Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet (Free PDF)

Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts are the single fastest way to cut hours off your weekly writing time — once they become muscle memory, you stop reaching for the mouse and stay locked in on the words.

In this cheat sheet, you’ll find 30+ essential Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts grouped by what they actually do — formatting, alignment, editing, document control, and proofreading — plus a free printable PDF you can keep next to your keyboard. If you also want to learn how to align text in Word in detail, that guide pairs naturally with the alignment shortcuts below.

This resource is built for:

✅ Students, professionals, and educators who write daily
✅ Free to download, print, and reference offline
✅ Fully compatible with Microsoft Word on Windows — 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365

Contents hide

1 Why Use Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts?

2 Essential Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts: Text Formatting

3 Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts: Paragraph Alignment and Layout

4 Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts: Editing and Navigation

5 Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts: Document Control

6 Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts: Review and Proofreading

7 Download the Free Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts PDF

8 Get the Free Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts PDF

9 Pro Tips for Learning Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts

10 Official Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcut Documentation

11 FAQs

12 Conclusion

13 Related Tutorials

Why Use Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts?

Every time you reach for the mouse to click a ribbon button, you break flow. Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts collapse those clicks into a single keystroke — the difference between three seconds and a tenth of a second, multiplied across a thousand formatting actions a day.

The real benefits:

Faster formatting and editing without leaving the keyboard
Cleaner documents — shortcuts apply consistent formatting every time
Better focus — no menu hunting means fewer distractions
Universal across Word versions — learn once, use everywhere

Watch the Video Tutorial

If you prefer to see this in action, the full video walkthrough is below, showing each method step by step.

Essential Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts: Text Formatting

Text formatting is the highest-frequency task in Word — these six shortcuts will save you more time than any others.

Action	Shortcut
Bold	`Ctrl` + `B`
Italic	`Ctrl` + `I`
Underline	`Ctrl` + `U`
Increase font size	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `>`
Decrease font size	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `<`
Clear all formatting	`Ctrl` + `Spacebar`

👉 Pro tip: Ctrl + Spacebar is the cleanup shortcut every writer needs — it strips all character formatting from selected text in one go, perfect for pasting messy content from websites or PDFs.

Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts: Paragraph Alignment and Layout

Alignment shortcuts are essential for any document where presentation matters — reports, essays, CVs, and formal letters all rely on consistent paragraph layout.

Action	Shortcut
Align left	`Ctrl` + `L`
Align centre	`Ctrl` + `E`
Align right	`Ctrl` + `R`
Justify	`Ctrl` + `J`
Single line spacing	`Ctrl` + `1`
1.5 line spacing	`Ctrl` + `5`
Double line spacing	`Ctrl` + `2`

👉 For a deeper walkthrough on spacing options beyond the shortcuts, see double line spacing in Word — it covers when each spacing option is appropriate for different document types.

Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts: Editing and Navigation

These are the universal editing shortcuts — most work across every Windows application, so the time you invest learning them pays off everywhere, not just in Word.

Action	Shortcut
Copy	`Ctrl` + `C`
Cut	`Ctrl` + `X`
Paste	`Ctrl` + `V`
Paste as plain text	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `V`
Undo	`Ctrl` + `Z`
Redo	`Ctrl` + `Y`
Find	`Ctrl` + `F`
Replace	`Ctrl` + `H`
Select all	`Ctrl` + `A`
Go to page	`Ctrl` + `G`

👉 Pro tip: Ctrl + Shift + V pastes content as plain text — no source formatting, no hidden styles. Use it every time you paste from a web page.

Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts: Document Control

File-level shortcuts keep you out of the File menu and stop you losing work to the inevitable unsaved-document scenario.

Action	Shortcut
Save	`Ctrl` + `S`
Save As	`F12`
Print	`Ctrl` + `P`
New document	`Ctrl` + `N`
Open document	`Ctrl` + `O`
Close document	`Ctrl` + `W`

👉 Pro tip: F12 opens Save As directly, bypassing the File menu entirely — useful when you need to version a document or save to a new location mid-edit.

Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts: Review and Proofreading

Review shortcuts are the final-mile tools — they make the polishing pass faster and stop small errors from slipping into the final document.

Action	Shortcut
Word count	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `G`
Spelling and grammar check	`F7`
Thesaurus	`Shift` + `F7`
Track Changes on/off	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `E`

👉 If you want a live word count inside your document rather than in a pop-up, see the guide on how to insert a word counter in Word — it embeds the count directly in your header or footer.

Download the Free Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts PDF

For offline reference and printing, grab the complete cheat sheet below — drop your email and the PDF lands in your inbox instantly.

Pro Tips for Learning Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts

Don’t try to learn them all at once — pick five new shortcuts each week and force yourself to use them until they’re automatic
Print the cheat sheet PDF and keep it next to your keyboard for the first month — visual reference beats memory recall every time
Many shortcuts double as universal Windows shortcuts (Ctrl + S, Ctrl + Z, Ctrl + F) — learning them in Word transfers straight to Excel, PowerPoint, and most apps
Combine these shortcuts with line spacing techniques from double line spacing in Word to format full documents in seconds

Official Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcut Documentation

For a complete and always up-to-date reference, Microsoft maintains official documentation covering every Microsoft Word keyboard shortcut across every version and platform — useful when you need to verify a less common command or check version-specific differences.

👉 Microsoft Word keyboard shortcut documentation (official Microsoft support):
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/keyboard-shortcuts-in-word-95ef89dd-7142-4b50-afb2-f762f663ceb2

FAQs

Are these Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts for Windows only?

Yes — this cheat sheet covers Microsoft Word on Windows. Mac users should swap Ctrl for Cmd in most cases, though some shortcuts (like F7 for spell check) differ between platforms.

Do these shortcuts work in all Word versions?

Yes. Every shortcut in this cheat sheet works identically across Word 2016, 2019, 2021, Microsoft 365, and Word for the web. Microsoft has kept these consistent across versions for over a decade.

What is the keyboard shortcut for bold in Word?

Press Ctrl + B to bold selected text. Press it again on the same selection to remove bold formatting — it’s a toggle.

What is the keyboard shortcut to save in Word?

Press Ctrl + S to save the current document. Press F12 to open Save As if you need to save to a new location or filename.

Can beginners learn keyboard shortcuts easily?

Yes. Start with five core shortcuts — Ctrl + S, Ctrl + Z, Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V, Ctrl + B — and add more once they’re automatic.

Do Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts really improve productivity?

Yes. Replacing mouse-based menu navigation with keyboard shortcuts can save several hours per week for heavy Word users, and the time savings compound the more shortcuts you learn.

Is the PDF cheat sheet free?

Yes. The Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts PDF is free to download, print, and share for personal and educational use.

Conclusion

Learning Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts is the single highest-leverage investment any Word user can make — five minutes of practice per day turns into hours saved every week, and the muscle memory transfers to every Windows application you use.

Bookmark this page, grab the printable PDF, and start using at least five shortcuts today. For the next layer of formatting speed, pair them with how to align text in Word and you’ll have everything you need to format any document in seconds.