
We all know people who look highly efficient at their work, and no less so when it comes to using Microsoft Word. They accomplish all sorts of tasks and commands in just seconds by using various keyboard shortcuts. Well, there’s no mystery involved: they have mastered the tricks of the software to make their work easier. You don’t need to be an IT pro to benefit from the wealth of available functions. What the pros can do, so can you! With the help of these tips and tricks, you’ll not only run circles around the would-be “pros” but also get the most out of word processing as you enhance productivity, simplify cumbersome tasks and save time.
Tip #1: keyboard shortcut for the last 5 mouse clicks in the document
Working on large documents can become exasperating, what with often having to navigate back and forth between pages for the purpose of referencing, reviewing or copying information. A lot of time is lost scrolling back and forth. Use the keyboard shortcut [SHIFT+F5] to say goodbye to finger cramps. With this simple keystroke combination, Word returns to the position of the last action performed.
Tip #2: keyboard shortcut to format text
In many cases there’s no need to reach for the mouse. And text formatting is one of them: change the font at the stroke of a key through the use of certain shortcuts.
• [CTRL+B] To boldface text
• [CTRL+U] To underline text
• [CTRL+I] To italicise
• [CTRL+D] To change font settings
• [CTRL+8] To decrease the font size by 1 pt
• [CTRL+9] To increase the font size by 1 pt
Tip #3: Your special F8 key
Some keys – like the F8 key for example – conceal handy and useful functions. The F8 key offers a particularly easy-to-use highlighting option. The conventional highlighting steps are familiar, such as
• pressing and holding the left mouse button to highlight the desired text selection
• double-clicking to highlight the desired word
• [CTRL+A] to highlight the entire text
The F8 key takes highlighting to a new level:
• first, position the cursor at the beginning of the selected text that you wish to highlight
• now press the F8 key. You only need to press it once (click)
• finally, move the cursor to where you want the highlighting to end
• the selected text should now be highlighted
• use the ESC key to undo the highlighting
Tip #4: removing existing formatting
• Keyboard shortcut [CTRL+Q] removes paragraph formatting such as before/after line spacing.
• Keyboard shortcut [CTRL+Space] removes character formatting such as bold, italic and underline.
Tip #5: using the keyboard to perform commands from the Ribbon
The keyboard is more than enough to select and execute the various functions in the Ribbon. Click the ALT key to open the list of Ribbon tabs. Various keyboard shortcuts take you directly to the desired tab.
• Press the up-, down-, left– or right-arrow key to navigate within the Ribbon
• The TAB key allows you to toggle between commands
• Move between the Groups in the Ribbon with [CTRL+RIGHT ARROW] /[CTRL+LEFT ARROW] The keyboard shortcuts are directly displayed for the individual positions.
The most important keyboard shortcuts at a glance
[CTRL+O] Opens document
[CTRL+S] Saves document
[CTRL+W] Closes document
[CTRL+N] New document
[CTRL+X] Cuts selected text
[CTRL+C] Copies selected text
[CTRL+V] Pastes selected text
[CTRL+A] Selects all contents of the document
[CTRL+D] Changes font settings
[CTRL+E] Centres text
[CTRL+L] Left-aligns text
[CTRL+R] Right-aligns text
[ESC] Cancels current task
[CTRL+Z] Undoes last action
[CTRL+Y] Redoes last action
[Pos 1] Jumps to beginning of line
[Ende] Jumps to end of line
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