Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts: The Complete List for Faster Typing

If you spend a lot of time in Microsoft Word, you have probably noticed how much time gets wasted clicking through menus just to bold a word, change alignment, or jump to the next page. The mouse is not always the fastest tool for the job. Keyboard shortcuts are.

Once you learn even a handful of Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts, your hands never have to leave the keyboard. Formatting, editing, and moving around a document becomes almost automatic, and your typing speed improves noticeably.

This guide brings together every shortcut you are likely to need, grouped into simple categories, so you are not stuck memorizing a random list. Whether you use Word on Windows or Mac, you will find what you need here.

Why Keyboard Shortcuts Matter

Every time you reach for the mouse, you lose a second or two. That may not sound like much, but across a full workday of writing reports, emails, and documents, it adds up to real time lost.

Keyboard shortcuts also reduce strain. Constantly switching between keyboard and mouse can tire your wrist and hand faster than typing alone. Using shortcuts keeps your hands in one place and your focus on the document, not the toolbar.

For students, office workers, writers, and anyone preparing documents regularly, learning these shortcuts is one of the simplest ways to become noticeably faster at computer work.

Windows vs Mac Shortcuts

Most Word shortcuts follow the same pattern on both Windows and Mac, with one key difference. Windows uses the Ctrl key, while Mac uses the Command (Cmd) key in its place. In most cases, you can simply replace Ctrl with Cmd when using a Mac.

A few shortcuts also use Alt on Windows and Option on Mac. These are noted separately below where the two systems truly differ.

Basic File Shortcuts

Ctrl + N — Create a new document

Ctrl + O — Open an existing document

Ctrl + S — Save the current document

Ctrl + P — Print the document

Ctrl + W — Close the document

Ctrl + Z — Undo the last action

Ctrl + Y — Redo the last undone action

Text Editing Shortcuts

Ctrl + X — Cut selected text

Ctrl + C — Copy selected text

Ctrl + V — Paste copied or cut text

Ctrl + A — Select the entire document

Ctrl + F — Find text in the document

Ctrl + H — Find and replace text

Delete — Remove the character to the right of the cursor

Backspace — Remove the character to the left of the cursor

Text Formatting Shortcuts

Ctrl + B — Make selected text bold

Ctrl + I — Make selected text italic

Ctrl + U — Underline selected text

Ctrl + Shift + > — Increase font size

Ctrl + Shift + < — Decrease font size

Ctrl + Spacebar — Remove manual formatting from selected text

Ctrl + Shift + C — Copy formatting from selected text

Ctrl + Shift + V — Apply copied formatting to new text

Ctrl + Shift + W — Underline words only, not the spaces between them

Paragraph and Alignment Shortcuts

Ctrl + E — Center align the paragraph

Ctrl + L — Left align the paragraph

Ctrl + R — Right align the paragraph

Ctrl + J — Justify the paragraph, so text lines up on both edges

Ctrl + 1 — Apply single line spacing

Ctrl + 2 — Apply double line spacing

Ctrl + 5 — Apply 1.5 line spacing

Ctrl + M — Indent the paragraph from the left

Ctrl + Shift + M — Remove a paragraph indent

Navigation Shortcuts

Ctrl + Home — Move the cursor to the very start of the document

Ctrl + End — Move the cursor to the very end of the document

Ctrl + Right Arrow — Jump the cursor forward one word at a time

Ctrl + Left Arrow — Jump the cursor backward one word at a time

Ctrl + Up Arrow — Jump to the start of the previous paragraph

Ctrl + Down Arrow — Jump to the start of the next paragraph

Ctrl + G — Open Go To, to jump to a specific page or section

Page Up / Page Down — Scroll one screen up or down

Selection Shortcuts

Shift + Right Arrow / Left Arrow — Select one character at a time

Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow / Left Arrow — Select one word at a time

Shift + Home — Select from the cursor to the start of the line

Shift + End — Select from the cursor to the end of the line

Ctrl + Shift + Home — Select from the cursor to the start of the document

Ctrl + Shift + End — Select from the cursor to the end of the document

Ctrl + Shift + Down Arrow — Select to the end of the current paragraph

Document Structure Shortcuts

Ctrl + Alt + 1 — Apply Heading 1 style

Ctrl + Alt + 2 — Apply Heading 2 style

Ctrl + Alt + 3 — Apply Heading 3 style

Ctrl + Shift + N — Apply the Normal (default) paragraph style

Ctrl + Enter — Insert a page break

Ctrl + Shift + Enter — Insert a column break

Tools and Insert Shortcuts

Ctrl + K — Insert a hyperlink

Alt + Shift + D — Insert the current date

Alt + Shift + T — Insert the current time

F7 — Run spelling and grammar check

Shift + F7 — Open the thesaurus for the selected word

Alt + Ctrl + M — Insert a comment

Ctrl + Shift + F5 — Insert a bookmark

Table Shortcuts

Tab — Move to the next cell in a table, or create a new row if you are in the last cell

Shift + Tab — Move to the previous cell in a table

Alt + Home — Move to the first cell in the current row

Alt + End — Move to the last cell in the current row

View and Display Shortcuts

Ctrl + Scroll Wheel — Zoom in or out on the document

Ctrl + Alt + P — Switch to Print Layout view

Ctrl + Alt + O — Switch to Outline view

Alt + Ctrl + N — Switch to Draft view

Most Useful Shortcuts for Beginners

If you are just starting out and do not want to memorize the entire list, focus on these first. They cover the majority of everyday tasks.

Ctrl + S to save constantly, so you never lose work

Ctrl + Z to undo mistakes instantly

Ctrl + B, Ctrl + I, Ctrl + U for basic formatting

Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V for copy and paste

Ctrl + F to find text quickly in long documents

Ctrl + Home and Ctrl + End to jump around long documents fast

Once these feel natural, you can add more shortcuts from the categories above as you need them.

Tips to Memorize Shortcuts Faster

Learn one category at a time, such as formatting shortcuts this week and navigation shortcuts next week, instead of trying to memorize everything at once.

Use the shortcut every time the situation comes up, even if it feels slower at first. Repetition builds muscle memory faster than reading a list.

Keep a small printed cheat sheet near your desk for the first few weeks, so you can glance at it instead of switching back to the mouse out of habit.

Turn on ScreenTips in Word settings, which show the shortcut next to each menu option when you hover over it, reinforcing what you learn.

Conclusion

Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts are one of the easiest ways to work faster without changing anything about how you write. You do not need to learn every shortcut at once. Start with the basics like saving, undoing, and formatting text, then build up from there as you get comfortable.

Over time, these shortcuts become second nature, and reaching for the mouse for simple tasks will start to feel unnecessary. Keep this list nearby, and you will notice the difference in your typing speed within just a few days of regular use.