If you are using control + S to save like you’ve got a twitch (and what MS user hasn’t learned to save obsessively), you already know that shortcuts will save you a lot of time over using menus. Here are some surprising, lesser-known keyboard shortcuts that will speed up your productivity.
| Windows | Mac* | |
| Insert a comment | alt + R, C | cmd + opt + A |
| Tracked changes on/off (toggle) | ctrl + shift + E | cmd + shift + E |
| Paste and match formatting | ctrl + shift + V | cmd + opt + shift + V |
| Exit a comment balloon** | esc | esc |
| Switch between the last 4 places edited | alt + ctrl + Z | cmd + opt + Z |
| Select word, sentence, paragraph or cell, all (repeat to toggle through selections; esc to exit) | F8 | F8 |
| Display the shortcut for the selected menu item | shift + F10 |
** If you have Modern Comments, pressing escape will delete an unfinished comment. Instead, key cmd + enter to post and exit a comment “balloon”. That’s ctrl + enter for Windows users.
Troubleshooting
Word adds and removes functions at will. Your mileage may vary.
Press the fn as well, to get the F keys to work, if the function keys are labelled with actions such as volume control and screen brightness.
Got a gnarly Word problem? Submit your problem and we’ll try to answer it in the Q&A thread.
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