmd`+`Shift`+`H`
Go To page, section, or line	`Ctrl`+`GCmd`+`Option`+`G`
Spelling and grammar check	`F7F7`
Thesaurus	`Shift`+`F7Shift`+`F7`
Open Help	`F1F1`

Text Formatting

Bold	`Ctrl`+`BCmd`+`B`
Italic	`Ctrl`+`ICmd`+`I`
Underline	`Ctrl`+`UCmd`+`U`
Underline words only	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`WCmd`+`Shift`+`W`
Double underline	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`DCmd`+`Shift`+`D`
All caps	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`ACmd`+`Shift`+`A`
Small caps	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`KCmd`+`Shift`+`K`
Subscript	`Ctrl`+`=Cmd`+`=`
Superscript	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`=Cmd`+`Shift`+`=`
Cycle case of selected text	`Shift`+`F3Shift`+`F3`
Increase font size	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`>Cmd`+`Shift`+`>`
Decrease font size	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`<Cmd`+`Shift`+`<`
Increase font size by 1 point	`Ctrl`+`]Cmd`+`]`
Decrease font size by 1 point	`Ctrl`+`[Cmd`+`[`
Copy formatting	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`CCmd`+`Shift`+`C`
Paste formatting	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`VCmd`+`Shift`+`V`
Clear character formatting	`Ctrl`+`SpaceCtrl`+`Space`
Open Font dialog	`Ctrl`+`DCmd`+`D`

Paragraphs and Alignment

Center paragraph	`Ctrl`+`ECmd`+`E`
Left align paragraph	`Ctrl`+`LCmd`+`L`
Right align paragraph	`Ctrl`+`RCmd`+`R`
Justify paragraph	`Ctrl`+`JCmd`+`J`
Single line spacing	`Ctrl`+`1Cmd`+`1`
Double line spacing	`Ctrl`+`2Cmd`+`2`
1.5 line spacing	`Ctrl`+`5Cmd`+`5`
Add or remove space before paragraph	`Ctrl`+`0Cmd`+`0`
Increase paragraph indent	`Ctrl`+`M`no default
Decrease paragraph indent	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`M`no default
Create hanging indent	`Ctrl`+`TCmd`+`T`
Remove hanging indent	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`TCmd`+`Shift`+`T`
Apply bulleted list style	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`L`no default

Styles

Apply Normal style	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`NCmd`+`Shift`+`N`
Apply Heading 1	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`1Cmd`+`Option`+`1`
Apply Heading 2	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`2Cmd`+`Option`+`2`
Apply Heading 3	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`3Cmd`+`Option`+`3`
Open Apply Styles pane	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`S`no default

Navigation and Selection

Move one word left or right	`Ctrl`+`Left / Ctrl`+`RightOption`+`Left / Option`+`Right`
Move one paragraph up or down	`Ctrl`+`Up / Ctrl`+`DownCmd`+`Up / Cmd`+`Down`
Go to beginning of line	`HomeCmd`+`Left`
Go to end of line	`EndCmd`+`Right`
Go to beginning of document	`Ctrl`+`HomeFn`+`Cmd`+`Left`
Go to end of document	`Ctrl`+`EndFn`+`Cmd`+`Right`
Select all	`Ctrl`+`ACmd`+`A`
Extend selection word by word	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`Left / Ctrl`+`Shift`+`RightOption`+`Shift`+`Left / Option`+`Shift`+`Right`
Toggle extend selection mode	`F8`no default
Delete word before cursor	`Ctrl`+`BackspaceOption`+`Delete`
Delete word after cursor	`Ctrl`+`Delete`no default

Insert

Insert page break	`Ctrl`+`EnterCmd`+`Enter`
Insert line break	`Shift`+`EnterShift`+`Enter`
Insert column break	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`EnterCmd`+`Shift`+`Enter`
Insert nonbreaking space	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`SpaceOption`+`Space`
Insert hyperlink	`Ctrl`+`KCmd`+`K`
Insert footnote	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`FCmd`+`Option`+`F`
Insert endnote	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`DCmd`+`Option`+`E`
Insert comment	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`MCmd`+`Option`+`A`
Insert current date field	`Alt`+`Shift`+`D`no default
Insert current time field	`Alt`+`Shift`+`T`no default

Review and View

Toggle Track Changes	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`ECmd`+`Shift`+`E`
Show or hide formatting marks	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`8Cmd`+`8`
Split the document window	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`SCmd`+`Option`+`S`
Open word count	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`G`no default

Put your top Microsoft Word shortcuts on real keys

The five Microsoft Word actions most worth binding to a physical macropad key:

Ctrl+Shift+ECmd+Shift+E Toggle Track Changes Editors flip tracking on and off constantly; a physical key removes the risk of forgetting.

Ctrl+Shift+VCmd+Shift+V Paste formatting Applying copied formatting across a document is a high-repetition cleanup task.

Ctrl+Alt+1Cmd+Option+1 Apply Heading 1 Structuring long documents means applying headings over and over.

Ctrl+Alt+MCmd+Option+A Insert comment Reviewers drop comments dozens of times per pass; one key keeps the flow.

Ctrl+Shift+8Cmd+8 Show or hide formatting marks The instant x-ray view for diagnosing layout problems, toggled frequently.

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See the macropads

Microsoft Word shortcut FAQs

How do I turn on Track Changes with the keyboard?

Press Ctrl+Shift+E on Windows or Cmd+Shift+E on Mac to toggle Track Changes on or off for the document.

How do I insert a page break in Word?

Press Ctrl+Enter on Windows or Cmd+Enter on Mac to start a new page at the cursor. Use Shift+Enter for a soft line break instead.

How do I apply heading styles quickly in Word?

Press Ctrl+Alt+1, 2, or 3 on Windows (Cmd+Option+1, 2, or 3 on Mac) for Heading 1 through 3, and Ctrl+Shift+N (Cmd+Shift+N) to return to the Normal style.

What is the shortcut to change text case in Word?

Select the text and press Shift+F3. Each press cycles between lowercase, UPPERCASE, and Capitalize Each Word.

How do I copy formatting from one place to another without the Format Painter?

Select the formatted text and press Ctrl+Shift+C (Cmd+Shift+C on Mac), then select the target text and press Ctrl+Shift+V (Cmd+Shift+V) to apply it.