Word 2016 keyboard shortcuts

A comprehensive list of keyboard shortcuts built into Word 2016.

Perform common tasks

Action Keyboard shortcut
Create a nonbreaking space Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar

Create a nonbreaking hyphen Ctrl+Shift+Hyphen

Make letters bold Ctrl+B
Make letters italic Ctrl+I

Make letters underlined Ctrl+U

Decrease font size one value Ctrl+Shift+<
Increase font size one value Ctrl+Shift+>
Decrease font size 1 point Ctrl+[
Increase font size 1 point Ctrl+]

Remove paragraph or character formatting Ctrl+Spacebar

Copy the selected text or object Ctrl+C

Cut the selected text or object Ctrl+X

Paste text or an object Ctrl+V

Refine paste action (Paste Special) Ctrl+Alt+V

Paste formatting only Ctrl+Shift+V

Undo the last action Ctrl+Z

Redo the last action Ctrl+Y

Open the Word Count dialog box Ctrl+Shift+G

Work with documents and webpages

Create, view, and save documents
Action Keyboard shortcut
Create a new document Ctrl+N
Open a document Ctrl+O
Close a document Ctrl+W
Split the document window Alt+Ctrl+S

Remove the document window split Alt+Shift+C or Alt+Ctrl+S

Save a document Ctrl+S

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Find, replace, and browse through text
Action Keyboard shortcut
Open the Navigation pane (to search the
Ctrl+F
document)
Repeat a Find action (after closing the Find
And Replace Alt+Ctrl+Y
dialog box)
Replace text, specific formatting, and
Ctrl+H
special items
Go to a page, bookmark, footnote, table,
comment, graphic, Ctrl+G
or other location
Switch between the last four places that
Alt+Ctrl+Z
you have edited

Open a list of browse options Alt+Ctrl+Home

Move to the previous browse object (set in browse options) Ctrl+Page Up

Move to the next browse object (set in browse options) Ctrl+Page Down

Switch to another view

Action Keyboard shortcut
Switch to Print Layout view Alt+Ctrl+P
Switch to Outline view Alt+Ctrl+O
Switch to Draft view Alt+Ctrl+N

Work in Outline view

Action Keyboard shortcut
Promote a paragraph Alt+Shift+Left Arrow
Demote a paragraph Alt+Shift+Right Arrow
Demote to body text Ctrl+Shift+N
Move selected paragraphs up Alt+Shift+Up Arrow
Move selected paragraphs down Alt+Shift+Down Arrow
Expand text under a heading Alt+Shift+Plus sign
Collapse text under a heading Alt+Shift+Minus sign
Expand or collapse all text or headings Alt+Shift+A
The slash (/) key on the
Hide or display character formatting
numeric keypad
Show the first line of body text or all body text Alt+Shift+L
Show all headings with the Heading 1 style Alt+Shift+1

Show all headings up to the Heading n style Alt+Shift+9

Insert a tab character Ctrl+Tab

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Work in Read Mode
Action Keyboard shortcut
Go to the beginning of the document Home

Go to the end of the document End

Go to page n n, Enter
Exit Read Mode Esc

Print and preview documents

Action Keyboard shortcut
Print a document Ctrl+P

Display the Print page of the Backstage view Alt+Ctrl+I

Move around the preview page when zoomed in Arrow keys

Move by one preview page when zoomed out Page Up or Page Down

Move to the first preview page when zoomed out Ctrl+Home

Move to the last preview page when zoomed out Ctrl+End

Review documents
Action Keyboard shortcut
Insert a comment Alt+Ctrl+M
Turn change tracking on or off Ctrl+Shift+E

Close the Reviewing pane if it is open Alt+Shift+C

Work with references, footnotes, and endnotes

Action Keyboard shortcut
Mark a table of contents entry Alt+Shift+O

Mark a table of authorities entry (citation) Alt+Shift+I

Mark an index entry Alt+Shift+X

Insert a footnote Alt+Ctrl+F

Insert an endnote Alt+Ctrl+D

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Work with webpages

Action Keyboard shortcut

Insert a hyperlink Ctrl+K

Go back one page Alt+Left Arrow

Go forward one page Alt+Right Arrow

Refresh F9

Edit and move text and graphics

Delete text and graphics

Action Keyboard shortcut
Delete one character to the left Backspace
Delete one word to the left Ctrl+Backspace
Delete one character to the right Delete
Delete one word to the right Ctrl+Delete

Cut selected content to the Clipboard Ctrl+X

Undo the last action Ctrl+Z

Cut selected content to the Spike Ctrl+F3

Copy and move text and graphics

Action Keyboard shortcut
Press Alt+H to move to the
Open the Clipboard Home tab, and then press
F,O
Copy selected text or graphics to the Clipboard Ctrl+C

Cut selected text or graphics to the Clipboard Ctrl+X

Paste the most recent addition or pasted item from the
Ctrl+V
Clipboard
F2 (then move the cursor
Move text or graphics once
and press Enter)
Shift+F2 (then move the
Copy text or graphics once
cursor and press Enter)
When text or an object is selected, open the Create New
Alt+F3
Building Block dialog box

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 When a building block—for example, a SmartArt graphic—is
Shift+F10
selected, display the shortcut menu that is associated with it

Copy the header or footer used in the previous section of the

Alt+Shift+R
document

Insert special characters

Action Keyboard shortcut
A field Ctrl+F9
A line break Shift+Enter
A page break Ctrl+Enter
A column break Ctrl+Shift+Enter
An em dash Alt+Ctrl+Minus sign
An en dash Ctrl+Minus sign

An optional hyphen Ctrl+Hyphen

A nonbreaking hyphen Ctrl+Shift+Hyphen
A nonbreaking space Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar
The copyright symbol Alt+Ctrl+C
The registered trademark symbol Alt+Ctrl+R
The trademark symbol Alt+Ctrl+T
An ellipsis Alt+Ctrl+Period
Enter (after the ScreenTip
An AutoText entry
appears)

Insert characters by using character codes

Action Keyboard shortcut
Insert the Unicode character for the specified Unicode
(hexadecimal) character code. For example, to insert the
euro
The character code, Alt+X
currency symbol (€), enter 20AC, and then hold down Alt
and
press X
Find out the Unicode character code for the selected
Alt+X
character
Insert the ANSI character for the specified ANSI (decimal)
character code. For example, to insert the euro currency Alt+ the character code (on
symbol, hold down Alt and press 0128 on the numeric the numeric keypad)
keypad

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Select text and graphics
Action Keyboard shortcut
Hold down Shift and use
Select text and graphics the arrow keys to move the
cursor

Extend a selection
Action Keyboard shortcut
Turn extend mode on F8
F8+Left Arrow or Right
Select the nearest character
Arrow
F8 (press once to select
a word, twice to select a
Increase the size of a selection
sentence, and
so on)
Reduce the size of a selection Shift+F8
Turn extend mode off Esc

Extend a selection one character to the right Shift+Right Arrow

Extend a selection one character to the left Shift+Left Arrow

Extend a selection to the end of a word Ctrl+Shift+Right Arrow

Extend a selection to the beginning of a word Ctrl+Shift+Left Arrow

Extend a selection to the end of a line Shift+End

Extend a selection to the beginning of a line Shift+Home

Extend a selection one line down Shift+Down Arrow

Extend a selection one line up Shift+Up Arrow

Extend a selection to the end of a paragraph Ctrl+Shift+Down Arrow

Extend a selection to the beginning of a paragraph Ctrl+Shift+Up Arrow

Extend a selection one screen down Shift+Page Down

Extend a selection one screen up Shift+Page Up

Extend a selection to the beginning of a document Ctrl+Shift+Home

Extend a selection to the end of a document Ctrl+Shift+End

Extend a selection to the end of a window Alt+Ctrl+Shift+Page Down

Extend a selection to include the entire document Ctrl+A

Ctrl+Shift+F8, and then use

Select a vertical block of text the arrow keys; press Esc to
cancel

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 F8+arrow keys; press Esc to
Extend a selection to a specific location in a document
cancel

Select text and graphics in a table

Action Keyboard shortcut
Select the next cell’s contents Tab
Select the preceding cell’s contents Shift+Tab

Hold down Shift and press an arrow key

Extend a selection to adjacent cells
repeatedly

Use the arrow keys to move to the column’s top or

bottom cell, and then do either of the following:
■ Press Shift+Alt+Page Down to select the
Select a column
column from top to bottom
■ Press Shift+Alt+Page Up to select the column
from bottom to top

Ctrl+Shift+F8, and then use the arrow keys; press

Extend a selection (or block)
Esc to cancel selection mode

Select an entire table Alt+5 on the numeric keypad (with Num Lock off)

Move through documents

Action Keyboard shortcut

One character to the left Left Arrow

One character to the right Right Arrow

One word to the left Ctrl+Left Arrow

One word to the right Ctrl+Right Arrow

One paragraph up Ctrl+Up Arrow

One paragraph down Ctrl+Down Arrow

One cell to the left (in a table) Shift+Tab
One cell to the right (in a table) Tab
Up one line Up Arrow
Down one line Down Arrow

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 To the end of a line End
To the beginning of a line Home
To the top of the window Alt+Ctrl+Page Up
To the end of the window Alt+Ctrl+Page Down
Up one screen (scrolling) Page Up
Down one screen (scrolling) Page Down
To the top of the next page Ctrl+Page Down
To the top of the previous page Ctrl+Page Up
To the end of a document Ctrl+End
To the beginning of a document Ctrl+Home
To a previous revision Shift+F5

Immediately after opening a document, go to the

location Shift+F5
you were working in when the document was last closed

Move around in a table

Action Keyboard shortcut
To the next cell in a row Tab
To the previous cell in a row Shift+Tab
To the first cell in a row Alt+Home
To the last cell in a row Alt+End
To the first cell in a column Alt+Page Up
To the last cell in a column Alt+Page Down

To the previous row Up Arrow

To the next row Down Arrow

Insert characters and move content in tables

Action Keyboard shortcut
New paragraphs in a cell Enter
Tab characters in a cell Ctrl+Tab
Move content up one row Alt+Shift+Up Arrow
Move content down one row Alt+Shift+Down Arrow

Apply character and paragraph formatting

Copy formatting
Action Keyboard shortcut
Copy formatting from text Ctrl+Shift+C
Apply copied formatting to text Ctrl+Shift+V

Change or resize the font

TIP The following keyboard shortcuts do not work in Read Mode.
Action Keyboard shortcut

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 Open the Font dialog box to change the font Ctrl+Shift+F

Increase the font size Ctrl+Shift+>

Decrease the font size Ctrl+Shift+<
Increase the font size by 1 point Ctrl+]
Decrease the font size by 1 point Ctrl+[

Apply character formats

Action Keyboard shortcut
Open the Font dialog box to change the formatting of
Ctrl+D
characters

Change the case of letters Shift+F3

Format all letters as capitals Ctrl+Shift+A
Apply bold formatting Ctrl+B
Apply an underline Ctrl+U
Underline words but not spaces Ctrl+Shift+W
Double-underline text Ctrl+Shift+D
Apply hidden text formatting Ctrl+Shift+H
Apply italic formatting Ctrl+I
Format letters as small capitals Ctrl+Shift+K

Apply subscript formatting (automatic spacing) Ctrl+Equal sign

Apply superscript formatting (automatic spacing) Ctrl+Shift+Plus sign

Remove manual character formatting Ctrl+Spacebar

Change the selection to the Symbol font Ctrl+Shift+Q

View and copy text formats

Action Keyboard shortcut
Display nonprinting characters Ctrl+Shift+8
Shift+F1 (then click the text
Review text formatting with the formatting you
want to review)
Copy formats Ctrl+Shift+C
Paste formats Ctrl+Shift+V

Set the line spacing

Action Keyboard shortcut
Single-space lines Ctrl+1
Double-space lines Ctrl+2
Set 1.5-line spacing Ctrl+5

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 Add or remove one line space preceding a paragraph Ctrl+0 (zero)

Align paragraphs
Action Keyboard shortcut
Switch a paragraph between centered and left-aligned Ctrl+E

Switch a paragraph between justified and left-aligned Ctrl+J

Switch a paragraph between right-aligned and left-

Ctrl+R
aligned
Left align a paragraph Ctrl+L
Indent a paragraph from the left Ctrl+M

Remove a paragraph indent from the left Ctrl+Shift+M

Create a hanging indent Ctrl+T

Reduce a hanging indent Ctrl+Shift+T
Remove paragraph formatting Ctrl+Q

Apply paragraph styles

Action Keyboard shortcut
Open the Apply Styles pane Ctrl+Shift+S
Open the Styles pane Alt+Ctrl+Shift+S
Start AutoFormat Alt+Ctrl+K
Apply the Normal style Ctrl+Shift+N
Apply the Heading 1 style Alt+Ctrl+1
Apply the Heading 2 style Alt+Ctrl+2
Apply the Heading 3 style Alt+Ctrl+3
Close the active Styles pane Ctrl+Spacebar, C

Work with mail merge and fields

Perform mail merges

Action Keyboard shortcut
Preview a mail merge Alt+Shift+K
Merge a document Alt+Shift+N
Print the merged document Alt+Shift+M
Edit a mail-merge data document Alt+Shift+E
Insert a merge field Alt+Shift+F

Work with fields

Action Keyboard shortcut
Insert a Date field Alt+Shift+D
Insert a LIstNum field Alt+Ctrl+L
Insert a Page field Alt+Shift+P
Insert a Time field Alt+Shift+T
Insert an empty field Ctrl+F9

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 Update linked information in a Word source document Ctrl+Shift+F7

Update selected fields F9

Unlink a field Ctrl+Shift+F9

Switch between a selected field code and its result Shift+F9

Switch between all field codes and their results Alt+F9

Run GoToButton or MacroButton from the field that

displays Alt+Shift+F9
the field results
Go to the next field F11
Go to the previous field Shift+F11
Lock a field Ctrl+F11
Unlock a field Ctrl+Shift+F11

Use the Language bar

Action Keyboard shortcut
Switch between languages or keyboard layouts Left Alt+Shift

Display a list of correction alternatives Windows logo key+C

Turn handwriting on or off Windows logo key +H
Turn Japanese Input Method Editor (IME) on 101
keyboard on Alt+~
or off
Turn Korean IME on 101 keyboard on or off Right Alt

Turn Chinese IME on 101 keyboard on or off Ctrl+Spacebar

TIP The Windows logo key is available on the bottom row of keys on most keyboards.
Perform function key tasks
Function keys
Action Keyboard shortcut
Get Help or visit Office.com F1
Move text or graphics F2
Repeat the last action F4
Choose the Go To command (Home tab) F5

Go to the next pane or frame F6

Choose the Spelling command (Review tab) F7

Extend a selection F8
Update the selected fields F9
Show KeyTips F10
Go to the next field F11
Choose the Save As command F12

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Shift+function key
Action Keyboard shortcut
Start context-sensitive Help or reveal formatting Shift+F1
Copy text Shift+F2
Change the case of letters Shift+F3
Repeat a Find or Go To action Shift+F4
Move to the last change Shift+F5
Go to the previous pane or frame (after pressing F6) Shift+F6

Choose the Thesaurus command (Review tab, Proofing

Shift+F7
group)
Reduce the size of a selection Shift+F8
Switch between a field code and its result Shift+F9
Display a shortcut menu Shift+F10
Go to the previous field Shift+F11
Choose the Save command Shift+F12

Ctrl+function key
Action Keyboard shortcut
Expand or collapse the ribbon Ctrl+F1

Choose the Print Preview command Ctrl+F2

Close the window Ctrl+F4

Go to the next window Ctrl+F6
Insert an empty field Ctrl+F9
Maximize the document window Ctrl+F10
Lock a field Ctrl+F11
Choose the Open command Ctrl+F12

Ctrl+Shift+function key
Action Keyboard shortcut
Insert the contents of the Spike Ctrl+Shift+F3
Edit a bookmark Ctrl+Shift+F5
Go to the previous window Ctrl+Shift+F6
Update linked information in a Word source document Ctrl+Shift+F7
Ctrl+Shift+F8, and then
Extend a selection or block
press an arrow key
Unlink a field Ctrl+Shift+F9
Unlock a field Ctrl+Shift+F11
Choose the Print command Ctrl+Shift+F12

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Alt+function key
Action Keyboard shortcut
Go to the next field Alt+F1
Create a new building block Alt+F3
Exit Word Alt+F4
Restore the app window size Alt+F5

Move from an open dialog box back to the document, for

Alt+F6
dialog boxes that support this behavior

Find the next misspelling or grammatical error Alt+F7

Run a macro Alt+F8
Switch between all field codes and their results Alt+F9

Display the Selection And Visibility pane Alt+F10

Display Microsoft Visual Basic code Alt+F11

Alt+Shift+function key
Action Keyboard shortcut
Go to the previous field Alt+Shift+F1
Choose the Save command Alt+Shift+F2
Display the Research pane Alt+Shift+F7
Run GoToButton or MacroButton from the field that
displays Alt+Shift+F9
the field results
Display a menu or message for an available action Alt+Shift+F10

Select the Table Of Contents button when the Table Of

Alt+Shift+F12
Contents is active

Ctrl+Alt+function key
Action Keyboard shortcut
Display Microsoft System Information Ctrl+Alt+F1
Choose the Open command Ctrl+Alt+F2

Display and use windows

Action Keyboard shortcut

Switch to the next window Alt+Tab

Switch to the previous window Alt+Shift+Tab

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 Close the active window Ctrl+W or Ctrl+F4

Restore the size of the active window after you maximize it Alt+F5

Action Keyboard shortcut

Move to a pane from another pane in the app window
(clockwise direction)
If pressing F6 does not display the pane that you want,
press F6 or Shift+F6
Alt to put the focus on the ribbon, and then press Ctrl+Tab
to
move to the pane
Switch to the next open window Ctrl+F6
Switch to the previous window Ctrl+Shift+F6

Maximize or restore a selected window Ctrl+F10

Copy a picture of the screen to the Clipboard Print Screen

Copy a picture of the selected window to the Clipboard Alt+Print Screen

Use dialog boxes

Action Keyboard shortcut
Move to the next option or option group Tab

Move to the previous option or option group Shift+Tab

Switch to the next tab in a dialog box Ctrl+Tab

Switch to the previous tab in a dialog box Ctrl+Shift+Tab

Move between options in an open drop-down list,

Arrow keys
or between options in a group of options

Perform the action assigned to the selected button; select

or Spacebar
clear the selected check box

Select an option; select or clear a check box Alt+ the underlined letter

Open a selected drop-down list Alt+Down Arrow

Select an option from a drop-down list First letter of the list option

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 Close a selected drop-down list; cancel a command and
close Esc
a dialog box
Run the selected command Enter

Use edit boxes within dialog boxes

An edit box is a blank box in which you enter or paste an entry.
Action Keyboard shortcut
Move to the beginning of the entry Home

Move to the end of the entry End

Move one character to the left or right Left Arrow or Right Arrow

Move one word to the left Ctrl+Left Arrow

Move one word to the right Ctrl+Right Arrow

Select or unselect one character to the left Shift+Left Arrow

Select or unselect one character to the right Shift+Right Arrow

Select or unselect one word to the left Ctrl+Shift+Left Arrow

Select or unselect one word to the right Ctrl+Shift+Right Arrow

Select from the insertion point to the beginning of the

Shift+Home
entry

Select from the insertion point to the end of the entry Shift+End

Use the Open and Save As dialog boxes

Action Keyboard shortcut
Open the Open dialog box Ctrl+F12 or Ctrl+O
Open the Save As dialog box F12
Open the selected folder or file Enter

Open the folder one level above the selected folder Backspace
Delete the selected folder or file Delete
Display a shortcut menu for a selected item such as
Shift+F10
a folder or file

Move forward through options Tab

Move back through options Shift+Tab
Open the Look In list F4 or Alt+I
Refresh the file list F5

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Use the Backstage view
Action Keyboard shortcut

Display the Open page of the Backstage view Ctrl+O

Display the Save As page of the Backstage view

Ctrl+S
(when saving a file for the first time)

Continue saving an Office file (after giving the file

Ctrl+S
a name and location)

Display the Save As page of the Backstage view

Alt+F+S
(after initially saving a file)

Close the Backstage view Esc

TIP You can use dialog boxes instead of Backstage view pages by selecting the Don’t
Show The Backstage When Opening Or Saving Files check box on the Save page of the
Word Options dialog box. Set this option in any Office app to enable it in all Office apps.

Navigate the ribbon

Follow these steps:
1. Press Alt to display the KeyTips over each feature in the current view.
2. Press the letter shown in the KeyTip over the feature that you want to use.
TIP To cancel the action and hide the KeyTips, press Alt

Change the keyboard focus without using the mouse

Action Keyboard shortcut
Alt or F10. Press either of
Select the active tab of the ribbon and activate the these keys again to move
access keys back to the document and
cancel the access keys
F10 to select the active tab,
Move to another tab of the ribbon and then Left Arrow or Right
Arrow
Expand or collapse the ribbon Ctrl+F1

Display the shortcut menu for the selected item Shift+F10

Move the focus to select each of the following areas

of the window:
■ Active tab of the ribbon
F6
■ Any open panes
■ Status bar at the bottom of the window
■ Your document

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 Move the focus to each command on the ribbon, forward
or Tab or Shift+Tab
backward, respectively

Move among the items on the ribbon Arrow keys

Activate the selected command or control on the ribbon Spacebar or Enter

Display the selected menu or gallery on the ribbon Spacebar or Enter

Activate a command or control on the ribbon so that you

Enter
can modify a value

Finish modifying a value in a control on the ribbon, and

Enter
move focus back to the document

Get help on the selected command or control on the

F1
ribbon

Move around in and work in tables

Action Keyboard shortcut
Move to the next cell Tab
Move to the preceding cell Shift+Tab
Move to the next row Down Arrow
Move to the preceding row Up Arrow
Insert a tab in a cell Ctrl+Tab
Start a new paragraph Enter
Tab at the end of the last
Add a new row at the bottom of the table
row

Access and use panes and galleries

Action Keyboard shortcut
Move to a pane from another pane in the app window F6

When a menu is active, move to a pane Ctrl+Tab

When a pane is active, select the next or previous option

in Tab or Shift+Tab
the pane

Display the full set of commands on the pane menu Ctrl+Spacebar

Perform the action assigned to the selected button Spacebar or Enter

Open a drop-down menu for the selected gallery item Shift+F10

Select the first or last item in a gallery Home or End

Scroll up or down in the selected gallery list Page Up or Page Down

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 Close a pane Ctrl+Spacebar, C
Open the Clipboard Alt+H, F, O

Access and use available actions

Action Keyboard shortcut
Display the shortcut menu for the selected item Shift+F10
Display the menu or message for an available action or
for
Alt+Shift+F10
the AutoCorrect Options button or the Paste options
button
Move between options in a menu of available actions Arrow keys

Perform the action for the selected item on a menu of

Enter
available actions

Close the available actions menu or message Esc

Find and replace content

Action Keyboard shortcut
Open the Find dialog box Ctrl+F
Open the Replace dialog box Ctrl+H
Repeat the last Find action Shift+F4

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Use the Help window
Action Keyboard shortcut
Open the Help window F1
Close the Help window Alt+F4

Switch between the Help window and the active app Alt+Tab

Action Keyboard shortcut

Return to the Help table of contents Alt+Home

Select the next item in the Help window Tab

Select the previous item in the Help window Shift+Tab

Perform the action for the selected item Enter

Select the next hidden text or hyperlink, including Show
All or Tab
Hide All at the top of a Help topic

Select the previous hidden text or hyperlink Shift+Tab

Perform the action for the selected Show All, Hide All,
hidden Enter
text, or hyperlink
Alt+Left Arrow or
Move back to the previous Help topic (Back button)
Backspace

Move forward to the next Help topic (Forward button) Alt+Right Arrow

Scroll small amounts up or down, respectively, within the

Up Arrow, Down Arrow
currently displayed Help topic
Scroll larger amounts up or down, respectively, within the
Page Up, Page Down
currently displayed Help topic
Display a menu of commands for the Help window. This
requires that the Help window have the active focus (click
Shift+F10
in
the Help window)

Stop the last action (Stop button) Esc

Print the current Help topic

If the cursor is not in the current Help topic, press F6 and
Ctrl+P
then
press Ctrl+P
In a Table of Contents in tree view, select the next or
previous Up Arrow, Down Arrow
item, respectively
In a Table of Contents in tree view, expand or collapse the
Left Arrow, Right Arrow
selected item, respectively

Prepared by Otieno Billy @gurusvibes(twitter)

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