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, as well as many Microsoft 365 applications.
Note: These shortcuts work with Microsoft Windows 11 and Windows 10.
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, MOSM, CSP®, The Software Pro®
Microsoft Certified Trainer, Productivity Speaker, Certified Speaking Professional
