Access any command with a few keystrokes
Access keys let you quickly use a command by pressing a few keys, regardless of where you are in the program. Every command in Word 2013 can be accessed by using an access key. You can get to most commands by using two to five keystrokes. To use an access key:
- Press ALT.
The KeyTips are displayed over each feature that is available in the current view.
- Press the letter shown in the KeyTip over the feature that you want to use.
- Depending on which letter you press, you may be shown additional KeyTips. For example, if Home is active and you press N, Insert is displayed, along with the KeyTips for the groups for Insert.
- Continue pressing letters until you press the letter of the command or control that you want to use. In some cases, you must first press the letter of the group that contains the command.
NOTE To cancel the action that you are taking and hide the KeyTips, press ALT.
Change the keyboard focus without using the mouse
Another way to use the keyboard to work with programs that feature the Office ribbon is to move the focus among the tabs and commands until you find the feature that you want to use. The following table lists some ways to move the keyboard focus without using the mouse.
| TO DO THIS | PRESS |
|---|---|
| Select the active tab of the ribbon and activate the access keys. | ALT or F10. Press either of these keys again to move back to the document and cancel the access keys. |
| Move to another tab of the ribbon. | F10 to select the active tab, and then LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW |
| Expand or collapse the ribbon. | CTRL+F1 |
| Display the shortcut menu for the selected item. | SHIFT+F10 |
Move the focus to select each of the following areas of the window:
|
F6 |
| Move the focus to each command on the ribbon, forward or backward, respectively. | TAB or SHIFT+TAB |
| Move down, up, left, or right, respectively, among the items on the ribbon. | DOWN ARROW, UP ARROW, LEFT ARROW, or RIGHT ARROW |
| Activate the selected command or control on the ribbon. | SPACEBAR or ENTER |
| Open the selected menu or gallery on the ribbon. | SPACEBAR or ENTER |
| Activate a command or control on the ribbon so you can modify a value. | ENTER |
| Finish modifying a value in a control on the ribbon, and move focus back to the document. | ENTER |
| Get help on the selected command or control on the ribbon. (If no Help topic is associated with the selected command, a general Help topic about the program is shown instead.) | F |