Handy Office and Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

If you’re a Microsoft Office user who touch-types, you might prefer the keyboard to the mouse for entering commands. However, chances are you wind up using the mouse, because Windows and Office keyboard shortcuts are difficult to remember, and trying to find them is like searching for hidden goodies in a treasure hunt. Once found, though, shortcuts can be invaluable time-savers.

This isn’t a list of every shortcut in Windows and Office. We’ve concentrated on the most helpful and won’t delve into the shortcuts you probably know already, such as those that copy (Ctrl-C), cut (Ctrl-X), or paste (Ctrl-V) objects.

Don’t try to learn all of these key combinations at once. Pick a few that fit the way you work, use them until they become automatic, then try a few more. To help you remember, we’ve added mnemonics where needed and notes where appropriate. All of these shortcuts will work in Windows 95, 98, Me, NT 4.0, and 2000, except where noted. Some require a keyboard with a Windows key (the key with a flying Windows icon on it). Windows-key shortcuts are among the most useful — and most overlooked.

MOVING AROUND WINDOWS AND THE DESKTOP

Shortcuts that let you move from one window to another easily, get to the Windows desktop, or move around the desktop can speed you up considerably.

Switch among applications: Windows-Tab or Alt-Tab

The Windows-Tab combination cycles through the taskbar buttons. When you’ve selected the program you want, hit Enter to switch to that window. If more than one program is running, Alt-Tab will bring up the task-switching window. Releasing the keys immediately will switch you to the previous application. To jump to one of the other running programs instead, release Tab, but keep Alt held down. Each succeeding press of Tab will move the Program Selection Box to the next application. Releasing the Alt key switches you to the selected program. If only two applications are running, Alt-Tab will toggle between them.

Open the Start Menu: Ctrl-Esc or Windows

Either shortcut will open the Start menu. Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to move through the menu and the Enter key to select an item. The two shortcuts vary slightly depending on your version of Windows. Ctrl-Esc leaves the Start button selected but not pressed. In Windows 95, 98, and NT 4.0 (but not Windows 2000 and Me), Window-Esc will return you to the window or desktop selection you were working with previously.

Go to the Quick Launch toolbar and launch a program: Ctrl-Esc, Esc, Tab, select with Arrow keys, Enter. Minimize all open Windows and reveal the desktop: Windows-M or Windows-D.

Mnemonic: This one’s easy to remember; M for Minimize all and D for desktop. Note that Windows-D doesn’t work under Windows 95, but Windows-M does.

Restore all Windows you previously minimized with Windows-M or Windows-D: Shift-Windows-M or repeat Windows-D

Move within the Windows Desktop and select items: Tab, Arrow, Enter

Once at the desktop, use the Tab key to cycle through the Start button, Quick Launch toolbar, other toolbars, Taskbar Button area, and icons on the desktop (and those in the system tray in Windows 2000). Use the Arrow keys to move around within any of these areas of the desktop or taskbar. Use the Enter key to select items. For example, you must select the Start button to open the Start menu.

WINDOWS HOUSEKEEPING CHORES

These shortcuts can help you with day-to-day housekeeping in Windows.

Open the Run dialog box: Windows-R

Mnemonic: The Windows Run dialog.

Start Windows Explorer: Windows-E

Mnemonic: Windows Explorer.

Find a File (from the Windows desktop): Windows-F, or F3

Mnemonic: Windows Find file dialog box.

Open the System Properties dialog box: Windows-Break

Mnemonic: Windows is broken; check the system properties.

Rename the selected object: F2

Mnemonic: This is the same command Excel uses for editing the currently selected cell. This command and the next one also work within programs. For example, you can use these commands when working in the File/Open dialog box in Word or Excel. Note that after you select text in Word, F2 begins moving the current selection. You can then move the insertion cursor to the desired location and hit Enter.

Delete selected objects without sending them to the Recycle Bin: Shift-Delete

Mnemonic: A slightly shifted version of what happens when you hit Delete, which sends objects to the Recycle Bin. Be careful with this command. Under some conditions, it will delete a file without asking for confirmation.

Bypass the CD-ROM AutoRun feature: Hold down the Shift key while you insert the disk. This is an invaluable tool when you have to remove a disk during installation (to read the CD key, for example), then reinsert the disk.

View the Properties dialog for a selected object: Alt-Enter

This works for such disparate objects as icons on the desktop, printers, hard drives, and the taskbar.

WINDOWS-WIDE SHORTCUTS

The shortcuts in this category work both in Windows itself and in most Windows applications. Some of these shortcuts relate to the windows of a particular application. Others relate to features you’ll find in almost any Windows program, such as drop-down list boxes.

Restore, Move, Size, Minimize, Maximize, or Close the main window of the currently selected program: Alt-Spacebar, letter key, or Alt-Spacebar, Arrow, Enter

Alt-Spacebar opens the System menu, which will appear on-screen even if the application window is mostly off-screen. You can move the window back to a workable position using the Arrow keys and then hit Enter to set it down.

Restore, Move, Size, Minimize, Maximize, or Close the currently selected window within a program: Alt-hyphen, letter key, or Alt-hyphen, Arrow, Enter

Open a context menu: Shift-F10, letter key, or Shift-F10, Arrow, Enter

This is particularly useful in a program such as Word when, for example, you want to call up the Editing Context menu without moving your fingers from the keys to right-click.

Open a drop-down list box: Alt-Down Arrow

Mnemonic: Down box, Down Arrow. This is especially helpful when you’re filling in database forms (in Microsoft Access, for example). It’s also useful when working in a dialog box.

Cycle through the tabs in a dialog box: Ctrl-Tab and Ctrl-Shift-Tab

Mnemonic: Control your way from tab to tab. Ctrl-Tab goes from left to right, Ctrl-Shift-Tab moves from right to left.

Switch from window to window within the same program: Alt-F6

This won’t work with all windows. It will, for example, toggle between a Find window and a document window in Microsoft Word, but it won’t toggle between one document window and another. The command in Word for cycling through the open document windows is Ctrl-F6.

Basic font formatting for bold, underline, italic: Ctrl-B, Ctrl-U, Ctrl-I

You probably know these work in the Office programs you use, but try them in other programs as well; they might work.

Undo: Ctrl-Z