Although Microsoft Windows is designed for touchscreens, thanks to a slew of keyboard shortcuts, it’s easy to bypass touch and use just a keyboard and mouse. These Windows editing shortcuts can save you time and effort by letting you use keys instead of clicking on drop-down menus.
Try these shortcuts with your most frequently used Windows programs, including Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, OneNote, and many other Microsoft 365 applications.
Windows Selecting Keyboard Shortcuts
Select all items in a document or window: [Ctrl] + A- Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document: [Shift] with any arrow key
- Select blocks of text by paragraph: [Ctrl] + [Shift] with any arrow key
Keep holding down [Ctrl] + [Shift], and each time you hit the arrow key successively, more paragraphs are highlighted. - Selects all text from the cursor to the end of the document: [Ctrl] + [Shift] with the [End] key
- Selects all text from the cursor to the beginning of the document: [Ctrl] + [Shift] with the [Home] key
Windows Text and File Management Keyboard Shortcuts
- Copies selected text or item: [Ctrl] + C
- Cuts selected text or item: [Ctrl] + X
- Pastes text or item on clipboard to your cursor location or designated file location: [Ctrl] + V
- Undo something: [Ctrl] + Z
- Redo something: [Ctrl] + Y
- Save a document: [Ctrl] + S
- Print a document: [Ctrl] + P
Windows Formatting Keyboard Shortcuts
- Turn on or turn off bold: [Ctrl] + B
- Turn on or turn off italics: [Ctrl] + I
- Turn on or turn off underline: [Ctrl] + U
Windows Navigation Keyboard Shortcuts
- Move the cursor to the beginning of the next word: [Ctrl] + Right arrow
- Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous word: [Ctrl] + Left arrow
- Move the cursor to the beginning of the next paragraph: [Ctrl] + Down arrow
- Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph: [Ctrl] + Up arrow
Download your own handout with other Windows keyboard shortcuts.
© Dawn Bjork, MCT, MOSE, CSP®, The Software Pro®
Microsoft Certified Trainer, Productivity Speaker, Certified Speaking Professional
