All Computer Shortcut Keys; From Excel To MS Word

Computer shortcut keys are key combinations — like Ctrl + C to copy, Ctrl + V to paste, or Alt + Tab to jump between open windows — that fire an action instantly instead of making you reach for the mouse and dig through menus. Learn a couple of dozen and ordinary tasks that used to take three clicks take one keystroke.

The Hollywood hacker who overrides a bank’s system with a flurry of keystrokes and never touches a mouse is a stretch, but the muscle behind it is real: anyone who has spent fifteen minutes wrestling an Excel spreadsheet knows the fastest people work almost entirely from the keyboard. This page is the full reference — the essential ten first, then complete tables for Windows, Word, Excel, Outlook, and special characters. Bookmark it and come back when your hands forget one.

The 10 most useful keyboard shortcuts

If you only memorize ten shortcuts, make it these. They work in almost every Windows program — browsers, Word, Excel, email, file windows — so the payback is immediate and everywhere. Get them into your fingers first, then add the rest.

Computer keyboard shortcut keys from Ctrl-A to Z

Computer shortcuts have been around since the dawn of the keyboard, yet most people still reach for the mouse out of habit. The tables below cover the general Alt, Ctrl, Shift, function-key, and navigation shortcuts that behave the same way across most Windows apps — conjure a new document in seconds, select a whole page in one press, or undo a mistake before it costs you.

Microsoft Windows shortcut keys list

These shortcuts control Windows itself rather than any single app: switching programs, closing windows, taking screenshots, and opening the task manager. They give you extra speed without ever touching the mouse.

WINKEY shortcuts

WINKEY is the Windows key, marked with the Windows logo and sitting between Ctrl and Alt on the bottom row. It has been a dedicated shortcut key since 1994, and pairing it with a single letter opens desktops, Explorer windows, the Run box, and search in one press.

MS Word shortcut keys

Word rewards keyboard users more than almost any other program because the whole job is text: formatting, moving the cursor, and finding and replacing. Learn the Ctrl block below and you will rarely need the ribbon again. If you also publish to the web, our guide to wrapping text in WordPress covers the same formatting instinct in a different editor.

MS Excel shortcut keys

MS Excel is where shortcuts pay off the most — moving across a huge grid, formatting numbers, and entering formulas by mouse is slow and error-prone. The keys below turn a fiddly spreadsheet job into a few quick presses.

MS Outlook shortcut keys (2016 edition)

Outlook has one of the deepest shortcut sets in Office because you constantly move between mail, calendar, contacts, and tasks. The keys below send, reply, switch views, and file messages without a single click — a real time-saver when your inbox is busy.

PC shortcut keys for special characters

Getting a currency symbol or an accented letter in usually means hunting through a character map. Instead, hold Alt and type the four-digit code below on the numeric keypad (Num Lock on) to drop the symbol straight in.

Become a keyboard shortcuts expert

That is the full set — from special characters to Excel formulas, every Windows shortcut key you are likely to need in one place. The trick is not memorizing all of them at once; pick the ten essentials, use them until they are automatic, then add a few more from whichever program you live in. Within a week your hands will reach for the keys before your mouse does. For more ways to work smarter at the keyboard, browse our other online technology resources.

Frequently asked questions

What does F7 do?

In most Microsoft Office programs, F7 runs a spelling and grammar check on your document. In Word and Outlook it opens the Editor/spell-check pane; in Excel it checks the spelling of the selected cells. Pair it with Shift + F7 in Word to open the thesaurus instead.

What is Ctrl on a keyboard?

Ctrl (Control) is a modifier key — most keyboards have two, one at each bottom corner. On its own it does nothing; you hold it while pressing another key to trigger a shortcut, such as Ctrl + C to copy or Ctrl + S to save. Think of it as the key that changes what the next key means.

What does Alt + F4 do?

Alt + F4 closes the program window that is currently in focus. If you press it on the desktop with no window open, it brings up the Windows shut-down menu instead. It is the fastest way to quit an app, but save your work first — it closes without warning in programs that do not prompt.

What is the difference between Ctrl + Z and Ctrl + Y?

Ctrl + Z undoes your last action, and Ctrl + Y redoes it — they are opposites. Press Ctrl + Z repeatedly to step backward through recent changes, and Ctrl + Y to step forward again if you undid too far. In a few programs the redo key is Ctrl + Shift + Z instead.

How do I type symbols like € or © with the keyboard?

Hold the Alt key and type a four-digit code on the numeric keypad with Num Lock on, then release Alt. For example, Alt + 0128 gives the euro sign (€) and Alt + 0169 gives the copyright symbol (©). The full list of Alt codes is in the special-characters table above.

Thank you for reading!

Roosevelt Naylor

Editor

Roosevelt Naylor writes about referral programmes and word-of-mouth growth on Limitless Referrals: what actually makes someone recommend a business, and why most reward schemes never manage it. He prefers plain arithmetic to growth-hacking claims.