Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are incredibly useful, and when used correctly, will help save time and preserve sanity. They can be used for the following reformatting tasks:

Applying Styles
Inserting Notes, Images, and Symbols
Performing Basic Function Commands (opening a tool or view)

On this page, you will find information on pre-existing keyboard shortcuts for both Mac and PC users. You will also find information on how to create your own custom keyboard shortcuts at the end of this page.

If you are looking to fix a repeating formatting problem in your file, for example: double paragraph breaks or letters converted into numbers, please go to the Using Find & Replace or Using Regular Expressions. If you still can't find it, try writing your own Regex, or using a wildcard for find and replace.

If you discover a Keyboard Shortcut that is not on this page, or through the supporting links, please contact the Production Coordinator. They can teach you how to add your own examples through updating this wiki page! All updates to this page must be shared with the full team.

Using Existing Keyboard Shortcuts

In this section, you will find external resources to existing keyboard shortcuts for both Mac and PC users.

If you use Windows for PC, please go to Keyboard shortcuts in Word for Windows for a list of existing options.

If you use Mac, please go to Mac keyboard shortcuts for a list of existing options.

Common Existing Keyboard Shortcuts

To make life a bit easier for you, in this section, you will find Keyboard Shortcuts that are commonly used in your eText Reformatting Workflow.

If you do not see a Keyboard Shortcut in this section, then go back to the external links for a fuller list of shortcuts for both Windows and Mac.

Keyboard Shortcuts for PC

Below you will find a table for the more common Keyboard Shortcuts for PC.

	Command	Windows Shortcut
Styles	Heading 1	Alt+Ctrl+1
	Heading 2	Alt+Ctrl+2
	Heading 3	Alt+Ctrl+3
	Normal	Ctrl+Shift+N
	Quote	N/A
	Emphasis	N/A
	Strong	N/A
	Citation	N/A
	Language	N/A
	Clear Formatting	N/A
Inserting	Insert Endnote	Alt+Ctrl+D
	Insert Picture (Opens dialog)	Alt+N+P
	Insert Symbol (Emoji)	WIN+. (period) OR WIN+; (semicolon)
Tools & Views	Advanced Find and Replace	N/A
	Navigation Pane	Ctrl+F¹
	Styles Pane	Alt+Ctrl+Shift+S

¹ This will open up the Find function in the Navigation Pane, and you will need to click "Headings" if that is what you wish to see. If you want to have a Keyboard Shortcut that automatically opens the Headings area, you can assign one. Detailed directions can be found here.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Mac

Below you will find a table for the more common Keyboard Shortcuts for PC.

	Command	Mac Shortcut
Styles	Heading 1	Command + Option + 1
	Heading 2	Command + Option + 2
	Heading 3	Command + Option + 3
	Normal	N/A
	Quote	N/A
	Emphasis	N/A
	Strong	N/A
	Citation	N/A
	Language	N/A
	Clear Formatting	N/A
Inserting	Insert Endnote	N/A
	Insert Picture (Opens dialog)	N/A
	Insert Symbol (Emoji)	Ctrl + Command + Spacebar¹
Tools & Views	Advanced Find and Replace	N/A
	Navigation Pane	N/A
	Styles Pane	Command + Option + Shift + S

¹ Depending on the version of your macOS, this shortcut may not always work. If you are experiencing any trouble with using this shortcut, please contact the production coordinator for assistance.

Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts

Unfortunately, there is not a Keyboard Shortcut for every function or command in MS Word, but the exciting news is you can create your own!

Under Construction

In Word for Mac:

You will be able to assign many keyboard shortcuts using the Tools>Customize Keyboard… dialog.

In Word for PC:

The path to Customizing keyboard shortcuts is: File > Options > Customize Ribbon > Keyboard Shortcuts: Customize.

For both Mac and PC: When you are customizing your keyboard, and ‘ ‘Press a new Keyboard Shortcut’ ‘, it will tell you if the shortcut you have input has already been assigned to another command. If it has, you can either leave it as is, and choose another key combination, or you can Assign it to the command. If you do this, you may need to navigate to the Command which it was already assigned to, and remove the keyboard shortcut from this command (this depends on your version of Word - some will automatically remove it from the original command when you assign it to a new command).

Shortcuts for Selecting Text

Getting comfortable with using these types of shortcuts will help you to quickly navigate your document, and select items when you need to.

Using them also helps to give you more control over your selections. For example, if you needed to select all of the text of a chapter, and scrolled too far with your mouse, you do not have to start again - you can just use the shortcuts to de-select as many paragraphs or lines as you want!

For Word for PC, a detailed list of text-selecting keyboard shortcuts can be found on this page, under the heading "Select text by using the keyboard".

For Word for Mac, a similar list can be found on this page, under the heading "Select text and graphics".

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