Essential Keyboard Shortcuts for Word, Excel and Outlook

Have you ever wondered how to speed up your work with Microsoft Office tools? Keyboard shortcuts can dramatically improve your efficiency, letting you access commands in just a few keystrokes rather than navigating through menus. Below, we have compiled the most frequently used shortcuts to help you work faster in Word, Excel and Outlook.

Computers are an essential part of daily life, and if you use one regularly, you are probably familiar with some keyboard shortcuts already. A keyboard shortcut is simply a combination of keys that triggers a command in your software or operating system, allowing you to work more quickly and efficiently.

Whether you are using Office 2019 Professional Plus or a newer version, these shortcuts work across most editions. Here is a comprehensive list of the most useful key combinations:

Word Key Combinations

• Ctrl + A – Select all content on the page
• Ctrl + B – Bold the selected text
• Ctrl + C – Copy the selected text
• Ctrl + X – Cut the selected text
• Ctrl + N – Open a new blank document
• Ctrl + O – Open an existing document
• Ctrl + P – Open the print window
• Ctrl + F – Open the search box
• Ctrl + I – Italicise the selected text
• Ctrl + K – Insert a link
• Ctrl + U – Underline the selected text
• Ctrl + V – Paste
• Ctrl + Y – Redo the last action
• Ctrl + Z – Undo the last action
• Ctrl + G – Go to a specific page or section
• Ctrl + H – Open Find and Replace
• Ctrl + J – Justify paragraph alignment
• Ctrl + L – Align the selected text to the left
• Ctrl + Q – Reset paragraph formatting
• Ctrl + E – Centre the selected text
• Ctrl + R – Align the selected text to the right
• Ctrl + M – Indent the paragraph
• Ctrl + T – Create a hanging indent
• Ctrl + D – Open font options
• Ctrl + Shift + F – Change the font
• Ctrl + Shift + > – Increase the font size by one point
• Ctrl + ] – Increase the font size by one point
• Ctrl + [ – Decrease the font size by one point
• Ctrl + Shift + * – Show or hide non-printable characters
• Ctrl + Left Arrow – Move one word to the left
• Ctrl + Right Arrow – Move one word to the right
• Ctrl + Up Arrow – Move to the beginning of the paragraph
• Ctrl + Down Arrow – Move to the end of the paragraph
• Ctrl + Del – Delete the word to the right of the cursor
• Ctrl + Backspace – Delete the word to the left of the cursor
• Ctrl + End – Move the cursor to the end of the document
• Ctrl + Home – Move the cursor to the beginning of the document
• Ctrl + Space – Reset selected text to the default font
• Ctrl + 1 – Single line spacing
• Ctrl + 2 – Double line spacing
• Ctrl + 5 – 1.5 line spacing
• Ctrl + Alt + 1 – Apply Heading 1 style
• Ctrl + Alt + 2 – Apply Heading 2 style
• Ctrl + Alt + 3 – Apply Heading 3 style
• F1 – Open Help
• Shift + F3 – Change the case of selected text
• F4 – Repeat the last action (Word 2000 onwards)
• F7 – Check spelling of the selected text or document
• Shift + F7 – Open the thesaurus
• F12 – Save As
• Ctrl + S – Save
• Shift + F12 – Save
• Alt + Shift + D – Insert the current date
• Alt + Shift + T – Insert the current time
• Ctrl + W – Close the document

Excel Key Combinations

• F2 – Edit the selected cell
• F5 – Go to a specific cell
• F7 – Check spelling
• F11 – Create a chart
• Ctrl + Shift + ; – Enter the current time
• Ctrl + ; – Enter the current date
• Alt + Shift + F1 – Insert a new worksheet
• Shift + F3 – Open the formula window
• Shift + F5 – Open the search box
• Ctrl + A – Select all contents of a worksheet
• Ctrl + B – Bold the selected text
• Ctrl + I – Italicise the selected text
• Ctrl + C – Copy the selected text
• Ctrl + V – Paste
• Ctrl + D – Fill down
• Ctrl + K – Insert a link
• Ctrl + F – Open Find and Replace
• Ctrl + G – Open the Go To dialogue
• Ctrl + H – Open Find and Replace
• Ctrl + U – Underline the selected text
• Ctrl + Y – Redo the last action
• Ctrl + 5 – Strikethrough the selected text
• Ctrl + O – Open an existing workbook
• Ctrl + N – Open a new workbook
• Ctrl + P – Open the print dialogue
• Ctrl + S – Save
• Ctrl + Z – Undo the last action
• Ctrl + F9 – Minimise the current window
• Ctrl + F10 – Maximise the current window
• Ctrl + F6 – Switch between open workbooks
• Ctrl + Page Up / Page Down – Switch between worksheets
• Ctrl + Tab – Switch between open Excel files
• Alt + = – AutoSum the cells above
• Ctrl + Shift + ! – Format as number with commas
• Ctrl + Shift + $ – Format as currency
• Ctrl + Shift + # – Format as date
• Ctrl + Shift + % – Format as percentage
• Ctrl + Shift + ^ – Format in scientific notation
• Ctrl + Shift + @ – Format as time
• Ctrl + Right Arrow – Move to the next section of data
• Ctrl + Space – Select the entire column
• Shift + Space – Select the entire row
• Ctrl + W – Close the workbook

Outlook Key Combinations

• Alt + S – Send the email
• Ctrl + C – Copy the selected text
• Ctrl + X – Cut the selected text
• Ctrl + P – Open the print dialogue
• Ctrl + K – Complete the name or email in the address bar
• Ctrl + B – Bold the selected text
• Ctrl + I – Italicise the selected text
• Ctrl + U – Underline the selected text
• Ctrl + R – Reply to an email
• Ctrl + F – Forward an email
• Ctrl + N – Create a new email
• Ctrl + Shift + A – Create a new calendar appointment
• Ctrl + Shift + O – Open the Outbox
• Ctrl + Shift + I – Open the Inbox
• Ctrl + Shift + K – Add a new task
• Ctrl + Shift + C – Create a new contact
• Ctrl + Shift + J – Create a new journal entry

These key combinations may vary slightly between systems, but they are consistent across most Windows computers. If you want to learn more about what is included in different Office editions, check out our guide on what is new in Office 2021 Standard or our comparison of Office Home & Student vs Home & Business 2019.

Ready to boost your productivity? Browse our Microsoft Office licences to find the right edition for your needs. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us.