Word Formatting shortcut keys

Short cut keys can sometimes save you a second (or two) when you are navigating around MS‑Word. Here are five of my favourite short cut keys for formatting a document.

1. Trying to make some text stand out? After selecting your text, try pressing [Ctrl + Shift + K] to give you small caps text. [Ctrl + Z] will undo this if you don’t like it).
2. [Shift + Enter] will create a soft return. Great for when you need an extra blank line between bullets points or numbered lists.
3. Need to centre your text? Try pressing [Ctrl + E]. Note: [Ctrl + L] will left align, and [Ctrl + R] will right align your text.
4. Need to have a date in a document that changes to the current date when you re-open the document? Try [Shift + Alt + D]. This will insert the current date and you can update it by clicking on the update tag that is displayed when you next open the document.
5. A quick way to indent a paragraph is to press [Ctrl + M]. You can do this multiple times to increase the indent, and when you want to cancel the indent press [Shift + Ctrl + M].

When I use the + symbol between keys, this means to hold down the first (and sometimes second) key before pressing the last key.

All of these short cuts work in Word 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016. If you are using a Mac, replace the Ctrl key with the Command key.

Watch our video on how to use these short cut keys.