Keyboard Shortcuts for Microsoft Word 2016 for Windows

Applies To: Word 2016, Word 2013.

This article shows all keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Word 2016. The shortcuts in this article refer to the U.S. keyboard layout. Keys for other layouts might not correspond exactly to the keys on a U.S. keyboard.

Note: If a shortcut requires two or more keys at the same time, the keys are separated by a plus sign (+). If you have to press one key immediately after another, the keys are separated by a comma (,).

This topic is divided into the following sections.

Frequently used shortcuts

Navigate the ribbon with only the keyboard

Change the keyboard focus without using the mouse

Keyboard shortcut reference for Microsoft Word

Function key reference

Frequently Used Shortcuts

This table shows the most frequently used shortcuts in Microsoft Word.

Go to "Tell me what you want to do": Alt+Q
Open: Ctrl+O
Save: Ctrl+S
Close: Ctrl+W
Cut: Ctrl+X
Copy: Ctrl+C
Paste: Ctrl+V
Select all: Ctrl+A
Bold: Ctrl+B
Italic: Ctrl+I
Underline: Ctrl+U
Decrease font size 1 point: Ctrl+[
Increase font size 1 point: Ctrl+]
Center text: Ctrl+E
Left align text: Ctrl+L
Right align text: Ctrl+R
Cancel: Esc
Undo: Ctrl+Z
Re-do: Ctrl+Y
Zoom: Alt+W, Q, then tab in Zoom dialog box to the value you want.

Navigate the Ribbon with only the Keyboard

The ribbon is the strip at the top of Word, organized by tabs. Each tab displays a different ribbon. Ribbons are made up of groups, and each group includes one or more commands. Every command in Word can be accessed by using shortcut.

Note: Add-ins and other programs may add new tabs to the ribbon and may provide access keys for those tabs.

There are two ways to navigate the tabs in the ribbon:

Use Commands on a Ribbon with the Keyboard

Tip: In galleries with more than one row of items, the Tab key moves from the beginning to the end of the current row and, when it reaches the end of the row, it moves to the beginning of the next one. Pressing the Right Arrow key at the end of the current row moves back to the beginning of the current row.

Use Access Keys When You Can See the KeyTips

To use access keys:

  1. Press Alt.
  2. Press the letter shown in the square KeyTip that appears over the ribbon command that you want to use.

Image shows shortcut letters when Alt has been pressed

Depending on which letter you press, you may be shown additional KeyTips. For example, if you press Alt+F, the Office Backstage opens on the Info page which has a different set of KeyTips. If you then press Alt again, KeyTips for navigating on this page appear.

Change the Keyboard Focus Using the Keyboard without Using the Mouse

The following table lists some ways to move the keyboard focus when using only the keyboard.

Select the active tab of the ribbon and activate the access keys. Alt or F10. Use access keys or arrow keys to move to a different tab.
Move the focus to commands on the ribbon. Tab or Shift+Tab
Move the focus to each command on the ribbon, forward or backward, respectively. Tab or Shift+Tab
Move down, up, left, or right, respectively, among the items on the ribbon. Down Arrow, Up Arrow, Left Arrow, or Right Arrow
Expand or collapse the ribbon. Ctrl+F1
Display the shortcut menu for a selected item. Shift+F10
Move the focus to a different pane of the window, such as the Format Picture pane, the Grammar pane, or the Selection pane. F6
Activate a selected command or control on the ribbon. Spacebar or Enter
Open a selected menu or gallery on the ribbon. Spacebar or Enter
Finish modifying a value in a control on the ribbon, and move focus back to the document. Enter

Keyboard Shortcuts in Microsoft Word

Create and Edit Documents

Create, view, and save documents
Work with Web content
Print and preview documents
Check spelling and review changes in a document
Find, replace, and go to specific items in the document
Move around in a document using the keyboard
Insert or mark table of contents, footnotes, and citations

Work with Documents in Different Views

Word offers several different views of a document. Each view makes it easier to do certain tasks. For example, Read Mode enables you to present two pages of the document side by side, and to use an arrow navigation to move to the next page.

Switch to another view of the document
Work with headings in Outline view

These shortcuts only apply if a document is in Outline view.

Navigate in Read Mode view

Edit and Move Text and Graphics

Select text and graphics
Extend a selection
Delete text and graphics
Copy and move text and graphics

Edit and Navigate Tables

Select text and graphics in a table
Move around in a table
Insert paragraphs and tab characters in a table

Format Characters and Paragraphs

Format characters
Change or re-size the font
Copy formatting
Change paragraph alignment
Copy and review text formats
Set line spacing
Apply Styles to paragraphs
To close the Styles task pane
  1. If the Styles task pane is not selected, press F6 to select it.
  2. Press Ctrl+Spacebar.
  3. Use the arrow keys to select Close, and then press Enter.
Insert special characters

An AutoText entry: Enter (after you type the first few characters of the AutoText entry name and when the ScreenTip appears)

Insert characters by using character codes

Insert the Unicode character for the specified Unicode (hexadecimal) character code. For example, to insert the euro currency symbol (€ ), type 20AC, and then hold down Alt and press X. The character code, Alt+X

Find out the Unicode character code for the selected character Alt+X

Insert the ANSI character for the specified ANSI (decimal) character code. For example, to insert the euro currency symbol, hold down Alt and press 0128 on the numeric keypad. Alt+the character code (on the numeric keypad)

Insert and Edit Objects

Insert an object

1. Press Alt, N, J, and then J to open the Object dialog box.

2. Do one of the following.

Edit an object
  1. With the cursor positioned to the left of the object in your document, select the object by pressing Shift+Right Arrow.
  2. Press Shift+F10.
  3. Press the Tab key to get to Object name, press Enter, and then press Enter again.
Insert SmartArt graphics
  1. Press and release Alt, N, and then M to select SmartArt.
  2. Press the arrow keys to select the type of graphic that you want.
  3. Press Tab, and then press the arrow keys to select the graphic that you want to insert.
  4. Press Enter.
Insert WordArt
  1. Press and release Alt, N, and then W to select WordArt.
  2. Press the arrow keys to select the WordArt style that you want, and then press Enter.
  3. Type the text that you want.
  4. Press Esc to select the WordArt object, and then use the arrow keys to move the object.
  5. Press Esc again to return to return to the document.

Mail Merge and Fields

Note: You must press Alt+M, or click Mailings, to use these keyboard shortcuts.

Perform a mail merge
Work with fields

Language Bar

Set proofing language

Every document has a default language, typically the same default language as your computer's operating system. But If your document also contains words or phrases in a different language, it's a good idea to set the proofing language for those words. This not only makes it possible to check spelling and grammar for those phrases, it makes it possible for assistive technologies like screen readers to handle them.

Turn on East Asian Input Method Editors

Function Keys in Word

Function keys

Shift+Function keys

Ctrl+Function keys

Ctrl+Shift+Function keys

Alt+Function keys

Alt+Shift+Function keys

Ctrl+Alt+Function keys