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60 Essential Microsoft Office Keyboard Shortcuts for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Keyboard shortcuts are a great productivity technique, and any computer user should have the most important ones memorized. After all, you never know when you'll have to get around Windows with just your keyboard!

Here's how to make Word automatically generate a list of keyboard shortcuts How to find all the Microsoft Office keyboard shortcuts you'll ever need. How to find all the Microsoft Office keyboard shortcuts you'll ever need. Finding a complete list of keyboard shortcuts can be a chore. Let Word automatically generate a list of all your shortcuts! You'll also find keyboard shortcuts for other Office apps. Read More Here are the most important keyboard shortcuts for anyone to know; put them in their place and you will save time like you never imagined!

Some notes:

  • Keys appear in bold and keyboard combinations appear in bold, italic .
  • Control is abbreviated as CTRL .
  • Keyboard shortcuts that need to be pressed at the same time will use + symbol (eg. CTRL + S ).
  • Combinations that must be pressed one after the other will use a> (eg. CTRL> T ).

All programs

Let's leave out the universals that work in all three of the big Microsoft Office programs. We will not repeat them in the individual sections.

CTRL + A will select one ll elements on screen. Depending on where your mouse is focused, the selection could be the entire document/spreadsheet, or just the text box you're typing.

CTRL + B will format the text as bold . CTRL + I enable italics , and CTRL + U you nderlines the selection. Use with CTRL + A to quickly change an entire document or text box.

CTRL + P launch the P Rint dialog so you can choose how to print your file.

CTRL + C will copy the current selection to the Clipboard The New Windows 10 Clipboard:Everything You Need to Paste Copies The New Windows 10 Clipboard:Everything You Need to Paste Copies The Windows Clipboard has always been basic. No more, as the latest update has improved it to meet all your copy and paste needs. Read More, while CTRL + X It will cut it (remove it and put it on the clipboard). After using any of these combinations, use CTRL + V paste it elsewhere. Using a Clipboard Manager Keep Thinking:5 Reasons You Need a Clipboard Manager Keep Thinking:5 Reasons You Need a Clipboard Manager When you think about it, copying and pasting is a strange thing. You copy things, but there is no way to see them. And if you copy what you had, it's gone forever. Read More

CTRL + Z undoes the last action and can be used multiple times in a row. To reverse this decision, use CTRL + Y Redo.

the F4 The shortcut is quirky but extremely useful. It will repeat the last action you performed, whether you are formatting or deleting text. For example, suppose you have several headings on a piece of paper that you want to be a different font, color, and size than the rest of the text. Instead of manually changing the properties of each line, do it for the first one, then simply highlight the next heading and press F4 To apply the same format. Your closest tape is probably the format painter..

The Ribbon interface is great, but if it's in your way, CTRL + F1 hides it Press again to bring it back.

Microsoft Office includes a built-in dictionary and thesaurus. Highlight a word and use SHIFT + F7 to open the thesaurus tab, where you can view the definition and synonyms for a word.

When you need to add a hyperlink to some text to link to another file or a web address, CTRL + K takes you to the dialog instantly.

You should save your documents often! A quick tap of CTRL + S will do the trick.

When working with multiple files in an Office program, use CTRL + F6 to switch between them.

If you need to locate something in the current file quickly, CTRL + F will open the F ind box

Microsoft Word

When typing in Word, remember these keyboard shortcuts to save time. They are much more efficient than hunting through layers of menus for an unusual setting.

Students will appreciate this:Access Microsoft Word's built-in word counter by pressing CTRL + SHIFT + G . Hopefully, you have enough words!

Before you send that important document, give it F7 One touch to open spelling and grammar. Check Spelling in Word How to Check Spelling and Grammar in Microsoft Word Check Spelling and Grammar in Microsoft Word You can customize Microsoft Word's built-in spelling and grammar checking tools to meet your needs. You can even use AutoCorrect to speed up your typing. Read More

Caps lock is really annoying, and you probably just enabled it by accident. Isn't it about time you made use of your caps lock? Isn't it time you used your Caps Lock? The CAPS LOCK key is probably the most useless key on your keyboard. Network etiquette prohibits you from using it because it's considered yelling, which is just plain rude. And what else would you use it for... Read More The next time you type a paragraph in all caps, highlight the text and use SHIFT + F3 to toggle between uppercase, lowercase, and uppercase and lowercase (Capitalizing the first letter of each word).

Microsoft Word will automatically format common uses of superscript (such as dates), but when you need to do it manually, use CTRL + = to underline highlighted text, or CTRL + SHIFT + = to make it a superscript.

When you insert a URL, Word will automatically convert it to a hyperlink and turn it blue. You may not want this on formal documents like resumes, so use CTRL + SHIFT + F9 to remove any hyperlinks in the text.

Although you can copy and paste text without the formatting 5 Ways to Remove Formatting When Copying and Pasting Text 5 Ways to Remove Formatting When Copying and Pasting Text Carrying all the rich text formatting when copying and pasting text is irritating. Here are several ways to avoid that. Read More When this happens, simply highlight the text and press CTRL + SPACE to remove any font effects and reset it to the default size, font, and color.

There are several places where you can adjust the font size, but be fancy with your keyboard and use it. CTRL +] to increase the font size and CTRL + [ to decrease it.

The on-screen ruler is a visual clutter, if you're not actively using it. ALT> W> R change the rule.

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel has a bit of a learning curve, but getting used to these shortcuts will keep you on your way to spreadsheets.

You probably have multiple tabs in your Excel workbook; use CTRL + Page Up / Page Down to scroll between them.

Have you ever found yourself in cell CDZ-2108 with no idea how you got there? Pressing CTRL + Backspace will focus the screen on the active cell, so you don't have to search for it.

This is less of a shortcut and more of a basic command, but it's not well explained. To enter a new line in a cell, use ALT + ENTER .

Today's date/time are common items you might want to enter into a cell. Use CTRL +; to quickly enter the current date or CTRL + Shift +: for the current time; don't forget to use text expansion to make shortcuts What is text expansion and how can it help you save time? What is text expansion and how can it help you save time? If you could save even a small fraction of the time you spend typing, you could save hours of your time each week. That's exactly what text expansion is for. Read more like this yourself!

Microsoft Excel doesn't allow you to change text formatting as easily as Word or PowerPoint does. press CTRL + 1 in any cell to open the Format dialog.

Formulas are what make Excel so powerful Need help with Excel formulas? 7 resources to check out Need help with Excel formulas? 7 Resources to Reference Excel is the gold standard of spreadsheets. If you must use Excel and yet become familiar with it, these resources will quickly introduce you to the basics and beyond. Read more . You probably spend a lot of time editing them, so press F2 to jump to the formula box instead of using the mouse.

To toggle between cells showing their content or their formulas, use CTRL + ' (the key below ESC on a US QWERTY keyboard layout). This is useful to ensure that every cell that should have a formula actually does.

Try CTRL + 0 to hide a column, or CTRL + 9 to hide a row. You can show anything hidden by this shortcut using CTRL + Shift + 0/9 , but may require an odd workaround due to Windows keyboard settings. If you can't use that method, the sequence ALT> H> O> U> L It will do the same.

The SUM function is common, and you can use ALT + = to automatically apply SUM to any highlighted cell.

CTRL + arrow keys is an interesting one it will warp in any direction you choose, stopping when it hits a blank if it starts on a filled cell. If it starts on a blank cell, it will stop when it reaches a non-blank cell. You can use it to quickly jump to the farthest regions of Excel!

similar, CTRL + Shift + * will select the current range:this means all directions from the current cell until it touches the edge of the spreadsheet or a completely blank row or column. It sounds a bit weird, but try it and you will understand..

Microsoft PowerPoint

The next time you're responsible for giving an impressive presentation 5 Powerpoint Tips to Improve Your Presentation Skills Overnight 5 Powerpoint Tips to Improve Your Presentation Skills Overnight You step onto the podium. Your palms are sweaty, your heart is racing, and just when you're about to open your mouth and speak, your mind goes blank. Need help? Read More

Note that since Microsoft PowerPoint's editor view shares many of its shortcuts with Word (try any of the above in PowerPoint), this section will focus on shortcuts when presenting your slides.

CTRL + M It will add a new slide in the editor.

press CTRL + Shift + D to duplicate the current slide.

press F5 to start a slideshow from the beginning, or CTRL + Shift + F5 to start from the current slide.

To jump to a certain slide during the presentation, press a number and then Enter .

If there's ever an emergency with a slide or you need to quickly turn off the screen to keep everyone's attention, press second to display a blank black slide. Press it again to go back to where you were. If you prefer a white slide, use W instead.

PowerPoint includes tools that let you interact with slides as they're displayed. Don't play around with your mouse in front of your audience to find these:use CTRL + P to activate the pen tool, and once you are done drawing press my to erase the ink.

To make the mouse cursor appear while presenting use . CTRL + A . CTRL + H It will hide the mouse pointer, be it an arrow or a pen.

If your presentation is automatic (perhaps shown in a kiosk), press S to stop or restart the slideshow.

How to Embed Media on a Slide How to Embed a YouTube Video and Other Media in Your PowerPoint Presentation How to Embed a YouTube Video and Other Media in Your PowerPoint Presentation Typical presentations are boring affairs with corporate text and backgrounds that provide little interest. Multimedia files can lighten the experience. We show you how to embed even videos. Read more ? Use ALT + P to toggle play/pause, or ALT + Q to stop playback. ALT + up/down arrows will adjust the volume, while ALT + U will be mute.

Get your shortcut on

Many shortcuts are represented here, but they are not too much for you to learn! You've probably recognized the features you use every day on this list; Commit them to memory and watch your productivity soar. There's no shame in keeping this list open for a while until you can retrieve them at any time.

Can't get enough shortcuts? Explore our latest keyboard shortcuts guide Windows Keyboard Shortcuts 101:The Ultimate Guide Windows Keyboard Shortcuts 101:The Ultimate Guide Keyboard shortcuts can save you many hours. Master the universal Windows keyboard shortcuts, keyboard tricks for specific programs, and a few other tips to speed up your work. Read More

To dig deeper into Office, check out How to Enable the Developer Ribbon Tab in Word and Excel How to Add the Developer Tab to the Ribbon in Microsoft Word and Excel How to Add the Developer Tab to the Ribbon in Microsoft Word and Excel Let's see how you can add the Developer tab to the Ribbon in Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel and open advanced features. Read more.