Microsoft Word Mac Shortcut For Highlighting

© Westend61/Getty Images Word keyboard shortcuts help you create, edit, save, and share your documents with a few quick key strokes. Westend61/Getty Images

  • 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?

Word contains many highlighters to make your text pop off the screen just as if you were highlighting paper with a fluorescent marker. You can select text or an image and then highlight it, or use the Highlight tool to mark different parts of a document. You can also remove highlighting or quickly find highlighted items in your document. Microsoft Word for Mac: text highlighting too 'light' Hi, I had an Office 365 Personal subscription active on my Macbook Air since November 2019, then I decided to switch and buy the Office Home & Student 2019 version a few weeks after the expiration date. Sep 03, 2020 Show the shortcut menu for a selected item: Shift + F10; Wrapping it up. Like our other keyboard shortcuts lists, this one for Word on Mac is great to have at your fingertips. So bookmark the page and the next time you start composing or editing a document in Microsoft Word, you can complete your tasks much quicker. Show the shortcut menu for a selected item: Shift + F10; Wrapping it up. Like our other keyboard shortcuts lists, this one for Word on Mac is great to have at your fingertips. So bookmark the page and the next time you start composing or editing a document in Microsoft Word, you can complete your tasks much quicker.

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.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Microsoft Office (From $149.99 at Best Buy)

Apple Macbook Pro (From $1,299.00 at Apple)

Acer Chromebook 15 (From $179.99 at Walmart)

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

Word
  • 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

Microsoft Word Mac Shortcut For Highlighting Shortcut

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.

Create Shortcut For Microsoft Word

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.

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.'

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

The following sections contain information on how to highlight text on any computer, device or program. We've also included keyboard shortcuts, tips, and areas where you can practice highlighting text on this page.

Microsoft word mac shortcut for highlighting tutorial

How to highlight text on a desktop or laptop computer

Below are all of the different methods of highlighting text, icons, and other objects on your computer using a desktop mouse, touchpad, and keyboard.

How to highlight text using your mouse

To highlight text using your mouse, position your cursor at the beginning of the text you want to highlight. Press and hold your primary mouse button (commonly the left button). While holding the mouse button, drag the cursor to the end of the text and let go of the mouse button. Once completed, all text from the beginning to the end should be highlighted. Below is an example of how text can be highlighted.

There is no limit to how much text can be highlighted. You can move to the end of a paragraph to highlight the full paragraph or keep holding the mouse button down and select multiple paragraphs or pages of text.

Tip

You'll know that text can be highlighted when your mouse pointer changes to an I-beam cursor.

How to highlight using a touchpad on a laptop

To highlight text using a touchpad on a laptop, move the cursor to the beginning of the text you want to highlight. Press and hold down the primary mouse button below the touchpad. While continuing to hold down the button, move another finger (or one from your other hand) along the touchpad in the direction you want to highlight.

Tip

If the touchpad acts as a button, press down until you feel a 'click,' and then drag your finger in either direction to highlight text.

Select text with the mouse button

Double-clicking a word highlights the word and triple-clicking a word highlights the full line or paragraph of text.

How to highlight text using your keyboard

To highlight with the keyboard, move to the starting location using the arrow keys. Then, hold down the Shift key, and press the arrow key in the direction you want to highlight. Once everything you want is highlighted, let go of the Shift key.

Tip

If you want to highlight one word at a time, press Ctrl key while holding down Shift, and then press the left or right arrow key.

Tip

If you want to highlight a whole line of text, move your cursor to the start of the line, hold the Shift key, and then press the down arrow. You may also use the shortcut key combination Shift+End.

Tip:

If you want to highlight all text, press the shortcut key Ctrl+A.

Note

If you are not working with text that can be edited (e.g., this paragraph), you cannot highlight text using these methods. However, they work in word processor documents, text documents, and any text field.

Practice highlighting text

Below is a text field where you can practice highlighting text using the keyboard.

How to highlight text using your keyboard and mouse

To use the keyboard and mouse in combination, begin by moving the cursor to where you want to start highlighting. Then, hold down the Shift key and then click where you want to finish highlighting.

Tip

You can also practice this technique in the above text box.

How to highlight an icon or another object

To highlight an object such as an icon in Windows, single-click the item. Once clicked, the icon or text should change to a different color indicating it is highlighted.

To highlight multiple icons or other objects, drag a box around all files you want to highlight.

Tip

If you want to individually highlight files, hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard and while still holding the Ctrl key, single-click each file you want to highlight.

How to highlight multiple e-mails, files, icons, or other objects

Users may highlight multiple objects at once by using the mouse or mouse and keyboard. In many programs, you can draw a marquee around the items you want to highlight. To draw a marquee, click-and-hold the left mouse button outside the area of the items, and then drag the marquee to the opposite diagonal corner. Once you release the mouse button, the items contained in the box are highlighted. In the animated picture, we are selecting nine picture files.

If a program doesn't support a marquee, highlight the first object in the series. Then, hold down the Shift, click the last item you want to selected, and then let go of the Shift key. For example, clicking 'Example' in the select field below, and then holding down Shift and clicking 'Items' highlights all four available options.

Tip

To select only certain items from the list, hold down Ctrl, and click each item you want to highlight. Repeat this action to deselect an item.

How to highlight text on an Android smartphone and tablet

Press and hold down on any text with your finger, drag your finger over the text you'd like to highlight, and then let go. Upon letting go, a menu should appear in the top-right corner of the screen (shown to the right) that allows you to cut or copy.

Tip

You may also press and hold on one word, the use the side bars to adjust the amount of highlighted text.

How to highlight text on an Apple iPhone and iPad

Press and hold down on any text with your finger, drag your finger over the text you'd like to highlight, and then let go. Upon letting go, a menu should appear. Press your finger on the Select option.

Tip

You may also press and hold on one word, the use the side bars to adjust the amount of highlighted text.

How to highlight text on a Chromebook

For Chromebooks that have no mouse buttons, you can copy and paste text by following the steps below.

Press down on the touchpad and keep your finger there. Then, while continuing to hold down on the touchpad, drag your finger in the direction you want to highlight text. When you're finished highlighting, lift your finger.

Tip

You can also use many of the mouse and keyboard tips mentioned in our desktop and laptop section on a Chromebook.

How to highlight text on a Kindle

Microsoft Word Shortcut For Highlight Mac

Press and hold down on the starting word with your finger. Once that word is highlighted, drag your finger over any additional text to select it as well. When you're finished highlighting, lift your finger.

Additional information

Microsoft Word Shortcuts Pdf

  • See our highlight definitions for further information and related links.