Keys for Windows

Keys for Windows

To perform this action...	Press...
To display the Windows Start menu	CTRL+ESC
To switch to the next program	ALT+TAB
To switch to the previous program	ALT+SHIFT+TAB
To display the Control menu (the icon menu on the window title bar)	ALT+SPACEBAR
To close the selected program window (or if this is the only open window, to close the program)	ALT+F4
To close the active window	CTRL+F4 or CTRL+W
To cycle between open windows	CTRL+F6
To switch to the previous window	CTRL+SHIFT+F6
To perform the Move command (on the Control menu for the active window) when the active window is not maximized	CTRL+F7 (Use the arrow keys to move the window; press ESC when finished)
To perform the Size command (on the Control menu for the active window) when the active window is not maximized	CTRL+F8 (Use the arrow keys to resize the window; press ESC when finished)
To minimize a window to an icon (in Excel and PowerPoint)	CTRL+F9
To maximize or restore a selected window	CTRL+F10
To restore the selected minimized window when all windows are minimized	ENTER
To copy a picture of the screen to the Clipboard	PRINT SCREEN
To copy a picture of the active window to the Clipboard	ALT+PRINT SCREEN
To switch between the Microsoft Visual Basic Editor and the previous active window	ALT+F11
To switch to the Microsoft Script Editor from the previous active window	ALT+SHIFT+F11

Keys for Smart Tags

To perform this action...	Press...
To display the menu or message for a smart tag (If more than one smart tag is present, to switch to the next smart tag and display its menu or message)	ALT+SHIFT+F10
To select the next item in a smart tag menu	DOWN ARROW
To select the previous item in a smart tag menu	UP ARROW
To perform the action for the selected item in a smart tag menu	ENTER
To close the smart tag menu or message	ESC

Keys for Task Panes

A task pane is a help window that provides ready access to commands related to a specific topic. Task Panes normally appear on the right side of the screen, tiled with the program window.

To perform this action...	Press...
To open the task pane or hide the current task pane	CTRL+F1
To move to a task pane from another pane in the program window	F6 (You may need to press F6 more than once)*
To move to a task pane when a menu or toolbar is active	CTRL+TAB (You may need to pressCTRL+TAB more than once)
To open the menu of task panes	CTRL+SPACEBAR (task pane must be active)
To go to the Getting Started task pane	ALT+HOME
To reverse the sequence of task panes you opened	ALT+LEFT ARROW
To repeat the sequence of task panes you opened	ALT+RIGHT ARROW
To close a menu if one is currently open, or to go back to the document	ESC
To select the next or previous option in the task pane when a task pane is active	TAB or SHIFT+TAB
To move among choices in a selected submenu; To move among certain options in a group of options	DOWN ARROW or UP ARROW
To open the selected menu, or perform the action assigned to the selected button	SPACEBAR or ENTER
To open a shortcut menu in a document; To open a drop-down menu for the selected gallery item	SHIFT+F10
To select the first or last command on the menu or submenu when a menu or submenu is visible	HOME or END
To scroll up or down in the selected gallery list	PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN
To expand or collapse a collapsible item in the gallery list	CTRL+RIGHT ARROW or CTRL+LEFT ARROW
To move to the top or bottom of the selected gallery list	CTRL+HOME or CTRL+END

*If pressing F6 doesn't display the task pane you want, try pressing ALT to select the menu bar, and then CTRL+TAB to move to the task pane. In Word 2003, if you open a dialog box from the Reveal Formatting task pane, the focus may be in your document, rather than in the task pane, after you close the dialog box. If this is so, you can use F6 or CTRL+TAB to return to the task pane.

Keys for Menus

You can use keystrokes to select any command on the menu bar. Press ALT or F10 to activate the menu bar. Press the underlined letter in a menu name to display that menu. When the menu appears, press the underlined letter in a command name to execute the command.

To perform this action...	Press...
To display the Start menu	CTRL+ESC
To display the Control menu (the icon menu on the window title bar)	ALT+SPACEBAR
To select the menu bar, or close an open menu and submenu at the same time	F10 or ALT
To display the shortcut menu for the selected item	SHIFT+F10
To display the list of commands when a menu is selected	DOWN ARROW
To display the full set of commands when a shortened menu is open	CTRL+DOWN ARROW
To select the first or last command on the menu or submenu	HOME or END
To select the next or previous command when the menu or submenu is visible	DOWN ARROW or UP ARROW
To select the menu to the left or right; or, when a submenu is visible, to switch between the main menu and the submenu	LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW
To close the visible menu; or, with a submenu visible, to close the submenu only	ESC

Keys for Toolbars

You can use keystrokes to select any command on a visible toolbar. To select a command from a toolbar, press ALT or F10 to activate the menu bar, then CTRL+TAB as many times as necessary to activate the toolbar you want. Press TAB until you activate the button you want, then ENTER to execute the command.

To perform this action...	Press...
To select a toolbar (after pressing F10 or ALTto select the menu bar)	CTRL+TAB or CTRL+SHIFT+TAB (Pressing the keys repeatedly moves the focus among the open toolbars, menu bars, and task panes)
To select the next or previous button or menu on the toolbar when a toolbar is active	TAB or SHIFT+TAB
To open the menu when a menu on a toolbar is selected	ENTER
To perform the action assigned to a button when a button is selected	ENTER

Keys for Dialog Boxes

To perform this action...	Press...
To move from an open dialog box back to the document for dialog boxes (such as Find and Replace) that support this behavior	ALT+F6
To switch to the next tab in a dialog box	CTRL+TAB or CTRL+PAGE DOWN
To switch to the previous tab in a dialog box	CTRL+SHIFT+TAB or CTRL+PAGE UP
To move to the next option or option group	TAB
To move to the previous option or option group	SHIFT+TAB
To move between options in the selected drop-down list box, or to move between some options in a group of options	Arrow keys
To perform the action assigned to the selected button, or to select or clear the check box	SPACEBAR
To move to the option by the first letter in the option name in a drop-down list box	Letter key for the first letter in the option name you want (when a drop-down list box is selected)
To select the option, or to select or clear the check box by the letter underlined in the option name	ALT+letter key
To open the selected drop-down list box	ALT+DOWN ARROW
To close the selected drop-down list box	ESC
To perform the action for the default command button in the dialog box (the button with the bold outline, often the OK button)	ENTER
To cancel the command and close the dialog box	ESC
To close a dialog box	ALT+F4

The Open, File New Database, Save As, Insert File, and Insert Picture dialog boxes

These dialog boxes support the standard dialog box keyboard shortcuts listed in the table above. They also support the shortcuts below.

To perform this action...	Press...
To go to the previous folder	ALT+1
To open the folder one level above the open folder	ALT+2
To close the dialog box and open your Web search page	ALT+3
To delete the selected folder or file	ALT+4
To create a new folder	ALT+5
To switch among available folder views	ALT+6
To show the Tools menu	ALT+7 or ALT+L
To open the Look in list	F4 or ALT+I
To refresh the file list	F5
To display a shortcut menu for a selected item such as a folder or file	SHIFT+F10
To move between options or areas in the dialog box	TAB

Keys for Edit Boxes

An edit box is a field, often found on a dialog box, in which you type or paste a text entry.

To perform this action...	Press...
To move to the beginning of the entry	HOME
To move to the end of the entry	END
To move one character to the left or right	LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW
To move one word to the left	CTRL+LEFT ARROW
To move one word to the right	CTRL+RIGHT ARROW
To select or unselect one character to the left	SHIFT+LEFT ARROW
To select or unselect one character to the right	SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW
To select or unselect one word to the left	CTRL+SHIFT+LEFT ARROW
To select or unselect one word to the right	CTRL+SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW
To select from the insertion point to the beginning of the entry	SHIFT+HOME
To select from the insertion point to the end of the entry	SHIFT+END

Shortcut Keys for Office Help

Keys for the Help Task Pane

The Help Pane is a task pane that provides access to all Office Help content. As a task pane, the Help Pane appears as part of the active application.

To perform this action...	Press...
To display the Help task pane	F1
To switch between the Help task pane and the active application	F6
To select the next item in the Help task pane	TAB
To select the previous item in the Help task pane	SHIFT+TAB
To select the next and previous item, respectively, in a Table of Contents	DOWN ARROW and UP ARROW
To expand and collapse the selected item, respectively, in a Table of Contents	RIGHT ARROW and LEFT ARROW
To move back to the previous task pane	ALT+LEFT ARROW
To move forward to the next task pane	ALT+RIGHT ARROW
To open the menu of pane options	CTRL+SPACEBAR
To close or reopen the current task pane	CTRL+F1
To expand a +/- list	RIGHT ARROW
To collapse a +/- list	LEFT ARROW
To perform the action for the selected item	ENTER

Keys for the Help Window

The Help window displays Help content and appears next to, but separate from, the active application.

To perform this action...	Press...
To select the next hidden text or hyperlink, or Show All or Hide All at the top of a topic	TAB
To select the previous hidden text or hyperlink, or the Browser View button at the top of a Microsoft Office Web site article	SHIFT+TAB
To move back to the previous Help topic	ALT+LEFT ARROW
To move forward to the next Help topic	ALT+RIGHT ARROW
To scroll small amounts up and down, respectively, within the currently-displayed Help topic	UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW
To scroll larger amounts up and down, respectively, within the currently-displayed Help topic	PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN
To perform the action for the selected Show All, Hide All, hidden text, or hyperlink	ENTER
To display a menu of commands for the Help window (Help window must be selected)	SHIFT+F10
To print the current Help topic	CTRL+P
To change whether the Help window appears connected to (tiled) or separate from (untiled) the active application	ALT+U
To close the Help window	ALT+F4

Keys for the Office Assistant

Office 2003

You can perform the following actions if you have turned on and are displaying the Microsoft Office Assistant. To turn on or show the Office Assistant, press ALT+H to open the Help menu, and then press O.

To perform this action...	Press...
To close an Assistant message or a tip	ESC

Office 97-2002

Here are shortcut keys that you can use with the Office Assistant in all programs that support this feature in Microsoft Office 97-2002. This includes Access 97, Excel 97, Outlook 97/98, PowerPoint 97, Project 98, Word 97, all the programs in Office 2000 except FrontPage and PhotoDraw, and all the programs in Office 2002 (XP).

To...	Press
Get Help from the Office Assistant	F1
Make the text entry area in the Office Assistant balloon active	ALT+F6
Select a Help topic from the topics the Office Assistant displays	ALT+number (1 is the first topic, 2 is the second, and so on)
See more Help topics	ALT+DOWN ARROW
See previous Help topics	ALT+UP ARROW
Close an Office Assistant message	ESC
Display the next tip	ALT+N
Display the previous tip	ALT+B
Close tips	ESC
Display or hide the Office Assistant in a wizard	TAB to select the Office Assistant button;SPACEBAR to display the Assistant or turn off Help with the wizard