Keyboard Shortcuts in MS Word
One of the most important time-saving tips in Microsoft Word is to learn as many of the shortcut keys as possible. These can be extremely valuable when using Word because your hands are positioned on the keyboard most of the time. If you have to let go and pick up the mouse to perform an action, this wastes time; you then have to return to the keyboard to continue typing.
There are three classes of shortcut key - this article will deal with the first two classes:
- Class 1: The function keys F1 to F12 across the top of the keyboard
- Class 2: Using Ctrl + the letters A to Z or Ctrl + certain other keys
- Class 3: You can also use menus by pressing ALT then the underlined letters (in Office 2007 there are no menus as such but these key sequences will still work)
Some of these keys will work in other programmes as they have become a de-facto standard; eg: F1 for help, Ctrl + Z for Undo. Certain software manufacturers other than Microsoft have adopted some of them.
On some keyboards the function keys can be configured as shortcuts. This is generally not necessary as nearly all of them have a CTRL + key combination you can use instead.
Common ones to start your learning are:
- Ctrl + P =print
- Ctrl + S = save
- Ctrl + F = find
- Ctrl + B = bold
- Ctrl + J = justify
- Ctrl + End = go to end of document
- F7 =spell checker
Sometimes they can be a mixed blessing because if you hit a shortcut key combination by mistake, you might not know what has happened. A useful tip is that, if something strange happens whilst you are typing, stop and look at your work. If a letter is missing, it is probable that you have hit Ctrl + that particular letter by mistake. A look at the list of shortcuts will help you diagnose what has happened and how to remedy the situation. Of course, if you notice your mistake immediately, you should be able to undo (Ctrl + Z).
Additionally; Ctrl, Shift and Alt are sometimes known as modifier keys, in that they will modify an action. At the simplest level, Shift modifies a key press to give you a capital letter. They are worth a try anywhere - try any action with one of these modifier keys held down. Make sure you release the modifier key last of all. If you don't like the result, you can always undo. A few to get you started...
- If you can drag an object to move it, holding down Ctrl will copy it
- When using the mouse to alter column widths in a Word table, try it with Shift or Ctrl or Alt held down - you will be surprised at the difference
- To select an entire sentence, hold down Ctrl and click with the mouse
Not strictly shortcut keys, but a couple of other time saving tips in Word:
- When wanting to put a single word into Italics, Bold or Underline it is not necessary to select the word; if you simply position your cursor in it, MS Word's default is to apply it to the whole word
- To select an entire paragraph, treble click the mouse
