To perform the following actions, the Microsoft Office Assistant must be turned on and visible. To turn on or show the Office Assistant, press ALT+H to open the Help menu, and then press O. With the Assistant visible, press F1 to display the Assistant balloon.
- F1
- Display the Assistant balloon (if the Assistant is turned off, F1 opens the Help window)
In the Assistant balloon
- ALT+number
- Select a Help topic from the list the Assistant displays. ALT+1 is the first topic, ALT+2 is the second, and so on.
- ALT+DOWN ARROW
- Display more Help topics in the Assistant list
- ALT+UP ARROW
- Display previous Help topics in the Assistant list
- ESC
- Close an Assistant message or a tip
In some wizards or dialog boxes
- TAB
- Move to the Help button in the wizard
- SPACEBAR, with the Help button selected
- Show the Assistant in a wizard or dialog box. To hide the Assistant, press SPACEBAR again. Note that not all wizards or dialog boxes have Help provided by the Assistant.
Note If you use a screen review utility or other accessibility aid, you'll get the best results with Help if you enter questions in the Answer Wizard tab in the Help window rather than in the Office Assistant balloon or in the Ask a Question box.
Display and use the Help window
To use the Help window, the Microsoft Office Assistant must be turned off. To turn off the Assistant, press F1 to display the Assistant. Press ALT+O to open the Options tab in the Office Assistant dialog box. Press ALT+U to clear the Use the Office Assistant check box, and then press ENTER. Press F1 to display the Help window.
- F1
- Display the Help window if the Assistant is turned off (if the Assistant is turned on, F1 displays the Assistant balloon).
In the Help window
- F6
- Switch between the Help topic and the Contents, Answer Wizard, Index pane
- TAB
- Select the next hidden text or hyperlink, or Show All or Hide All at the top of a topic
- SHIFT+TAB
- Select the previous hidden text or hyperlink, or the Browser View button at the top of a Microsoft Office Web site article
- ENTER
- Perform the action for the selected Show All, Hide All, hidden text, or hyperlink
- ALT+O
- Display the Options menu to access any Help toolbar command
- ALT+O, and then press T
- Hide or show the pane with the Contents, Answer Wizard, and Index tabs
- ALT+O, and then press B
- Display the previously viewed topic
- ALT+O, and then press F
- Display the next topic in a previously displayed sequence of topics
- ALT+O, and then press H
- Return to the specified home page
- ALT+O, and then press S
- Stop the Help window from opening a Help topic (useful if you want to stop a Web page from downloading)
- ALT+O, and then press I
- Open the Internet Options dialog box for Microsoft Internet Explorer, where you can change accessibility settings
- ALT+O, and then press R
- Refresh the topic (useful if you have linked to a Web page)
- ALT+O, and then press P
- Print all topics in a book or a selected topic only
- ALT+F4
- Close the Help window
Note If you use a screen review utility or other accessibility aid, you'll get the best results with Help if you enter questions in the Answer Wizard tab in the Help window rather than in the Office Assistant balloon or in the Ask a Question box.
Use the Contents, Index, and Answer Wizard panes
Press F6 to switch from the Help topic to the Contents, Answer Wizard, Index pane.
- CTRL+TAB
- Switch to the next tab
- ALT+C
- Switch to the Contents tab
- ALT+A
- Switch to the Answer Wizard tab
- ALT+I
- Switch to the Index tab
- ENTER
- Open a selected book or Help topic
- DOWN ARROW
- Select the next book or Help topic
- UP ARROW
- Select the previous book or Help topic
- SHIFT+F10
- Display a shortcut menu
Note If you use a screen review utility or other accessibility aid, you'll get the best results with Help if you enter questions in the Answer Wizard tab in the Help window rather than in the Microsoft Office Assistant balloon or in the Ask a Question box.
Press F6 to switch from the Contents, Answer Wizard, Index pane to the open Help topic.
- ALT+RIGHT ARROW
- Go to the next Help topic
- ALT+LEFT ARROW
- Go to the previous Help topic
- TAB
- Select the next hidden text or hyperlink, or Show All or Hide All at the top of a topic
- SHIFT+TAB
- Select the previous hidden text or hyperlink, or the Browser View button at the top of a Microsoft Office Web site article
- ENTER
- Perform the action for the selected Show All, Hide All, hidden text, or hyperlink
- UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW
- Scroll toward the beginning or end of a Help topic
- PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN
- Scroll toward the beginning or end of a Help topic in large increments
- HOME or END
- Go to the beginning or end of a Help topic
- CTRL+P
- Print the current Help topic
- CTRL+A
- Select the entire Help topic
- CTRL+C
- Copy the selected items to the Clipboard
- SHIFT+F10
- Display a shortcut menu
Use the Microsoft Office interface
- F10 or ALT
- Select the menu bar, or close an open menu and submenu at the same time
- TAB or SHIFT+TAB
- When a toolbar is selected, select the next or previous button or menu on the toolbar
- CTRL+TAB or CTRL+SHIFT+TAB
- When a toolbar is selected, select the next or previous toolbar
- ENTER
- Open the selected menu, or perform the action for the selected button or command
- SHIFT+F10
- Display the shortcut menu for the selected item
- ALT+SPACEBAR
- Display the window shortcut menu (Control menu)
- DOWN ARROW or UP ARROW
- When a menu or submenu is open, select the next or previous command
- LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW
- Select the menu to the left or right. When a submenu is open, switch between the main menu and the submenu.
- HOME or END
- Select the first or last command on the menu or submenu
- ESC
- Close an open menu. When a submenu is open, close only the submenu.
- SHIFT+DOWN ARROW
- When a menu is selected, display the list of commands
- CTRL+DOWN ARROW
- When a personalized menu is open, display the full set of commands
Note You can use the keyboard to select any menu command on the menu bar. Press ALT to select the menu bar. Press the letter that is underlined in the menu name that contains the command you want. In the menu that appears, press the letter underlined in the command name that you want.
- F6
- Move to a task pane from another pane in the program window. (You may need to press F6 more than once.)
Note If pressing F6 doesn't display the task pane you want, try pressing ALT to place focus on the menu bar, and then pressing CTRL+TAB to move to the task pane.
- CTRL+TAB
- When a menu or toolbar is active, move to a task pane. (You may need to press CTRL+TAB more than once.)
- TAB or SHIFT+TAB
- When a task pane is active, select the next or previous option in the task pane
- CTRL+DOWN ARROW
- Display the full set of commands on the task pane menu
- DOWN ARROW or UP ARROW
- Move among choices in a selected submenu; move among certain options in a group of options
- SPACEBAR or ENTER
- Open the selected menu, or perform the action assigned to the selected button
- SHIFT+F10
- Open a shortcut menu; open a drop-down menu for the selected gallery item
- HOME or END
- When a menu or submenu is visible, select the first or last command on the menu or submenu
- PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN
- Scroll up or down in the selected gallery list
- CTRL+HOME or CTRL+END
- Move to the top or bottom of the selected gallery list
Resize and move toolbars and task panes
- Press ALT to select the menu bar.
- Press CTRL+TAB repeatedly to select the toolbar or task pane you want.
- Do one of the following:
- In the toolbar, press CTRL+SPACE to display the Toolbar Options menu.
- Select the Size command, and then press ENTER.
- Use the arrow keys to resize the toolbar. Press CTRL+ the arrow keys to resize one pixel at a time.
- In the toolbar, press CTRL+SPACE to display the Toolbar Options menu.
- Select the Move command, and then press ENTER.
- Use the arrow keys to position the toolbar. Press CTRL+ the arrow keys to move one pixel at a time. To undock the toolbar, press DOWN ARROW repeatedly. To dock the toolbar vertically on the left or right side, press LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW respectively when the toolbar is all the way to the left or right side.
- In the task pane, press CTRL+SPACE to display a menu of additional commands.
- Use the DOWN ARROW key to select the Size command, and then press ENTER.
- Use the arrow keys to resize the task pane. Use CTRL+ the arrow keys to resize by one pixel at a time.
- In the task pane, press CTRL+SPACE to display a menu of additional commands.
- Use the DOWN ARROW key to select the Move command, and then press ENTER.
- Use the arrow keys to position the task pane. Use CTRL+ the arrow keys to move one pixel at a time.
- When you are finished moving or resizing, press ESC.
- ALT+SHIFT+F10
- Display the menu or message for a smart tag. If more than one smart tag is present, switch to the next smart tag and display its menu or message.
- DOWN ARROW
- Select the next item in a smart tag menu.
- UP ARROW
- Select the previous item in a smart tag menu.
- ENTER
- Perform the action for the selected item in a smart tag menu.
- ESC
- Close the smart tag menu or message.
You can ask to be notified by a sound whenever a smart tag appears. To hear audio cues, you must have a sound card. You must also have Microsoft Office Sounds installed on your computer.
If you have access to the World Wide Web, you can download Microsoft Office Sounds from the Microsoft Office Online Web site. On the Help menu, click Microsoft Office Online and search for "Microsoft Office Sounds." After you've installed the sound files, you need to select the Provide feedback with sound to screen elements check box on the General tab of the Options dialog box (Tools menu). When you select (or clear) this check box, the setting affects all Office programs that support sound.
- TAB
- Move to the next option or option group
- SHIFT+TAB
- Move to the previous option or option group
- CTRL+TAB
- Switch to the next tab in a dialog box
- CTRL+SHIFT+TAB
- Switch to the previous tab in a dialog box
- Arrow keys
- Move between options in an open drop-down list, or between options in a group of options
- SPACEBAR
- Perform the action assigned to the selected button; check or clear the selected check box
- First letter of an option in a drop-down list
- Open the list if it is closed and move to that option in the list
- ALT+ the letter underlined in an option
- Select an option; select or clear a check box
- ALT+DOWN ARROW
- Open a selected drop-down list
- ESC
- Close a selected drop-down list; cancel a command and close a dialog box
- ENTER
- Perform the action assigned to a default button in a dialog box
Use edit boxes within dialog boxes
An edit box is a blank in which you type or paste an entry, such as your user name or the path to a folder.
- HOME
- Move to the beginning of the entry
- END
- Move to the end of the entry
- LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW
- Move one character to the left or right
- CTRL+LEFT ARROW
- Move one word to the left
- CTRL+RIGHT ARROW
- Move one word to the right
- SHIFT+LEFT ARROW
- Select or unselect one character to the left
- SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW
- Select or unselect one character to the right
- CTRL+SHIFT+LEFT ARROW
- Select or unselect one word to the left
- CTRL+SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW
- Select or unselect one word to the right
- SHIFT+HOME
- Select from the insertion point to the beginning of the entry
- SHIFT+END
- Select from the insertion point to the end of the entry
Use the Open, Save As, and Insert Picture dialog boxes
The Open, Insert Picture, and Save As dialog boxes support standard dialog box keyboard shortcuts. (To view standard shortcuts for dialog boxes, refer to the Use Dialog Boxes and Use Edit Boxes Within Dialog Boxes sections in the main Keyboard Shortcuts topic.) These dialog boxes also support the shortcuts below.
- ALT+1
- Go to the previous folder
- ALT+2
- Up One Level button: open the folder up one level above the open folder
- ALT+3
- Search the Web button: close the dialog box and open your Web search page
- ALT+4
- Delete button: delete the selected folder or file
- ALT+5
- Create New Folder button: create a new folder
- ALT+6
- Views button: switch among available folder views
- ALT+7 or ALT+L
- Tools button: show the Tools menu
- SHIFT+F10
- Display a shortcut menu for a selected item such as a folder or file
- TAB
- Move between options or areas in the dialog box
- F4 or ALT+I
- Open the Look in list
- F5
- Refresh the file list
Use program and document windows
- ALT+TAB
- Switch to the next window
- ALT+SHIFT+TAB
- Switch to the previous window
- CTRL+W or CTRL+F4
- Close the active window
- CTRL+F5
- Restore the size of the active window after you've maximized it
- F6
- Move to a task pane from another pane in the program window (clockwise direction). You may need to press F6 more than once.
Note If pressing F6 doesn't display the task pane you want, try pressing ALT to place focus on the menu bar, and then pressing CTRL+TAB to move to the task pane.
- SHIFT+F6
- Move to a pane from another pane in the program window (counterclockwise direction)
- CTRL+F6
- When more than one window is open, switch to the next window
- CTRL+SHIFT+F6
- Switch to the previous window
- CTRL+F7
- When a document window is not maximized, performs the Move command (on the Control menu for the window). Use the arrow keys to move the window, and, when finished, press ESC.
- CTRL+F8
- When a document window is not maximized, performs the Size command (on the Control menu for the window). Use the arrow keys to resize the window, and, when finished, press ESC.
- CTRL+F9
- Minimize a window to an icon (works only for some Microsoft Office programs)
- CTRL+F10
- Maximize or restore a selected window
- PRINT SCREEN
- Copy a picture of the screen to the Clipboard
- ALT+PRINT SCREEN
- Copy a picture of the selected window to the Clipboard
Microsoft Clip Organizer shortcuts
- CTRL+LEFT ARROW or CTRL+RIGHT ARROW
- Move forward or backward one word in the Search text box.
- ALT+C
- Displays the Collection List task pane.
- ALT+S
- Displays the Search task pane.
- ALT+H
- Open Help.
Keys for finding or selecting clips
- ARROW KEYS
- Move left and right, up and down, among collections or clips.
- SHIFT+ARROW KEYS
- Select additional clips after one clip has been selected.
- CTRL+A
- Select all clips on the current page.
- CTRL+C
- Copy (select a clip and move it to the clipboard).
- CTRL+V
- Paste (paste from the clipboard to Clip Organizer).
- DELETE
- Delete selected clip or category.
- HOME
- Move to the beginning of a row and select the first item.
- END
- Move to the end of a row and select the last item.
Keys for using the shortcut menu
- SHIFT+F10
- Display a shortcut menu for a collection, clip, or link (same as right-click).
- Shortcut Menu Key (only on the Microsoft Natural Keyboard)
- Display a shortcut menu.
Keys for using the dialog boxes
- ESC
- Exit a dialog box.
- TAB and SHIFT+TAB
- Shift focus forward and backward between different areas of a dialog box.
- ALT+SPACEBAR
- Open the shortcut menu of a dialog box.