Word processors have changed our lives. Not only do they make it easy to edit a document again and again, they also enable you to spellcheck as you type, add links to other documents or websites, and do a whole load of stuff we've come to know, love and rely on.
Have you ever got to the end of a sentence only to realise it's not in the right case? You've left capslock on, or the shift key just doesn't seem to be working? Using CTRL+SHIFT+A you can toggles Caps Lock, or switch highlighted words to upper/lower case. You can also use SHIFT+F3 to toggle the selected text between uppercase, lowercase and sentence case.
To quickly align text to the centre of the page you would usually have to use the "Center" function on the toolbar. You can do this far more quickly by using CTRL+E, which will centre the whole paragraph you're editing.
You're working on your latest book, and want to add a footnote, but you're on a roll and don't want to break your concentration. Hit CTRL+ALT+F, and you can add you reference (or make a note for later) and carry on!
Wanting to quickly add the date? You'll be wanting ALT+SHIFT+D.
Wanting to close a window, but your mouse is playing up? ALT+F4.
Below is a list of some more useful shortcuts that we think you ought to know about;
|
All Caps |
CTRL+SHIFT+A |
Toggles Caps Lock, or switches highlighted words to upper/lower case |
|
Annotation |
ALT+CTRL+M |
Annotates a word (adds a comment to the outside of the document) |
|
App Maximize |
ALT+F10 |
Maximizes Window size |
|
App Restore |
ALT+F5 |
Reduces Window size |
|
Apply Heading1 |
ALT+CTRL+1 |
Turns on Heading 1 or applies to highlighted word |
|
Apply Heading2 |
ALT+CTRL+2 |
Turns on Heading 2 or applies to highlighted word |
|
Apply Heading3 |
ALT+CTRL+3 |
Turns on Heading 3 or applies to highlighted word |
|
Auto Text |
F3 or ALT+CTRL+V |
Toggles auto correct on words & punctuation |
|
Bold |
CTRL+B or CTRL+SHIFT+B |
Toggles Bold |
|
Bookmark |
CTRL+SHIFT+F5 |
Adds a virtual bookmark so you don't lose your place between reads |
|
Centre Para |
CTRL+E |
Aligns text to the centre |
|
Close or Exit |
ALT+F4 |
Close program |
|
Copy |
CTRL+C or CTRL+INSERT |
Copies highlighted text to the clipboard for pasting |
|
Cut |
CTRL+X or SHIFT+DELETE |
Cuts highlighted text to the clipboard for pasting |
|
Date Field |
ALT+SHIFT+D |
Adds today's date |
|
Delete Back Word |
CTRL+BACKSPACE |
Deletes previous word |
|
Delete Word |
CTRL+DELETE |
Deletes next word |
|
Dictionary |
ALT+SHIFT+F7 |
Opens dictionary |
|
Double Underline |
CTRL+SHIFT+D |
Adds double underline to new text of highlighted text |
|
End of Document |
CTRL+END |
Skips to end of document |
|
End of Line |
END |
Skips to end of current line |
|
Find |
CTRL+F |
Opens find box |
|
Footnote Now |
ALT+CTRL+F |
Adds a reference footnote |
|
Grow Font One Point |
CTRL+] |
Increases font size by 1 |
|
Indent |
CTRL+M |
Adds indent to beginning of line |
|
Italic |
CTRL+I or CTRL+SHIFT+I |
Toggles Italics |
|
Left Para |
CTRL+L |
Aligns text to the left |
|
New |
CTRL+N |
New document |
|
Open |
CTRL+O |
Open document |
|
Overtype |
INSERT |
Types over text |
|
Page Break |
CTRL+ENTER |
Add page break |
|
Paste |
CTRL+V or SHIFT+INSERT |
Pastes copied or cut text |
|
|
CTRL+P |
Opens print menu |
|
Print Preview |
CTRL+F2 or ALT+CTRL+I |
Opens print preview |
|
Proofing |
F7 |
Proof reads/spell checks document |
|
Redo |
ALT+SHIFT+BACKSPACE |
Redoes what you have just undone |
|
Right Para |
CTRL+R |
Aligns text to the left |
|
Save |
CTRL+S |
Save's document with current name |
|
Save As |
F12 |
Save's document with new name |
|
Select All |
CTRL+A |
Highlights all text |
|
Shrink Font One Point |
CTRL+[ |
Decrease font size by 1 |
|
Start of Line |
HOME |
Skip to start of line |
|
Thesaurus |
SHIFT+F7 |
Opens Thesaurus |
|
Time Field |
ALT+SHIFT+T |
Adds current time |
|
Underline |
CTRL+U |
Adds underline to new text of highlighted text |
|
Undo |
CTRL+Z |
Undoes the last thing done |
We hope you enjoy this wonderful array of shortcuts, that they save you lots of time and that you fall in love with your word processor all over again.
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