Introduction
Welcome to our first post from our new Tip of the Week series. In these blog posts, we’ll be going over some technical tips to make life easier, whether you are working in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Office, a desktop publishing software, an accounting software, or a CAT tool. Everyone here at TE is always looking up shortcuts or tricks to help with formatting, translating, and everything in between, so we figured we’d start sharing our findings. Hopefully, these tips will help you spend less time creating tables and more time focusing on the translation work we all love!
Table of Contents
I work in Microsoft Word every single day, and I’m sure most of you are the same. Whether I’m doing a translation, formatting a translation, taking notes in a meeting, or writing a blog post, I find myself performing the same tasks over and over again. At some point, exasperated, I think, there has got to be an easier way to do this!
Well, guess what? There usually is! There are hundreds of Microsoft Word shortcuts (some of which also work in other Microsoft Office applications) that were created to make your life easier. By pressing keys at the same time or in a certain order, you can save, open, or close documents, copy, paste, highlight text, format fonts or paragraphs, and much more!
This first Tip of the Week will delve into some of the basic shortcuts that everyone should know. In upcoming tips, we’ll look into advanced Microsoft Word shortcuts for more complex formatting, proofreading, customizing keyboard shortcuts, and more. All these shortcuts exist for PC and Mac, so I’ve included both with the Mac shortcuts in parentheses. The “+” in commands is there to show separation between the commands; you do not need to press the plus sign between commands.
Let’s Get Started
Essential Microsoft Word Shortcuts for Beginners
- Control + N (Command + N) = Create a new document
- Control + O (Command + O) = Open a document
- Control + S (Command + S) = Save document
- F12 (Command + Shift + S) = Save As
- Control + P (Command + P) = Open Print window
- Control + W (Command + W) = Close document
- Alt + F4 (Command + Q) = Exit Word
Related: Save Time with Microsoft Word Templates
Microsoft Word Shortcuts for Editing and Formatting
Undo and Redo
- Control + Z (Command + Z) = Undo last action
- Control + Y (Command + Y) = Redo last action
Text Formatting Shortcuts
- Control + U (Command + U) = Underline text
- Control + I (Command + I) = Italicize text
- Control + B (Command + B) = Bold text
- Control + D (Command + D) = Change Font and Character settings
Microsoft Word Bullet Point Shortcut
- Control + Shift + L (Command + Shift + L) = Create a bullet point
Text Alignment
- Control + L (Command + L) = Align text to the left
- Control + E (Command + E) = Center text
- Control + R (Command + R) = Align text to the right
- Control + J (Command + J) = Justify text
Microsoft Word Shortcuts for Proofreading and Reviewing
Editing & Proofreading
- Control + C (Command + C) = Copy selected text
- Control + X (Command + X) = Cut selected text
- Control + V (Command + V) = Paste selected text
- Control + A (Command + A) = Select all contents of the page
Shortcut for Find in Word
- Control + H (Command + Shift + H) = Opens Find and Replace window
Shortcut for Comment in Word
- Alt + Control + M (Command + Option + A) = Insert a comment
- Control + Shift + E (Command + Shift + E) = Turn track changes on or off
Microsoft Word Navigation Shortcuts
- Control + Home (Command + Home) = Move to the beginning of the document
- Control + End (Command + End) = Move to the end of the document
- Control + Arrow Keys = Move quickly between words or paragraphs
Related: Microsoft Word Shortcuts Part Two: International Characters
Microsoft Word Shortcuts for Translators and Editors
For translators and editors, using shortcuts can significantly improve workflow efficiency. The following shortcuts help streamline reviewing, editing, and formatting:
- Control + Shift + V (Command + Shift + V) = Paste text without formatting
- Control + Shift + C (Command + Shift + C) = Copy formatting
- Control + Shift + V (Command + Shift + V) = Paste formatting
Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts in Microsoft Word
If you want to set up custom keyboard shortcuts:
- Go to File > Options > Customize Ribbon
- Click on Keyboard Shortcuts
- Choose the command you want to modify
- Press the desired shortcut key
- Click Assign and Save
This is particularly useful for frequent users who need quick access to specific Microsoft Word symbol shortcuts or formatting commands.
Final Thoughts
Memorizing and using Microsoft Word hotkeys will save you time and effort, making your work more efficient. Once you’ve memorized the essential shortcuts, you’ll be able to navigate, edit, format, and review documents quickly.
I’d recommend bookmarking this page for now so that you can use it as a resource until you have memorized these shortcuts. Once you’ve mastered these commands, you’ll be zooming through Microsoft Word!
Do you have a suggestion for a Tip of the Week? Did we miss something in this post? Please let us know on social media or in the comments below!
