Word Keyboard Shortcuts
The Word shortcuts worth memorising — Mac and Windows keys side by side, ready to copy.
| Action | Mac | Windows | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bold / Italic / Underline | ⌘B / ⌘I / ⌘U | Ctrl+B / Ctrl+I / Ctrl+U | |
| Superscript / Subscript | ⌘⇧= / ⌘= | Ctrl+Shift+= / Ctrl+= | |
| Change case (cycle) | ⇧F3 | Shift+F3 | |
| All caps | ⌘⇧A | Ctrl+Shift+A | |
| Small caps | ⌘⇧K | Ctrl+Shift+K | |
| Clear character formatting | ⌃Space | Ctrl+Space | |
| Grow / shrink font 1 pt | ⌘] / ⌘[ | Ctrl+] / Ctrl+[ | |
| Increase / decrease font size | ⌘⇧> / ⌘⇧< | Ctrl+Shift+> / Ctrl+Shift+< | |
| Copy formatting (Format Painter) | ⌘⇧C | Ctrl+Shift+C | |
| Paste formatting | ⌘⇧V | Ctrl+Shift+V | |
| Insert hyperlink | ⌘K | Ctrl+K | |
| Align left / center / right | ⌘L / ⌘E / ⌘R | Ctrl+L / Ctrl+E / Ctrl+R | |
| Justify | ⌘J | Ctrl+J | |
| Line spacing single / 1.5 / double | ⌘1 / ⌘5 / ⌘2 | Ctrl+1 / Ctrl+5 / Ctrl+2 | |
| Apply Normal style | ⌘⇧N | Ctrl+Shift+N | |
| Apply Heading 1 / 2 / 3 | ⌘⌥1 / 2 / 3 | Ctrl+Alt+1 / 2 / 3 | |
| Hanging indent | ⌘T | Ctrl+T | |
| Move paragraph up / down | ⌃⇧↑ / ↓ | Alt+Shift+↑ / ↓ | |
| Insert page break | ⌘⏎ | Ctrl+Enter | |
| Insert line break | ⇧⏎ | Shift+Enter | |
| Undo / redo | ⌘Z / ⌘Y | Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y | |
| Repeat last action | ⌘Y | Ctrl+Y or F4 | |
| Cut / copy / paste | ⌘X / ⌘C / ⌘V | Ctrl+X / Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V | |
| Paste Special | ⌃⌘V | Ctrl+Alt+V | |
| Select entire document | ⌘A | Ctrl+A | |
| Extend selection by word | ⌥⇧→ / ← | Ctrl+Shift+→ / ← | |
| Move cursor by word | ⌥→ / ← | Ctrl+→ / ← | |
| Select to start / end of line | ⇧⌘← / → | Shift+Home / Shift+End | |
| Go to start / end of document | ⌘Fn+← / → | Ctrl+Home / Ctrl+End | |
| Delete word left / right | ⌥⌫ / ⌥⌦ | Ctrl+Backspace / Ctrl+Delete | |
| Find | ⌘F | Ctrl+F | |
| Replace | ⌃H | Ctrl+H | |
| Go To (page / line) | ⌥⌘G | Ctrl+G | |
| Word count | ⌘⌥C | Ctrl+Shift+G | |
| Insert footnote | ⌘⌥F | Ctrl+Alt+F | |
| Insert comment | ⌘⌥A | Ctrl+Alt+M | |
| Show / hide formatting marks | ⌘8 | Ctrl+Shift+8 | |
| Spelling & grammar check | F7 | F7 | |
| Save / Save As | ⌘S / ⌘⇧S | Ctrl+S / F12 | |
| ⌘P | Ctrl+P | ||
| New / Open document | ⌘N / ⌘O | Ctrl+N / Ctrl+O |
Format with styles, not manual toggles
Instead of bolding and resizing headings by hand, press Ctrl+Alt+1 (⌘⌥1 on Mac) to apply Heading 1. Consistent styles build a navigation pane and a real table of contents for free.
Clear formatting fast
Pasted text carrying weird fonts? Select it and press Ctrl+Space to strip character formatting back to the underlying style — quicker than the Clear Formatting button.
Select and move text without the mouse
Hold Ctrl+Shift+→ (⌥⇧→ on Mac) to extend the selection one word at a time, then Alt+Shift+↑/↓ to shove a whole paragraph up or down. This pair replaces most cut-and-paste reordering.
Paste Special to drop the source styling
When you copy from a web page or another document, press Ctrl+Alt+V (⌃⌘V on Mac) and choose Unformatted Text to paste plain text that inherits your document's style instead of carrying foreign fonts and colors.
Formatting a Word document? See the dedicated guides for Page Break (Ctrl+Enter), Line Spacing, and Insert Footnote.
FAQ
How do I clear all formatting from pasted text in Word?
Select the text and press Ctrl+Space (⌃Space on Mac) to remove character formatting, or Ctrl+Q to reset paragraph formatting to the style default.
What is the shortcut to apply a heading style?
Ctrl+Alt+1 for Heading 1, Ctrl+Alt+2 for Heading 2, and so on (⌘⌥1 / ⌘⌥2 on Mac). Ctrl+Shift+N returns to Normal.
Do these Word shortcuts work in Word for the web?
Most editing and formatting shortcuts work in the browser version, but a few (like moving paragraphs) are desktop-only. The Mac and Windows desktop apps match this list.
How do I move a paragraph up or down in Word?
Put the cursor in the paragraph and press Alt+Shift+↑ or Alt+Shift+↓ on Windows (⌃⇧↑ / ⌃⇧↓ on Mac). No selection is needed — Word moves the entire paragraph.
What is the Word shortcut to paste text without formatting?
Press Ctrl+Alt+V (⌃⌘V on Mac) to open Paste Special and pick Unformatted Text, or use Ctrl+Shift+V to paste and match the destination style directly.