Keyboard Shortcuts for Law Students: Browser, Word, Excel & PDF (Procertas Prep)
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Legal technology practice is about completing ordinary tasks accurately under realistic conditions. A law student might navigate research tabs, revise a Word document, calculate a total in Excel, and annotate a PDF during the same session. This guide brings those workflows together while keeping each application's shortcuts separate. It is intended for practice, not as an answer key to an assessment.
The browser table targets Chrome on Windows and Mac. The Word and Excel tables target desktop Microsoft 365, while the PDF table describes Adobe Acrobat rather than a browser's built-in PDF viewer. Key combinations depend on where the focus is: Cmd+T can open a browser tab, but in Excel's formula editor it cycles a selected reference between relative and absolute forms. Read the action and application before using the keys.
Use sample files that do not contain confidential information. Work through one task in each application, check the result, and save a separate copy before trying it again. The free PDF contains every table and practice note; Print this page produces a compact one-page browser essentials summary. No sign-in or email address is required. If a command is represented by a menu path, practise that supported route rather than inventing a Mac equivalent.
Browser: Chrome on Windows and Mac
Chrome-specific commands are not universal browser shortcuts. Developer Tools means the current browser tools, not an obsolete add-on.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Refresh page | Ctrl+R or F5 | Cmd+R |
| Hard refresh (ignore cached content) | Ctrl+Shift+R | Cmd+Shift+R |
| Back | Alt+Left | Cmd+[ |
| Forward | Alt+Right | Cmd+] |
| Address bar | Ctrl+L | Cmd+L |
| Find on page | Ctrl+F | Cmd+F |
| Find next | Ctrl+G | Cmd+G |
| Find previous | Ctrl+Shift+G | Cmd+Shift+G |
| New tab | Ctrl+T | Cmd+T |
| Close current tab | Ctrl+W | Cmd+W |
| Reopen closed tab | Ctrl+Shift+T | Cmd+Shift+T |
| Next tab | Ctrl+Tab | Cmd+Option+Right |
| Previous tab | Ctrl+Shift+Tab | Cmd+Option+Left |
| Jump to tab 1–8 | Ctrl+1 through Ctrl+8 | Cmd+1 through Cmd+8 |
| Jump to last tab | Ctrl+9 | Cmd+9 |
| History | Ctrl+H | Cmd+Y |
| Downloads | Ctrl+J | Cmd+Shift+J |
| Bookmark current page | Ctrl+D | Cmd+D |
| Print page | Ctrl+P | Cmd+P |
| Save page | Ctrl+S | Cmd+S |
| Zoom in | Ctrl+Plus (+) | Cmd+Plus (+) |
| Zoom out | Ctrl+Minus (-) | Cmd+Minus (-) |
| Reset zoom | Ctrl+0 | Cmd+0 |
| Developer tools | F12 or Ctrl+Shift+I | Cmd+Option+I |
| View page source | Ctrl+U | Cmd+Option+U |
| Full screen | F11 | Fn+F (current Chrome / supported macOS) |
| Open link in background tab | Ctrl+click | Cmd+click |
Word: review, citations, and styles
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Toggle Track Changes | Ctrl+Shift+E | Review > Track Changes (documented menu route) |
| Accept change and move to next | Review > Accept > Accept and Move to Next | Review > Accept > Accept and Move to Next |
| Reject change and move to next | Review > Reject > Reject and Move to Next | Review > Reject > Reject and Move to Next |
| Insert a comment | Ctrl+Alt+M | Cmd+Option+A |
| Insert a footnote | Ctrl+Alt+F | Cmd+Option+F |
| Apply Heading 1 | Ctrl+Alt+1 | Cmd+Option+1 |
| Apply Heading 2 | Ctrl+Alt+2 | Cmd+Option+2 |
| Apply Heading 3 | Ctrl+Alt+3 | Cmd+Option+3 |
| Insert non-breaking space | Ctrl+Shift+Space | Option+Space |
| Insert section sign § (U.S. Mac layout) | Alt+0167 (numeric keypad) | Option+6; otherwise Character Viewer |
| Insert paragraph sign ¶ (U.S. Mac layout) | Alt+0182 (numeric keypad) | Option+7; otherwise Character Viewer |
Excel: spreadsheet essentials
Select a reference inside a formula before using F4 or Cmd+T. Outside formula editing, the same keys can perform a different command.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Move to edge of data region | Ctrl+Arrow | Cmd+Arrow |
| Select current region | Ctrl+Shift+* (Ctrl+Shift+8 on U.S. keyboard) | Cmd+Shift+* (Cmd+Shift+8) |
| Fill down selected range | Ctrl+D | Cmd+D |
| AutoSum | Alt+Equals (=) | Shift+Cmd+T |
| Cycle absolute / mixed / relative reference | F4 while editing a cell reference | Cmd+T while editing a cell reference |
| Format Cells | Ctrl+1 | Cmd+1 |
| Toggle filter | Ctrl+Shift+L | Cmd+Shift+F |
| Insert current date | Ctrl+Semicolon (;) | Ctrl+Semicolon (;) |
Acrobat and PDF review
For U and S, enable Preferences > General > Use Single-Key Accelerators To Access Tools. Use Acrobat > Settings/Preferences on Mac. Scanned PDFs may need OCR before text search or highlighting works.
Rotate View changes the display only. Organize Pages rotation is a different operation and may require Acrobat's paid features.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Select highlighting tool | U (enable single-key accelerators first) | U (enable single-key accelerators first) |
| Add sticky-note comment tool | S (enable single-key accelerators first) | S (enable single-key accelerators first) |
| Find text | Ctrl+F | Cmd+F |
| Go to page | Ctrl+Shift+N | Cmd+Shift+N |
| Rotate view clockwise (not saved page rotation) | View > Rotate View > Clockwise | View > Rotate View > Clockwise |
| Zoom in | Ctrl+Equals (=) | Cmd+Equals (=) |
| Zoom out | Ctrl+Minus (-) | Cmd+Minus (-) |
| Open Bookmarks panel | View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes > Bookmarks (classic UI); Bookmarks icon in new UI | View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes > Bookmarks (classic UI); Bookmarks icon in new UI |
Tips
Practise Word, Excel, and PDF skills—not just keys
For Word, create a short document with styled headings, a footnote, and a tracked edit. Review the edit deliberately and inspect non-breaking spaces around a section citation. For Excel, enter a small table, fill a formula down, add a total, and check that absolute references stay fixed when copied. For a PDF, find a phrase, navigate to a page, highlight text, and add a comment. Verify each saved file by reopening it instead of assuming that a key press completed the task.
Acrobat settings and scanned documents
Adobe's single-letter tools need Use Single-Key Accelerators To Access Tools enabled in Preferences > General. With that setting off, U and S may not select highlighting or sticky-note tools. A scanned PDF may contain only pictures of text until OCR is applied; Find and text highlighting can therefore fail even when the shortcut is correct. Rotate View changes what you see, not the saved orientation of the PDF's pages. Use the appropriate page-management operation if the actual file must be rotated.
Independent Procertas preparation
Legal technology assessments such as Procertas commonly involve document, spreadsheet, and PDF skills. This is an independent general practice resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an official syllabus for Procertas. The exact software versions, permitted resources, assessment modules, and scoring rules come from your assessment provider. Review those instructions before practising and follow them during the assessment. Learning the underlying workflow is more useful than assuming that every assessment uses the same shortcuts or interface.
Frequently asked questions
Is this an official Procertas guide?
No. It is an independent shortcut and workflow reference, with no affiliation or endorsement. Consult your assessment provider for the actual syllabus and rules.
What does Cmd+T do in Excel on Mac?
While editing a selected cell reference in a formula, it cycles relative, absolute, and mixed references. The same keys can do something different outside that context.
Why do U and S not work in Acrobat?
Enable Use Single-Key Accelerators To Access Tools in Preferences > General, and ensure you are not typing inside a text field.
Does Rotate View save the PDF with rotated pages?
No. It changes the display. Saved page rotation is a separate page-management operation and may require a different Acrobat feature.
Related pages
- Complete Chrome shortcut list
- Word for legal drafting
- More Excel commands
- More Acrobat shortcuts
- Legal symbols reference
Official sources
- Google: Chrome keyboard shortcuts
- Microsoft: Word keyboard shortcuts
- Microsoft: Track Changes and accepting/rejecting revisions
- Apple: Keyboard Viewer
- Microsoft: Excel keyboard shortcuts
- Adobe: Acrobat keyboard shortcuts
- Adobe: PDF viewing and rotation
- Adobe: PDF bookmarks
- Apple: Mac keyboard shortcuts
Last reviewed: 2026-10-13