Keyboard shortcuts and the Ribbon

Keyboard shortcuts called access keys relate directly to the tabs, commands, and
other things that you see on the screen. You use access keys by pressing the ALT
key followed by another key or a sequence of other keys.

Every single command on the Ribbon, the Microsoft Office Button menu, and the
Quick Access Toolbar has an access key, and every access key is assigned a Key
Tip.

How to use Key Tips

Press the ALT key. Badges showing the Key Tips appear.

Press the key for the tab or Quick Access Toolbar command you want.

If you press a Quick Access Toolbar command Key Tip, the command is executed. If
you press a tab Key Tip (e.g. H for Home), you see the Key Tips for every command
on that tab.

P
ress the key (or keys) for the tab command you want.

Depending on what command you choose, an action may be executed or a gallery or

menu may open; in the latter case you can choose another Key Tip.

Note: If the Key Tip badge shows two letters, press them one after the other.

Other ways to navigate the Ribbon

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You can also move around the Ribbon by using the ARROW or TAB keys.

Press the ALT key to move the focus to the Ribbon.

Move around the Ribbon:

Move left, right, up, or down by pressing the relevant ARROW key.

Move from command to command within a group, then on to the next group, by
pressing the TAB key. Press SHIFT+TAB to move backwards through commands
and groups.

Use Microsoft Office 2003 access keys

Most Office 2003 menu access keys still work. However, you'll need to know the full
shortcut from memory. There are no on-screen reminders of what keys you need to
press.

In previous versions of Office, you pressed ALT+E to open the Edit menu, and then
you pressed an underlined letter to execute a command. In the 2007 Office system
Ribbon programs, when you press ALT and then one of the old menu keys, you
won't open a menu. Instead, you'll see a message telling you that you're using an
Office 2003 access key and to press ESC to cancel. If you know the key sequence
you want, you can just carry on and initiate the command. Otherwise, do as the box
says and press ESC to see the Key Tip badges.

Note: You can also move the pointer around the screen without the mouse by using
the MouseKeys. These enable the ARROWs on the numeric keypad on your
keyboard to move the pointer around. For further information about MouseKeys, see
Microsoft Windows Help.

Combination keyboard shortcuts

A key combination keyboard shortcut is a set of keystrokes that, when pressed

together, initiate an action. You can find the key combination for a command by
resting the mouse pointer over it. If you're not using a mouse, there are no on-screen
reminders of the key combinations - you have to memorize the keys. Practically all of
these shortcuts work in exactly the same way as they did in previous versions of
Microsoft Office.

Other helpful keyboard tips and tricks

Use the TAB key and ARROW keys to navigate a dialogue box.

Activate a command by pressing ENTER. In some cases, this opens a gallery or

menu so you can choose what you want and then activate it by pressing ENTER
again. For some commands, like the Font box, use the ARROW keys to scroll
through lists. Once you've got what you want, press ENTER.

CTRL+TAB cycles through the tabs in a dialogue box.

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SPACE selects and clears check boxes.

SHIFT+F10 opens the shortcut menu, which opens when you right-click an item.

ESC closes an open dialogue box or shortcut menu. If nothing is open, it takes the
focus away from the Ribbon and back to the main document.

To close a task pane, first press CTRL+SPACE to open the task pane menu. Then
press C to select Close on the menu.

ALT+F4 (pressed simultaneously) closes the active window.

F1 opens the Help window.

The following keyboard shortcuts are available throughout Microsoft Office 2007.

Keys for displaying and using windows.

Shortcut keys for windows

To do this: Press this:

Switch to the next window. ALT+TAB

Switch to the previous window. ALT+SHIFT+TAB

Close the active window. CTRL+W or CTRL+F4

Restore the size of the active window after you've ALT+F5

maximized it.

Move to a task pane from another pane in the program F6

window (clockwise direction). You may need to press F6
more than once.

Move to a pane from another pane in the program window SHIFT+F6

(anticlockwise direction).

When more than one window is open, switch to the next CTRL+F6
window.

Switch to the previous window. CTRL+SHIFT+F6

Maximize or restore a selected window. CTRL+F10

Copy a picture of the screen to the Clipboard. PRINT SCREEN

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 Shortcut keys for windows

To do this: Press this:

Copy a picture of the selected window to the Clipboard. ALT+PRINT SCREEN

Keys for working in the Help Window

Shortcut keys for the Help Window

To do this Press

Open the Help window. F1

Close the Help window. ALT+F4

Switch between the Help window and the active

ALT+TAB
program.

Go back to Program Name Home. ALT+HOME

Select the next item in the Help window. TAB

Select the previous item in the Help window. SHIFT+TAB

Perform the action for the selected item. ENTER

In the Browse Program Name Help section of the

Help window, select the next or previous item, TAB or SHIFT+TAB
respectively.

In the Browse Program Name Help section of the

ENTER
Help window, expand or collapse the selected item.

Select the next hidden text or hyperlink, including

TAB
Show All or Hide All at the top of a topic.

Select the previous hidden text or hyperlink. SHIFT+TAB

Perform the action for the selected Show All, Hide All,
ENTER
hidden text, or hyperlink.

ALT+LEFT ARROW or
Move back to the previous Help topic (Back button).
BACKSPACE

Move forward to the next Help topic (Forward button). ALT+RIGHT ARROW

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 Shortcut keys for the Help Window

To do this Press

Scroll small amounts up or down, respectively, within UP ARROW or

the currently displayed Help topic. DOWN ARROW

Scroll larger amounts up or down, respectively, within

PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN
the currently displayed Help topic.

Change whether the Help window appears connected

ALT+U
to (tiled) or separate from (untiled) the active program.

Display a menu of commands for the Help window.

This requires that the Help window have the active SHIFT+F10
focus (click in the Help window).

Stop the last action (Stop button). ESC

Update the window (Refresh button). F5

Print the current Help topic.

Note: If the cursor is not in the current Help topic, CTRL+P
press F6 and then press CTRL+P.

Change the connection state. F6, DOWN ARROW

Type text in the Type words to search for box. F6, DOWN ARROW

Switch among areas in the Help window; for example,

switch between the toolbar, Type words to search for F6
box, and Search list.

In a Table of Contents in tree view, select the next or DOWN ARROW or

previous item, respectively. UP ARROW

In a Table of Contents in tree view, expand or collapse LEFT ARROW or

the selected item, respectively. RIGHT ARROW

Use Dialogue boxes.

Shortcut keys for working in a dialogue box

In a dialogue box to do this: Press this key:

Move from an open dialogue box back to the ALT+F6

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 Shortcut keys for working in a dialogue box

In a dialogue box to do this: Press this key:

document, for dialogue boxes such as Find and

Replace that support this behavior.

Move to the next option or option group. TAB

Move to the previous option or option group. SHIFT+TAB

Switch to the next tab in a dialogue box. CTRL+TAB

Switch to the previous tab in a dialogue box. CTRL+SHIFT+TAB

Move between options in a selected drop-down list ARROW KEYS

box or between options in a group of options.

Perform the action assigned to the selected button; SPACE

select or clear the selected check box.

Select an option from a drop-down list box. The first letter of the option
name

Select an option; select or clear a check box. ALT+the letter underlined in

the option name

Open a selected drop-down list box. ALT+DOWN ARROW

Close a selected drop-down list box; cancel a ESC (the Escape key)
command and close a dialogue box.

Perform the action assigned to a default button in a ENTER

dialogue box.

Using an Edit Box within a dialogue box.

An edit box is a blank in which you type or paste an entry.

Shortcut keys for working in a text box

In a text box to do this: Press this key:

Move to the beginning of the entry. HOME

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 Shortcut keys for working in a text box

In a text box to do this: Press this key:

Move to the end of the entry. END

Move one character to the left. LEFT ARROW

Move one character to the right. RIGHT ARROW

Move one word to the left. CTRL+LEFT ARROW

Move one word to the right. CTRL+RIGHT ARROW.

Select from the insertion point to the beginning of SHIFT+HOME.

the entry.

Select from the insertion point to the end of the SHIFT+END.

entry.

Select or cancel the selection one character to the SHIFT+LEFT ARROW.

left.

Select or cancel the selection one character to the SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW.

right.

Select or cancel the selection one word to the left. CTRL+SHIFT+LEFT ARROW.

Select or cancel the selection one word to the CTRL+SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW.

right.

Keys for working in the Open and Save As dialogue boxes.

The Open and Save As dialogue boxes support standard dialogue box keyboard
shortcuts. These dialogue boxes also support the shortcuts below.

Shortcut keys for working in the Open and Save As dialogue boxes

To do this: Press this key:

Display the Open dialogue box. CTRL+F12 or

CTRL+O

Go to the previous folder (Back button). ALT+1

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 Shortcut keys for working in the Open and Save As dialogue boxes

To do this: Press this key:

Open the folder up one level from the open folder (UP One ALT+2
Level button).

Open your World Wide Web search page (Search the Web ALT+3
button).

Delete button: Delete the selected folder or file. DELETE

Create a new sub-folder in the open folder (Create New ALT+4

Folder button).

Views button: Switch among available folder views. ALT+5

Display a shortcut menu for a selected item such as a folder

SHIFT+F10
or file.

Move between options or areas in the dialogue box. TAB

Open the Look in list. F4 or ALT+I

Refresh the file list. F5

Undo and Redo options.

Undo and Redo keyboard shortcuts

To do this: Press this key:

Cancel an action ESC

Undo an action CTRL+Z

Redo or repeat an action CTRL+Y

Access and use task panes and galleries

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 Task pane shortcut keys

To do this: Press this:

Move to a task pane from another pane in the program F6

window. (You may need to press F6 more than once.)

When a menu is active, move to a task pane. (You may need CTRL+TAB
to press CTRL+TAB more than once.)

When a task pane is active, select the next or previous TAB or SHIFT+TAB
option in the task pane.

Display the full set of commands on the task pane menu. CTRL+SPACE

Perform the action assigned to the selected button. SPACE or ENTER

Open a drop-down menu for the selected gallery item. SHIFT+F10

Select the first or last item in a gallery. HOME or END

Scroll up or down in the selected gallery list. PAGE UP or

PAGE DOWN

Task pane tasks

To do this: Take these actions:

Close a task 1. Press F6 to move to the task pane, if necessary.

pane
2. Press CTRL+SPACE.

3. Use the ARROW keys to select Close, and then press

ENTER.

Move a task 1. Press F6 to move to the task pane, if necessary.

pane
2. Press CTRL+SPACE.
3. Use the ARROW keys to select Move, and then press
ENTER.

4. Use the ARROW keys to move the task pane, and then

press ENTER.

Resize a task 1. Press F6 to move to the task pane, if necessary.

pane
2. Press CTRL+SPACE.

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 Task pane tasks

To do this: Take these actions:

3. Use the ARROW keys to select Size, and then press

ENTER.

4. Use the ARROW keys to resize the task pane, and then

press ENTER.

Access and use smart tags

Smart tag shortcut keys

To do this: Press this:

Display the shortcut menu for the selected item. SHIFT+F10

Display the menu or message for a smart tag or for the ALT+SHIFT+F10
AutoCorrect Options button or the Paste options button. If more
than one smart tag is present, switch to the next smart tag and
display its menu or message.

Select the next item on a smart tag menu. DOWN ARROW

Select the previous item on a smart tag menu. UP ARROW

Perform the action for the selected item on the smart tage menu. ENTER

Open a drop-down menu for the selected gallery item. SHIFT+F10

Close the smart tag menu or message. ESC

Keys for working with the ribbon.

Keys for working with the ribbon

To do this Press

Select the active tab of the Ribbon and activate ALT or F10. Press either of these
the access keys. keys again to move back to the
document and cancel the access
keys.

Move to another tab of the Ribbon. F10 to select the active tab, and
then LEFT ARROW or

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 Keys for working with the ribbon

To do this Press

RIGHT ARROW

Hide or show the Ribbon. CTRL+F1

Display the shortcut menu for the selected SHIFT+F10

command.

Move the focus to select each of the following F6

areas of the window:
 Active tab of the Ribbon,
 Any open task panes,
 Status bar at the bottom of the window,

 Your document.

Move the focus to each command on the TAB or SHIFT+TAB

Ribbon, forward or backward, respectively.

Move down, up, left, or right, respectively, DOWN ARROW, UP ARROW,

among the items on the Ribbon. LEFT ARROW, or
RIGHT ARROW

Activate the selected command or control on the SPACE or ENTER

Ribbon.

Open the selected menu or gallery on the SPACE or ENTER

Ribbon.

Activate a command or control on the Ribbon so ENTER

you can modify a value.

Finish modifying a value in a control on the ENTER

Ribbon, and move focus back to the document.

Get help on the selected command or control on F1

the Ribbon. (If no Help topic is associated with
the selected command, a general Help topic
about the program is shown instead.)
`

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