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Microsoft Word XP

Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts make quick navigation in your Word document possible. Instead of using the mouse you can press keys to perform the same actions. There are keyboard shortcuts for virtually every navigational and managing option in Word.  This document will provide instructions on the most useful shortcuts. 

• File Operations
• Edit Operations
• Selecting Text
• Undo and Redo Operations
• Current File Navigation
• File Navigation
• Opening Quick Menus
• Additional Keyboard Shortcuts

File Operations

Some of the most common operations you do in Word include opening, closing, saving, and printing. Because these operations are repeated often, using the keyboard shortcuts can simplify and speed up the process. The following table provides the action and the shortcut key command to perform each action. 

NOTE: Notice at the beginning of certain keyboard shortcuts an arrow appears (). These red arrows signify the popularity of that shortcut. They are used most often.

	Action	Key Command
	Opening a file	[Ctrl] + [O]
	Closing a file	[Ctrl] + [W]
	Saving a file	[Ctrl] + [S]
	Printing a file	[Ctrl] + [P]

Edit Operations

Editing operations such as cut, copy, paste, and check spelling are also used frequently. You save a lot of time using the shortcut key operations because you are not spending time searching the file or quick menus for these editing options.  

	Action	Key Command
	Cut	[Ctrl] + [X]
	Copy	[Ctrl] + [C]
	Paste	[Ctrl] + [V]
	Check spelling	[F7]

Selecting Text

In order to format text, it must be selected. You can navigate around the document and select appropriate text with shortcut keys. These key commands will allow you to select as much or as little of the text as you need. 

	Action	Key Command
	Select all	[Ctrl] + [A]
	Select one character to the right	[Shift] + [Right Arrow]
	Select one character to the left	[Shift] + [Left Arrow]
	Select to the beginning of a word	[Control] + [Shift] + [Left Arrow]
	Select to the end of a word	[Control] +[Shift] + [Right Arrow]
	Select to the end of the line	[Shift] + [End]
	Select to the beginning of the line	[Shift] + [Home]
	Select one line down	[Shift] + [Down Arrow]
	Select one line up	[Shift] + ]Up Arrow]
	Select to the end of the paragraph	[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Down Arrow]
	Select to the beginning of the paragraph	[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Up Arrow]
	Select one screen down	[Shift] + [Page Down]
	Select one screen up	[Shift] + [Page Up]
	Select to the beginning of the document	[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Home]
	Select to the end of the document	[Ctrl] + [Shift] + End]

Undo and Redo Options

When making quick adjustments to your document, you may want to undo or redo the most recent action performed. These keyboard shortcuts can save you time by not having to scroll through the Edit menu, or Standard toolbar to perform the action.

	Action	Key Command
	To undo previous action	[Ctrl] + [Z]
	To redo previous action	[Ctrl] + [Y]
	To cancel any action	[Esc]

Current File Navigation

Depending on your editing style, you may find navigating through your currently opened document via keyboard shortcuts to be the fastest and easiest. When using key commands for navigation, the direction given can be very specific. For example, if you wanted to be at the top of the next page, you can do so by pressing two keys instead of scrolling with the mouse.

	Action	Key Command
	Move one character to the left	[Left Arrow]
	Move one character to the right	[Right Arrow]
	Move one word to the left	[Ctrl] + [Left Arrow]
	Move one word to the right	[Ctrl] + [Right Arrow]
	Move one paragraph up	[Ctrl] + [Up Arrow]
	Move one paragraph down	[Ctrl] + [Down Arrow]
	Move up one line	[Up Arrow]
	Move down one line	[Down Arrow]
	Move to the end of one line	[End]
	Move to the beginning of one line	[Home]
	Move one screen up	[Page Up]
	Move one screen down	[Page Down]
	Move to the top of the next page	[Ctrl] + [Page Down]
	Move to the top of the previous page	[Ctrl] + [Page Up]
	Move to the end of the document	[Ctrl] + [End]
	Move to the beginning of the document	[Ctrl] + [Home]

File Navigation

Using keyboard shortcuts, you can open and navigate through other files from the Open File dialog box .

1. To open a file, press [Ctrl] + [O]
   The Open File dialog box appears.

2. To get inside major sections of the dialog box (e.g., text boxes, pull down menus, and buttons), press [Tab]

3. Navigate through those sections pressing the [Left], [Right], [Up], or [Down Arrow] keys

4. To open files or set appropriate option, press [Enter]

5. To cancel operation and close dialog box, press [Esc]

Opening Quick Menus

Right clicking the mouse opens up a Quick menu of the most commonly used menu options. With keyboard shortcuts you can select or place your cursor within the object and open the Quick menu. Once the Quick menu is open, you can use the arrow keys to navigate through the menu options. 

NOTE: Depending on what text or object you want to open the Quick menu from, your choice may be to have the cursor within the text or the object (image, graph, or shape) selected.

1. Place the cursor within the text or select object

2. To open the appropriate Quick menu, press [Shift] + [F10]
   The Quick menu appears.

3. To select the appropriate Quick menu option, press the [Up] or [Down Arrow] keys

4. To open a selected option, press [Enter]

5. To close the Quick menu, press [Esc]

Using the Menus

If you need to open a main menu (e.g., File, Edit, Insert, etc.) you can quickly do so by using key commands. After the menu is open, you can navigate to and open an appropriate menu option by using the arrow keys.

Opening the Menus

	Action	Key Command
	To open the File menu	[Alt] + [F]
	To open the Edit menu	[Alt] + [E]
	To open the View menu	[Alt] + [V]
	To open the Insert menu	[Alt] + [I]
	To open the Format menu	[Alt] + [O]
	To open the Tools menu	[Alt] + [T]
	To open the Table menu	[Alt] + [A]
	To open the Window menu	[Alt] + [W]
	To open the Help menu	[Alt] + [H]

Navigating Through the Menus

	Action	Key Command
	To scroll down one menu option	[Down Arrow]
	To scroll up one menu option	[Up Arrow]
	To open a submenu of options	[Right Arrow]
	To exit a submenu of options	[Left Arrow]
	To open selected menu option	[Enter]
	To exit the menu	[Esc]

Additional Keyboard Shortcuts

This document discusses a few of the most helpful keyboard shortcuts. However, there are many other keyboard shortcuts available. Word offers keyboard shortcuts for virtually all operations. You can also record and create your own keyboard operation as well. To find out more information about keyboard shortcuts, use the Word Help option.

1. To open the Help menu, press [F1]
   NOTE: This will only work if the Office Assistant is turned on. If the Office Assistant is turned off, from the Help menu, select Show Office Assistant.

2. In the text box, type Keyboard Shortcuts

3. Press [Enter]
   A list of related topics appears.

4. Select the appropriate keyboard shortcut related option

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