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Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts (Microsoft 365) — Complete Cheat Sheet

Write and edit faster in Microsoft Word with shortcuts for formatting, navigation, review, and styles.

43 shortcuts across 4 categories · Windows · macOS

Microsoft Word's keyboard shortcuts cover everything from basic text formatting to advanced document features like track changes, styles, and mail merge. Learning these shortcuts lets you create and edit professional documents faster — no mouse required for most common tasks.

Text Formatting

Action	Shortcut	Description
Bold	`Ctrl` + `B`	Toggle bold on the selected text
Italic	`Ctrl` + `I`	Toggle italic on the selected text
Underline	`Ctrl` + `U`	Toggle underline on the selected text
Strikethrough	`Alt` + `H` + `4`	Apply strikethrough formatting
Increase Font Size	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `>`	Make the selected text larger
Decrease Font Size	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `<`	Make the selected text smaller
Heading 1	`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `1`	Apply Heading 1 style
Heading 2	`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `2`	Apply Heading 2 style
Heading 3	`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `3`	Apply Heading 3 style
Normal Style	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `N`	Reset text to Normal paragraph style
Center Align	`Ctrl` + `E`	Center the selected paragraph
Left Align	`Ctrl` + `L`	Left-align the selected paragraph
Right Align	`Ctrl` + `R`	Right-align the selected paragraph
Justify	`Ctrl` + `J`	Justify the selected paragraph
Clear Formatting	`Ctrl` + `Space`	Remove all manual formatting from the selection

Navigation & Selection

Action	Shortcut	Description
Go to Beginning	`Ctrl` + `Home`	Jump to the very beginning of the document
Go to End	`Ctrl` + `End`	Jump to the very end of the document
Move Word by Word	`Ctrl` + `←`	Move the cursor one word at a time
Select to Beginning	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Home`	Select from the cursor to the start of the document
Select to End	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `End`	Select from the cursor to the end of the document
Select Word	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `→`	Extend selection one word to the right
Go to Page	`Ctrl` + `G`	Navigate to a specific page, section, or bookmark
Find	`Ctrl` + `F`	Open the Find pane to search the document
Find & Replace	`Ctrl` + `H`	Find text and replace it with something else
Next Find Result	`Ctrl` + `Page Down`	Jump to the next search result

Review & Comments

Action	Shortcut	Description
Spell Check	`F7`	Run the spelling and grammar checker
Thesaurus	`Shift` + `F7`	Open the thesaurus for the selected word
Track Changes	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `E`	Toggle track changes on or off
New Comment	`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `M`	Insert a new comment at the cursor
Accept Change	`Alt` + `Shift` + `A`	Accept the tracked change at the cursor
Reject Change	`Alt` + `Shift` + `R`	Reject the tracked change at the cursor
Next Change	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `E` + `→`	Move to the next tracked change
Word Count	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `G`	Open the word count dialog

File & View

Action	Shortcut	Description
New Document	`Ctrl` + `N`	Create a new blank document
Open Document	`Ctrl` + `O`	Open an existing document
Save	`Ctrl` + `S`	Save the current document
Save As	`F12`	Save the document with a new name or format
Print	`Ctrl` + `P`	Open the print dialog
Close Document	`Ctrl` + `W`	Close the current document
Undo	`Ctrl` + `Z`	Undo the last action
Redo	`Ctrl` + `Y`	Redo the last undone action
Zoom In	`Alt` + `W` + `Q`	Open the zoom dialog to change the view magnification
Read Mode	`Alt` + `W` + `F`	Switch to Read Mode view

Microsoft Word Tips & Tricks

Use styles instead of manual formatting: Apply Heading 1, Heading 2, and Normal styles (Ctrl+Alt+1/2, Ctrl+Shift+N) instead of manually bolding/sizing text. This makes generating a Table of Contents automatic.
Ctrl+Shift+C / Ctrl+Shift+V copies formatting: Select formatted text, press Ctrl+Shift+C to copy just the formatting, then select other text and press Ctrl+Shift+V to apply it — like a paintbrush for styles.
Use Navigation Pane for long documents: Press Ctrl+F and click the Headings tab in the Navigation Pane to jump between sections of a long document instantly.

Frequently Asked Questions — Microsoft Word

What is the shortcut to apply Heading 1 style in Word?: Press Ctrl+Alt+1 to apply Heading 1, Ctrl+Alt+2 for Heading 2, and Ctrl+Alt+3 for Heading 3. These work in Word and many other Office applications.
How do I show formatting marks in Word?: Press Ctrl+Shift+8 (or Ctrl+*) to toggle the display of all formatting marks including spaces, paragraph marks, and tab characters.
How do I copy formatting in Word?: Select text with the desired formatting, press Ctrl+Shift+C to copy the format, then select the destination text and press Ctrl+Shift+V to paste the formatting only (without the text content).

How to Learn Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts

Microsoft Word has been the world's dominant word processor for decades, and its keyboard shortcut system reflects that history — there are shortcuts for virtually every operation in the application. For most users, only a fraction of these matter in daily work: the formatting shortcuts (Ctrl+B, Ctrl+I, Ctrl+U), heading styles (Ctrl+Alt+1 through 3), Find & Replace (Ctrl+H), and navigation shortcuts like Ctrl+Home and Ctrl+End. But for writers and editors who live in Word for hours every day, learning even a dozen additional shortcuts translates to meaningful time savings across the course of a week.

One of the most underused areas of Word shortcuts is the paragraph and style system. Many users format documents manually by selecting text and clicking format buttons — a slow, inconsistent approach. Using Ctrl+Alt+1 for Heading 1, Ctrl+Alt+2 for Heading 2, and Ctrl+Shift+N for Normal style instead builds documents with proper structure, which makes navigating long documents with Ctrl+F much easier and ensures formatting is consistent throughout. Track Changes (Ctrl+Shift+E) and the Review shortcuts are similarly underused but essential for collaborative document editing — learning them before you need them in a deadline situation pays dividends.