Shortcut conflicts. Some Word for Mac keyboard shortcuts conflict with default macOS keyboard shortcuts. This topic flags such shortcuts with an asterisk (. ). To use these shortcuts, you may have to change your Mac keyboard settings to change the shortcut for the key. Change system preferences for keyboard shortcuts. In Office 2008 for Mac, you can move the cursor around your document without actually even touching the mouse. And if you really want to become a whiz with Word, you’ll want to memorize most or all of the following shortcuts. Here’s a table that shows how to move the cursor around a document using.
Special symbols. One of more confusing aspects of keyboard shortcuts on the Mac are the symbols. Ctrl + Enter: Insert page break. If you want to start some text on a new page in your Word document. Start quickly with the most recent versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote and OneDrive —combining the familiarity of Office and the unique Mac features you love. Work online or offline, on your own or with others in real time—whatever works for what you’re doing.
When you download an app on Android or Windows, you get an option, or it automatically creates a shortcut on the home screen or the desktop. On Mac too creating a folder or app shortcut is extremely easy. It hardly requires four clicks. We first make an alias and then move it to the desired location.
You can add shortcuts for folders and apps to the desktop or Dock of your Mac. The first method below is the one I prefer. The second method is also quick, but it at times copies the folder instead of making the shortcut. Anyways, here are two easy ways to create desktop shortcuts on Mac running macOS Catalina.
How to Create Desktop Shortcuts on Mac
Step #1. Decide which folder’s or app’s desktop shortcut you want to create. Find where the folder is located. If you cannot find it, see the end for instructions.
Step #2.Right-click on the folder or app name and click on Make Alias.
Step #3. You will see that a shortcut is immediately created for that folder or app. Press enter key. It has the word alias at the end of the name.
Step #4. Drag this shortcut to your desktop or Dock. You may also copy the shortcut and paste it on the desktop.
This is it!
You have successfully created the desktop shortcut for a folder or app. Now you may quickly use this to open that folder, or launch the app. You may repeat this with as many folders and apps you like.
If you wish, you may select the shortcut, press the enter key, and rename it to remove the word ‘alias.’
Finally, if you wish to see the original folder, right-click on the shortcut icon and click on Show Original.
Note 1: Even if you move the original folder to some other location, the shortcut you created still works. Beautiful! Isn’t it.
Note 2: You may use this method to create shortcuts even for files like image, document, zip, music, movie, etc.
Not able to Find the Folder Location?
Finding applications is clear. You click on Finder → Applications, and there you have all your applications. Knowing the location of the Folders you create is also straightforward.
But for some folders, especially system folders like Downloads, Documents, etc. it may be a bit tough to know the path. Here are some ways to know it.
#1. From Sidebar: Launch Finder, place your pointer on the folder name in left Sidebar, and then right-click. Finally, click Show in Enclosing Folder. Now follow the above steps.
#2. Using Path Bar: Be inside Finder and click on View from the menu bar. Now click Show Path Bar. A tab will be added to the bottom of the Finder. It has the location/path for the folder you click or select.
#3. Use Spotlight Search: Launch Spotlight Search by clicking the search icon in menu bar or press Command (⌘) + Space Bar. Now type the folder name and then scroll to the bottom of the search result and click on Show all in Finder… Click on the folder and follow the above steps to make its shortcut.
#4. Use Siri: I do not like Siri on Mac, notably older Macs. Anyways, you may ask Siri on Mac to ‘Show Download Folder’ (or any folder) and then go to the bottom of the result and click on Show all results in Finder… Now you may follow the above steps. Please note that this does not always work.
Create Desktop Shortcuts on Mac Using Drag and Drop
The above method is swift and simple. It is the one I prefer. However, there is an additional way to create folder and app shortcuts on Mac.
Step #1. Be at the location of the folder or app you want to create the shortcut of.
Step #2. Press and hold Option (⌥) + Command (⌘) key together. Do not leave the hold. Now click on the folder or app and drag it to the desktop.
Note: When you use this method, there are chances that you may unwillingly and unknowingly copy or move the folder instead of making its shortcut. Don’t worry. Press Command (⌘) + Z to undo and try again, or use the first method.
Add Folder Shortcuts to Dock on Mac
I recently wrote a post where I explained how to add website shortcuts to Dock on Mac. It is an interesting article. Similarly, you may add shortcuts to your Dock too.
Follow any of the above methods and make the shortcut of the folder or app (you may directly add an app to Dock, but anyway). Now drag that shortcut from Desktop to the rightmost part of Dock (Second left to the Trash icon).
Wrapping up…
These were two easy ways to create shortcut icons on Mac. There is a third method that I know of, which requires Terminal and some command lines. However, it is tricky and beyond the simplicity of the average user. Also, if you change the folder location, the shortcut stops working. So I did not mention this method.
Secondly, on Macs running OS versions before Catalina, you may also click on a Folder or App and then press together Command (⌘) + L. It will instantly make the alias. It works on my old MacBook Pro running macOS Sierra, but on a different MacBook Pro running the latest version of macOS Catalina, this quick method does not seem to work.
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What are your thoughts regarding shortcuts on Mac? Have you used it on Windows? How was the experience there? Share your opinion in the comment section below.
Suraj is a digital marketing expert on the iGB's team. He contributes to the social media section along with tips and tricks for iPhone, Apple Watch. Apart from blogging, he likes to work out as much as he can in his gym and love to listening to retro music.
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- Microsoft Word has many keyboard shortcuts that you can use to write, edit, and format documents quickly and easily.
- These Word keyboard shortcuts let you perform common tasks like saving, inserting page breaks, and changing fonts without touching the mouse.
- These 45 keyboard shortcuts work in the Word program on PCs and Macs, though you'll need to swap out any instance of 'Ctrl' with 'Command' when on a Mac.
Microsoft Word is a critical application in most businesses and home offices, but are you using it as efficiently as possible?
If you have to keep reaching for the mouse, you're slowing yourself down and hobbling your typing speed. Keyboard shortcuts can save you a lot of time, so here's a guide to the most useful keyboard shortcuts in Word you should start using today.
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Using Word's ribbon shortcuts
The ribbon at the top of Word gives you access to virtually all the program's countless features, and you don't need your mouse to use it. Every ribbon command has its own keyboard shortcut. To use the ribbon entirely using your keyboard, do this:
1. Press and release Alt. You should see an overlay called Access Keys appear.
2. Press the Access Key indicated to switch to the Ribbon tab you want to use. For example, to switch to the Layout tab, you would press and release Alt, then press P.
3. Press the Access Key for the command you want to use. Some Access Keys are more than one keypress – press the keys in sequence. If there is yet another layer of choices, continue to press the appropriate keys. For example, if you wanted to open the Advanced Find window, you would press and release Alt, H, then F, followed by D, then A.
Word keyboard shortcut summary
You can use the ribbon shortcuts to perform virtually any task in Word, but you might often find the more traditional keyboard shortcuts more convenient to use. Here are the top 45 keyboard shortcuts in Word.
You can use this list for reference, and if you need a more detailed explanation of a shortcut, scroll down.
Note: This list works on both Windows and MacOS, but if you are using a Mac, wherever you see 'Ctrl,' press the Command key instead.
Working with documents
- Open a document: Ctrl + O
- Create a new document: Ctrl + N
- Save the current document: Ctrl + S
- Open the Save As window: F12
- Close the current document: Ctrl + W
- Split the window: Alt + Ctrl + S
Moving around in a document
- Move the insertion point: Arrow
- Move one word at a time: Ctrl + Left/Right Arrow
- Move one paragraph at a time: Ctrl + Up/Down Arrow
- Move to the beginning of the current line: Home
- Move to the beginning of the document: Ctrl + Home
- Move to end of the current line: Ctrl + End
- Move to end of the document: Ctrl + End
Editing documents
- Cut the current selection: Ctrl + X
- Copy the current selection: Ctrl + C
- Paste the contents of the clipboard: Ctrl + V
- Bold: Ctrl + B
- Italics: Ctrl + I
- Underline: Ctrl + U
- Underline words only: Ctrl + Shift + W
- Center: Ctrl + E
- Make the font smaller: Ctrl + [
- Make the font bigger: Ctrl + ]
- Change text to uppercase: Ctrl + Shift + A
- Change text to lowercase: Ctrl + Shift K
- Insert a page break: Ctrl + Enter
- Add a hyperlink: Ctrl + K
Selecting text
- Select everything in the document: Ctrl + A
- Select text one character at a time: Shift + Arrow
- Select text one word at a time: Ctrl + Shift + Arrow
- Select from insertion point back to start of the line: Shift + Home
- Select from the insertion point to end of the line: Shift + End
- Enter selection mode: F8
- Cut text to the spike: Ctrl + F3
- Paste the spike: Ctrl + Shift + F3
Using tables
- Move to the next cell: Tab
- Move to the previous cell: Shift + Tab
- Move to the first cell in a row: Alt + Home
- Move to the last cell in a row: Alt + End
- Move to the top of a column: Alt + Page Up
- Move to the bottom of a column: Alt + Page Down
General tasks
- Undo: Ctrl + Z
- Redo: Ctrl + Y
- Help: F1
- Zoom: Alt + W, Q
- Cancel: Esc
Word keyboard shortcuts explained
If you find that using a keyboard shortcut isn't apparent, refer to it in this expanded list for more information about it.
Working with documents
Open a document: Press Ctrl + O to open an existing document.
Create a new document: Press Ctrl + N to create a new, untitled document.
Save the current document: Press Ctrl + S to save the current document immediately.
Open the Save As window: Press F12 to open the Save As dialog box to save the document with a specific filename or in a new folder.
Close the current document: Press Ctrl + W to close the current document. If it hasn't been saved, Word will ask if you want to save it.
Split the window: Press Alt + Ctrl + S to split the current document so you can refer to or edit two parts on-screen. Press the keys again to close the split.
Moving around in a document
Move the insertion point: User the up, down, left, and right Arrow keys to navigate the insertion point anywhere in the document.
Move one word at a time: Press Ctrl + Left/Right Arrow to move the insertion point an entire word at a time to the left or right.
Move one paragraph at a time: Press Ctrl + Up/Down Arrow to move the insertion point an entire paragraph at a time up or down.
Move to the beginning of the current line: Press Home to move the insertion point to the start of the line.
Move to the beginning of the document: Press Ctrl + Home to move the insertion point to the start of the document.
Move to the end of the current line: Press Ctrl + End to move the insertion point to the end of the line.
Move to the end of the document: Press Ctrl + End to move the insertion point to the end of the entire document.
Editing documents
Cut the current selection: Make a selection and then press Ctrl + X to cut it out of the document and place it in the clipboard.
Copy the current selection: Make a selection and then press Ctrl + C to copy it to the clipboard.
Paste the contents of the clipboard: Press Ctrl + V to paste the contents of the clipboard at the insertion point.
Bold: Press Ctrl + B to bold the selected text.
Italics: Press Ctrl + I to italics the selected text.
Underline: Press Ctrl + U to underline the selected text.
Underline words only: Press Ctrl + Shift + W to underline the selected text but not underline the spaces between words.
Center: Press Ctrl + E to center the line of text where the insertion point is located.
Make the font smaller: Press Ctrl and the left bracket ([) to make the font smaller one point at a time.
Make the font bigger: Press Ctrl and the right bracket (]) to make the font larger one point at a time.
Change text to uppercase: Press Ctrl + Shift + A to change the selected text to all uppercase.
Change text to lowercase: Press Ctrl + Shift K to change the selected text to all lowercase.
Insert a page break: Press Ctrl + Enter to insert a page break at the insertion point.
Add a hyperlink: Select text and then press Ctrl + K to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box to turn that text into a link. If you press Ctrl + K without selecting text first, you will need to specify the link text.
Selecting text
Select everything in the document: Press Ctrl + A to select the entire document.
Select text one character at a time: Press Shift + Arrow to select text to the left or right, one character at a time.
Select text one word at a time: Press Ctrl + Shift + Arrow to select words one at a time to the left or right.
Select from insertion point back to start of the line: Press Shift + Home to select everything from the insertion point back to the start of the line.
Select from insertion point to end of the line: Press Shift + End to select everything from the insertion point forward to the end of the line.
Enter selection mode: Press F8 to enter selection mode. In this mode, every arrow movement or click of the mouse selects text, as if you were holding the Shift key down. To exit selection mode, press Esc.
Cut text to the spike: Press Ctrl + F3 to cut the selected text and move it to the spike. The spike is sort of like the clipboard, but it can hold multiple items. You can choose any number of items, add them to the spike, and then paste them elsewhere. If you want to add an item to the spike without cutting it from its original location, press Ctrl + F3 and immediate press Undo (Ctrl + Z). The item will remain in the spike.
Paste the spike: Press Ctrl + Shift + F3 to paste the spike at the insertion point in your document. Each item gets pasted onto its own line.
Using tables
Move to the next cell: Press Tab to move to the next cell in a table and select that cell.
Move to the previous cell: Press Shift + Tab to move to the previous cell in a table and select that cell.
Move to the first cell in a row: Press Alt + Home to move to the first cell in the current row.
Move to the last cell in a row: Press Alt + End to move to the last cell in the current row.
Move to the top of a column: Press Alt + Page Up to move to the first cell in the current column.
Move to the bottom of a column: Press Alt + Page Down to move to the last cell in the current column.
General tasks
Undo: Perhaps the most common shortcut of all time, Ctrl + Z will undo your last action.
Redo: Press Ctrl + Y to redo the last action, if possible. If Word can't repeat the action, nothing will happen.
Help: Press F1 to open the Help and Support pane.
Microsoft Word Shortcut Keys
Zoom: Press Alt + W and then press Q to open the zoom control to change the magnification of Word on your screen. This doesn't affect the size of the document on the printed page.
Cancel: Press Esc to abort any task you don't want to complete. In some cases, you may also need to click 'Cancel.'