Work faster with the most commonly used keyboard shortcuts for Windows, Word, Excel, Outlook and Microsoft 365. On this page you will find a complete overview of key combinations that help you work more efficiently, edit documents faster and speed up daily tasks.
Windows
Explorer and files
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open Windows Explorer | WIN + E |
| New window | CTRL + N |
| Select adjacent files | SHIFT + arrow keys |
| Select to last/first file | SHIFT + END / HOME |
| Select various files | CTRL + arrow keys, select with SPACE |
| Select all | CTRL + A |
| New folder | CTRL + SHIFT + N |
| Search in Explorer | CTRL + E |
| Delete file | DELETE |
| Delete permanently | SHIFT + DELETE |
Navigating between programs and windows
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Switch between programs | ALT + TAB |
| Close program | ALT + F4 |
| Printscreen | PRTSCN |
| Printscreen of the active window | ALT + PRTSCN |
| Rotate screen (laptop) | CTRL + ALT + arrow keys |
| Start menu | WIN |
| Open Explorer | WIN + E |
| Show desktop | WIN + D |
| Minimise windows | WIN + M |
| Lock | WIN + L |
| Presentation mode / project screen | WIN + P |
Office and Microsoft 365
Navigating and selecting in text
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Per character / per line | ← → / ↑ ↓ |
| Per word / per paragraph | CTRL + ← → / CTRL + ↑ ↓ |
| Start/end of line | HOME / END |
| Start/end of document | CTRL + HOME / END |
| Screen up/down | PAGE UP / PAGE DOWN |
| Select | combine the above with SHIFT |
| Select all | CTRL + A |
| Select various fragments | CTRL + select with mouse |
| On opening, go to last change (from 2010) | SHIFT + F5 |
| Table: next / previous cell | TAB / SHIFT + TAB |
| Table: start / end of row | ALT + HOME / END |
| Table: start / end of column | ALT + PAGE UP / PAGE DOWN |
Editing
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Copy | CTRL + C |
| Cut | CTRL + X |
| Paste | CTRL + V |
| Paste special (from 2007) | CTRL + ALT + V |
| Copy formatting | CTRL + SHIFT + C |
| Paste formatting | CTRL + SHIFT + V |
| Find | CTRL + F |
| Find last searched object again | CTRL + PAGE UP / PAGE DOWN |
| Go to | CTRL + G |
| Replace | CTRL + H |
| Undo | CTRL + Z |
| Redo | CTRL + Y |
| Delete character | DELETE / BACKSPACE |
| Delete word | CTRL + DELETE / BACKSPACE |
| Count words | CTRL + SHIFT + G |
| New file | CTRL + N |
| Open | CTRL + O |
| Save | CTRL + S |
| Save as | F12 |
| CTRL + P | |
| Print preview | CTRL + F2 |
| Spelling check | F7 |
| Zoom in/out | CTRL + mouse wheel |
| Help | F1 |
Formatting: text
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Bold | CTRL + B |
| Italic | CTRL + I |
| Underline | CTRL + U |
| Double underline | CTRL + SHIFT + D |
| Underline without spaces | CTRL + SHIFT + W |
| Increase font size | CTRL + ] |
| Decrease font size | CTRL + [ |
| Increase font size (fixed steps) | CTRL + SHIFT + > |
| Decrease font size (fixed steps) | CTRL + SHIFT + < |
| Superscript | CTRL + SHIFT + + |
| Subscript | CTRL + = |
| Capital letters | CTRL + SHIFT + A |
| Small caps | CTRL + SHIFT + K |
| Highlight (from 2010) | CTRL + ALT + H |
| Font dialog box | CTRL + D |
| Clear text formatting | CTRL + SPACE |
| Show formatting | SHIFT + F1 |
Formatting: paragraph
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Align left | CTRL + L |
| Centre | CTRL + E |
| Align right | CTRL + R |
| Justify | CTRL + J |
| Justify entire page | CTRL + SHIFT + J |
| Line spacing 1 / 2 / 1.5 | CTRL + 1 / 2 / 5 |
| Blank line before paragraph | CTRL + 0 |
| Increase indent | CTRL + M |
| Decrease indent | CTRL + SHIFT + M |
| Increase hanging indent | CTRL + T |
| Decrease hanging indent | CTRL + SHIFT + T |
| Apply bullet list | CTRL + SHIFT + L |
| Clear paragraph formatting | CTRL + Q |
Input
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| New paragraph | ENTER |
| New line | SHIFT + ENTER |
| New page | CTRL + ENTER |
| New column | CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER |
| Hyperlink (2003/2007) | CTRL + ALT + H |
| Hyperlink (from 2010) | CTRL + K |
| Footnote | CTRL + ALT + F |
| Endnote | CTRL + ALT + D |
| Non-breaking space | CTRL + SHIFT + SPACE |
| Non-breaking hyphen | CTRL + SHIFT + – |
| Show hidden characters | CTRL + SHIFT + * |
| Track changes | CTRL + SHIFT + E |
| Comment | CTRL + ALT + M |
| Keyboard: change language | ALT + SHIFT |
| Keyboard: change layout | CTRL + SHIFT |
Special characters
These combinations apply to the United States (international) keyboard layout, which is widely used in the Netherlands. A comma means: first press the first key(s), release, then the letter.
| Character | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| é (á, ó, etc.) | ’ , E |
| è (à, ò, etc.) | ` , E |
| ë (ï, ö, etc.) | SHIFT + ’ (so ”), E |
| ê (î, ô, etc.) | SHIFT + ^ , E |
| ñ (õ, ã, etc.) | SHIFT + ~ , N |
| ç | ’ , C |
| € | CTRL + ALT + 5 |
| £ | CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + $ |
| ® | type (R) |
| © | type (C) |
| ™ | CTRL + ALT + T |
| → / ← | type —> / <— |
| ⇔ | type <=> |
Style profiles and styles
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Heading 1 | CTRL + ALT + 1 |
| Heading 2 | CTRL + ALT + 2 |
| Heading 3 | CTRL + ALT + 3 |
| Normal | CTRL + SHIFT + N |
| Heading level up/down | ALT + SHIFT + ← / → |
| Styles dialog box (2007/2010) | CTRL + SHIFT + S |
Menus and dialog boxes (any program)
Menus
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Menu bar / ribbon | ALT |
| Context menu | context menu key / SHIFT + F10 |
| System menu (window size) | ALT + SPACE |
| Task pane menu (if active) | CTRL + SPACE |
| Select menu item | arrow keys / underlined letter |
| Close menus | ESC |
| Show/hide ribbon (from 2007) | CTRL + F1 |
| Activate toolbars from menu bar (2003) | CTRL + TAB |
Dialog boxes
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Select tab (1) | CTRL + TAB |
| Select tab (2) | CTRL + PAGE UP / PAGE DOWN |
| Select fields | TAB / SHIFT + TAB |
| Select fields directly | ALT + underlined letter |
| Select in drop-down list | ↑ ↓ / first letter |
| Show list options | ALT + ↓ |
| Checkbox on/off | SPACE |
| Select radio button | arrow keys |
| OK | ENTER |
| Cancel | ESC |
Opening, saving and inserting windows
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Activate fields | TAB / SHIFT + TAB |
| Select files | first letter(s) / arrow keys |
| Select adjacent files | SHIFT + arrow keys |
| Select to last/first file | SHIFT + END / HOME |
| Select various files | CTRL + arrow keys, select with SPACE |
| Select all | CTRL + A |
| Folder up | BACKSPACE |
| New folder | CTRL + SHIFT + N |
| Rename | F2 |
| Properties | ALT + ENTER |
| Delete file | DELETE |
| Delete permanently | SHIFT + DELETE |
| Change icon view | CTRL + mouse wheel |
| Open, save or insert | ENTER |
| Cancel | ESC |
Frequently asked questions
How do I quickly open Windows Explorer?
You open Windows Explorer with the key combination WIN + E. This combination works both from the desktop and from other programs.
How can I quickly switch between open programs?
With ALT + TAB you quickly switch between open programs and windows. This is useful if you have several applications open at the same time.
How can I make text bold, italic or underlined in Office?
For bold you use CTRL + B, for italic CTRL + I and for underline CTRL + U. There is also an option for double underline with CTRL + SHIFT + D.
How do I quickly create a heading or style in a Word document?
You can apply Heading 1 with CTRL + ALT + 1, Heading 2 with CTRL + ALT + 2 and Heading 3 with CTRL + ALT + 3. This way you structure your document quickly without using the mouse.
Which shortcuts do I use for copying, cutting and pasting?
Copying is done with CTRL + C, cutting with CTRL + X and pasting with CTRL + V. From 2007 onwards, paste special is also available via CTRL + ALT + V.