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Keyboard shortcuts for Outlook
Some of the content in this topic may not be applicable to some languages. To print this topic, press TAB to select Show All at the top of the topic, press ENTER, and then press CTRL+P. Work with the Microsoft Office Assistant, the Help window, and the Ask a Question box Keyboard shortcuts for using the Help Pane and Help window
The Help Pane is a task pane that provides access to all Office Help content. As a task pane, the Help Pane appears as part of the acvtive application. The Help window displays topics and other Help content and appears as a window next to, but separate from, the active application. In the Help Pane
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Display the Help Pane. | F1 |
Switch between the Help Pane and the active application. | F6 |
Select the next item in the Help Pane. | TAB |
Select the previous item in the Help Pane. | SHIFT+TAB |
Perform the action for the selected item. | ENTER |
In a Table of Contents, select the next and previous item, respectively. | UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW |
In a Table of Contents, expand and collapse the selected item, respectively. | LEFT ARROW and RIGHT ARROW |
Move back to the previous Task Pane. | ALT+LEFT ARROW |
Move forward to the next Task Pane. | ALT+RIGHT ARROW |
Open the menu of Pane options. | CONTROL+SPACE |
Close and reopen the current Task Pane. | CONTROL+F1 |
Expand a +/- list. | RIGHT ARROW |
Collapse a +/- list. | LEFT ARROW |
In the Help window
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Select the next hidden text or hyperlink, or Show All or Hide All at the top of a topic | TAB |
Select the previous hidden text or hyperlink, or the Browser View button at the top of a Microsoft Office Web site article | SHIFT+TAB |
Perform the action for the selected Show All, Hide All, hidden text, or hyperlink | ENTER |
Move back to the previous Help topic. | ALT+LEFT ARROW |
Move forward to the next Help topic. | ALT+RIGHT ARROW |
Print the current Help topic. | CONTROL+P |
Change whether the Help window appears connected to (tiled) or separate from (untiled) the active application. | ALT+U |
Display and use the Office Assistant
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.
In the Assistant balloon
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Close an Assistant message or a tip | ESC |
Display and use the Help window
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Display the Help window. | F1 |
In the Help window
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Select Show All or Hide All at the top of a topic; the next hidden text or hyperlink; or the Browser View button at the top of a Microsoft Office Web site article. | TAB |
Select the previous hidden text, hyperlink, Show All, or Hide All | SHIFT+TAB |
Perform the action for the selected Show All, Hide All, hidden text, or hyperlink | ENTER |
Close the Help window | ALT+F4 |
Use the Help topic pane
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Go to the next Help topic | ALT+RIGHT ARROW |
Go to the previous Help topic | ALT+LEFT ARROW |
Select the next hidden text or hyperlink, or Show All or Hide All at the top of a topic | TAB |
Select the previous hidden text or hyperlink, or the Browser View button at the top of a Microsoft Office Web site article. | SHIFT+TAB |
Perform the action for the selected Show All, Hide All, hidden text, or hyperlink | ENTER |
Scroll toward the beginning or end of a Help topic | UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW |
Scroll toward the beginning or end of a Help topic in large increments | PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN |
Go to the beginning or end of a Help topic | HOME or END |
Print the current Help topic | CTRL+P |
Select the entire Help topic | CTRL+A |
Copy the selected items to the Clipboard | CTRL+C |
Display a shortcut menu | SHIFT+F10 |
Use the Ask a Question box
Press F10 or ALT to select the menu bar, and then press TAB until the insertion point appears in the Ask a Question box. Type your question, and then press ENTER.
To select a topic, use the UP or DOWN arrow keys, and then press ENTER to open the topic in the Help window. To select the next or previous set of topics in the Microsoft Office Assistant balloon, select See more or See previous, and then press ENTER.
Use the Microsoft Office interfaceUse menus and toolbars
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Select the menu bar, or close an open menu and submenu at the same time | F10 or ALT |
When a toolbar is selected, select the next or previous button or menu on the toolbar | TAB or SHIFT+TAB |
When a toolbar is selected, select the next or previous toolbar | CTRL+TAB or CTRL+SHIFT+TAB |
Open the selected menu, or perform the action for the selected button or command | ENTER |
Display the shortcut menu for the selected item | SHIFT+F10 |
Display the window shortcut menu (Control menu) | ALT+SPACEBAR |
When a menu or submenu is open, select the next or previous command | DOWN ARROW or UP ARROW |
Select the menu to the left or right. When a submenu is open, switch between the main menu and the submenu. | LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW |
Select the first or last command on the menu or submenu | HOME or END |
Close an open menu. When a submenu is open, close only the submenu. | ESC |
When a menu is selected, display the list of commands | SHIFT+DOWN ARROW |
When a personalized menu is open, display the full set of commands | CTRL+DOWN ARROW |
Display the Start menu | CTRL+ESC |
Enter a name in the Find a Contact box | F11 |
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.
Move and resize toolbars
- Press ALT to select the menu bar.
- Press CTRL+TAB repeatedly to select the toolbar you want.
- In the toolbar, press CTRL+SPACE to display the Toolbar Options menu.
- Do one of the following:
Resize a toolbar
- 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.
Move a toolbar
- 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.
Use dialog boxes
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Move to the next option or option group | TAB |
Move to the previous option or option group | SHIFT+TAB |
Switch to the next tab in a dialog box | CTRL+TAB |
Switch to the previous tab in a dialog box | CTRL+SHIFT+TAB |
Move between options in an open drop-down list, or between options in a group of options | Arrow keys |
Perform the action assigned to the selected button; check or clear the selected check box | SPACEBAR |
Open the list if it is closed and move to that option in the list | First letter of an option in a drop-down list |
Select an option; select or clear a check box | ALT+ the letter underlined in an option |
Open a selected drop-down list | ALT+DOWN ARROW |
Close a selected drop-down list; cancel a command and close a dialog box | ESC |
Perform the action assigned to a default button in a dialog box | ENTER |
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.
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Move to the beginning of the entry | HOME |
Move to the end of the entry | END |
Move one character to the left or right | LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW |
Move one word to the left | CTRL+LEFT ARROW |
Move one word to the right | CTRL+RIGHT ARROW |
Select or unselect one character to the left | SHIFT+LEFT ARROW |
Select or unselect one character to the right | SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW |
Select or unselect one word to the left | CTRL+SHIFT+LEFT ARROW |
Select or unselect one word to the right | CTRL+SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW |
Select from the insertion point to the beginning of the entry | SHIFT+HOME |
Select from the insertion point to the end of the entry | SHIFT+END |
Use the Open, Save As, and Insert File dialog boxes
The Open, Save As, and Insert File 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 this topic.) These dialog boxes also support the shortcuts below.
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Go to the previous folder  | ALT+1 |
Up One Level button: open the folder up one level above the open folder | ALT+2 |
Search the Web button: close the dialog box and open your Web search page | ALT+3 |
Delete button: delete the selected folder or file | ALT+4 |
Create New Folder button: create a new folder | ALT+5 |
Views button: switch among available folder views | ALT+6 |
Tools button: show the Tools menu | ALT+7 or ALT+L |
Display a shortcut menu for a selected item such as a folder or file | SHIFT+F10 |
Move between options or areas in the dialog box | TAB |
Open the Look in list | F4 or ALT+I |
Refresh the file list | F5 |
Use program windows
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Switch to the next window | ALT+TAB |
Switch to the previous window | ALT+SHIFT+TAB |
Close the selected program window; if this is the only open window, closes the program | ALT+F4 |
Move to a pane from another pane in the program window (counterclockwise direction) | SHIFT+F6 |
When more than one window is open, switch to the next window | CTRL+F6 |
Switch to the previous window | CTRL+SHIFT+F6 |
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+F7 |
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+F8 |
Minimize a window to an icon (works only for some Microsoft Office programs) | CTRL+F9 |
Copy a picture of the screen to the Clipboard | PRINT SCREEN |
Copy a picture of the selected window to the Clipboard | ALT+PRINT SCREEN |
Outlook shortcutsFor basic navigation
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Switch to Mail | CTRL+1 |
Switch to Calendar | CTRL+2 |
Switch to Contacts | CTRL+3 |
Switch to Tasks | CTRL+4 |
Switch to Notes | CTRL+5 |
Switch to Folder List in Navigation Pane | CTRL+6 |
Switch to Shortcuts | CTRL+7 |
Next item (with item open) | CTRL+COMMA |
Previous item (with item open) | CTRL+PERIOD |
Switch between the Folder List and the main Outlook window | F6 or CTRL+SHIFT+TAB |
Move among the Outlook window, the Navigation Pane, and the Reading Pane | TAB |
Move around within the Navigation Pane | Arrow keys |
Go to a different folder | CTRL+Y |
Expand/collapse a group (with a group selected) in the Navigation Pane | PLUS or MINUS SIGN on the numeric keypad |
Collapse/expand a group in the e-mail message list | Left and right arrow keys |
To create an item or file
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Appointment | CTRL+SHIFT+A |
Contact | CTRL+SHIFT+C |
Distribution list | CTRL+SHIFT+L |
Fax | CTRL+SHIFT+X |
Folder | CTRL+SHIFT+E |
Journal entry | CTRL+SHIFT+J |
Meeting request | CTRL+SHIFT+Q |
Message | CTRL+SHIFT+M |
Note | CTRL+SHIFT+N |
new Office document. | CTRL+SHIFT+H |
Post in this folder | CTRL+SHIFT+S |
Search Folder | CTRL+SHIFT+P |
Task | CTRL+SHIFT+K |
Task request | CTRL+SHIFT+U |
For all items
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Display ScreenTip for the active element | SHIFT+F1 |
Save | CTRL+S or SHIFT+F12 |
Save and Close, Send | ALT+S |
Save As | F12 |
Undo | CTRL+Z or ALT+BACKSPACE |
Delete | CTRL+D |
Print | CTRL+P |
Copy item | CTRL+SHIFT+Y |
Move item | CTRL+SHIFT+V |
Check names | CTRL+K (using the Outlook e-mail editor) |
Check spelling | F7 |
Flag for follow-up | CTRL+SHIFT+G |
Forward | CTRL+F |
Send/post/invite all | ALT+S |
Find items | F3 or CTRL+E |
Search for text in items | F4 |
Find next during text search | SHIFT+F4 |
Use Advanced Find | CTRL+SHIFT+F |
Create a new Search Folder | CTRL+SHIFT+P |
Turn on editing in a field (except icon view) | F2 |
For e-mail
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Switch to Inbox | CTRL+SHIFT+I |
Switch to Outbox | CTRL+SHIFT+O |
Choose the account from which to send a message | CTRL+TAB (with focus on the To line) and then TAB to the Accounts button |
Send | ALT+S | Reply to a message | CTRL+R |
Reply all to a message | CTRL+SHIFT+R |
Mark a message as not junk | CTRL+ ALT+J |
Display blocked external content (in a message) | CTRL+SHIFT+I |
Post to a folder | CTRL+ SHIFT+S |
Check for new mail | CTRL+M or F9 |
Go to the next message | UP ARROW |
Go to the previous message | DOWN ARROW |
Go to the row above (message or group heading) | ALT+ UP ARROW |
Go to the row below (message or group heading) | ALT+ DOWN ARROW |
Compose a new message | CTRL+N |
Open a received message | CTRL+O |
Display the Address Book | CTRL+SHIFT+B |
Convert an HTML or RTF message to plain text | CTRL+SHIFT+O |
Add a Quick Flag to a message | INSERT |
Display the Flag for Follow Up dialog box | CTRL+SHIFT+G |
Mark as read | CTRL+Q |
Show the menu to download pictures, change automatic download settings, or add a sender to the Safe Senders List. | CTRL+SHIFT+W |
For Calendar
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Accept | ALT+C |
Decline | ALT+D |
See also under Views, Day/Week/Month view and For Date Navigator.
For Contacts
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Dial | CTRL+SHIFT+D |
Enter a name in the Find a Contact box | F11 |
For Tasks
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Accept | ALT+C |
Decline | ALT+D |
To format text
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Display the Format menu | ALT+O |
Switch case (with text selected) | SHIFT+F3 |
Add bold | CTRL+B |
Add bullets | CTRL+SHIFT+L |
Add italics | CTRL+I |
Increase indent | CTRL+T |
Decrease indent | CTRL+SHIFT+T |
Left align | CTRL+L |
Center | CTRL+E |
Underline | CTRL+U |
Increase font size | CTRL+] |
Decrease font size | CTRL+[ |
Cut | CTRL+X or SHIFT+DELETE |
Copy | CTRL+C or CTRL+INSERT |
Paste | CTRL+V or SHIFT+INSERT |
Clear formatting | CTRL+SHIFT+Z or CTRL+SPACEBAR |
To add Web information to items
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Edit a URL in the body of an item | CTRL+left mouse button |
Specify a Web browser | SHIFT+left mouse button |
Insert a hyperlink | CTRL+K (When using Word as e-mail editor only) |
For print preview
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Open print preview | CTRL+F2 |
Print a print preview | ALT+P |
Print preview page setup | ALT+S or ALT+U |
Zoom | ALT+Z |
Close print preview | ALT+C |
For send/receive
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Starts send/receive for all defined Send/Receive groups with Include this group in Send/Receive (F9) selected. This can include headers, full items, specified folders, items less than a specific size, or any combination that you have defined. | F9 |
Starts a send/receive for current folder retrieving full items (header, item, and any attachments) | SHIFT+F9 |
ViewsTable view
For general use
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Open an item | ENTER |
Select all items | CTRL+A |
Go to the item at the bottom of the screen | PAGE DOWN |
Go to the item at the top of the screen | PAGE UP |
Extend or reduce the selected items by one item | SHIFT+UP ARROW or SHIFT+DOWN ARROW |
Go to the next or previous item without extending the selection | CTRL+UP ARROW or CTRL+DOWN ARROW |
Select or unselect the active item | CTRL+SPACEBAR |
Move every item in the selection to the top or bottom in the list order | CTRL+HOME or CTRL+END (with in-cell editing disabled) |
With a group selected
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Expand the group | ENTER or RIGHT ARROW |
Collapse the group | ENTER or LEFT ARROW |
Select the previous group | UP ARROW |
Select the next group | DOWN ARROW |
Select the first group | HOME |
Select the last group | END |
Collapses the group | NUM - |
Expands the group | NUM+ | Select the first item on screen in an expanded group or the first item off screen to the right | RIGHT ARROW |
For all groups | To do this | Press |
|---|
Collapses all groups | CONTROL+NUM - | Expands all groups | CONTROL+NUM+ |
Day/Week/Month view
For all three
| To do this | Press |
|---|
View from 1 through 9 days | ALT+key for number of days |
View 10 days | ALT+0 (ZERO) |
Switch to weeks | ALT+HYPHEN SIGN |
Switch to months | ALT+EQUAL SIGN |
Move between Calendar, TaskPad, and the Folder List | CTRL+TAB or F6 |
Select the previous appointment | SHIFT+TAB |
Go to the previous day | LEFT ARROW |
Go to the next day | RIGHT ARROW |
Move selected item to the previous day when multiple days appear | ALT+LEFT ARROW |
Move selected item to the next day when multiple days appear | ALT+RIGHT ARROW |
Go to the same day in the next week | ALT+DOWN ARROW |
Go to the same day in the previous week | ALT+UP ARROW |
For Day view
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Select the time that begins your work day | HOME |
Select the time that ends your work day | END |
Select the previous block of time | UP ARROW |
Select the next block of time | DOWN ARROW |
Select the block of time at the top of the screen | PAGE UP |
Select the block of time at the bottom of the screen | PAGE DOWN |
Extend or reduce the selected time | SHIFT+UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW |
Move an appointment | With the cursor in the appointment, ALT+UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW |
Change an appointment start or end time | With the cursor in the appointment, ALT+SHIFT+UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW |
Move selected item to the same day in the next week | ALT+DOWN ARROW |
Move selected item to the same day in the previous week | ALT+UP ARROW |
For Week or Month views
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Go to the first day of the week | HOME |
Go to the last day of the week | END |
Go to the same day of the week in the previous week (or 5 weeks previous if viewing by month) | PAGE UP |
Go to the same day of the week in the next week (or 5 weeks ahead if viewing by month) | PAGE DOWN |
Move the appointment up, down, left, or right | ALT+UP, DOWN, LEFT, or RIGHT ARROW |
Change the duration of the selected block of time | SHIFT+LEFT, RIGHT, UP, or DOWN ARROW; or SHIFT+HOME or END |
For Date Navigator
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Go to the first day of the current week | ALT+HOME |
Go to the last day of the current week | ALT+END |
Go to the same day in the previous week | ALT+UP ARROW |
Go to the same day in the next week | ALT+DOWN ARROW |
Go to the first day of the month | ALT+PAGE UP |
Go to the last day of the month | ALT+PAGE DOWN |
For address card views
For general use
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Select a specific card in the list | Type one or more letters of the name the card is filed under or of the field you are sorting by |
Select the previous card | UP ARROW |
Select the next card | DOWN ARROW |
Select the first card in the list | HOME |
Select the last card in the list | END |
Select the first card on the current page | PAGE UP |
Select the first card on the next page | PAGE DOWN |
Select the closest card in the next column | RIGHT ARROW |
Select the closest card in the previous column | LEFT ARROW |
Select or unselect the active card | CTRL+SPACEBAR |
Extend the selection to the previous card and unselect cards after the starting point | SHIFT+UP ARROW |
Extend the selection to the next card and unselect cards before the starting point | SHIFT+DOWN ARROW |
Extend the selection to the previous card, regardless of the starting point | CTRL+SHIFT+UP ARROW |
Extend the selection to the next card, regardless of the starting point | CTRL+SHIFT+DOWN ARROW |
Extend the selection to the first card in the list | SHIFT+HOME |
Extend the selection to the last card in the list | SHIFT+END |
Extend the selection to the first card on the previous page | SHIFT+PAGE UP |
Extend the selection to the last card on the last page | SHIFT+PAGE DOWN |
To move between cards without changing the selection
To use the following keys, make sure a card is selected. To select a card, click the card heading.
| To do this | Press |
|---|
To the next card | CTRL+DOWN ARROW |
To the previous card | CTRL+UP ARROW |
To the first card in the list | CTRL+HOME |
To the last card in the list | CTRL+END |
To the first card on the previous page | CTRL+PAGE UP |
To the first card on the next page | CTRL+PAGE DOWN |
To the closest card in the previous column | CTRL+LEFT ARROW |
To the closest card in the next column | CTRL+RIGHT ARROW |
To a field in the active card | F2 |
To move between fields in a card
To use the following keys, make sure a field in a card is selected. To select a field when a card is selected, click the field or press F2.
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Move to the next field and, from the last field of a card, move to the first field in the next card | TAB |
Move to the previous field and, from the first field of a card, move to the last field in the previous card | SHIFT+TAB |
Move to the next field, or add a line to a multi-line field | ENTER |
Move to the previous field without leaving the active card | SHIFT+ENTER |
Display the insertion point in the active field to edit text | F2 |
To move between characters in a field
To use the following keys, make sure a field in a card is selected. To select a field when a card is selected, click the field or press F2.
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Add a line in a multi-line field | ENTER |
Move to the beginning of a line | HOME |
Move to the end of a line | END |
Move to the beginning of a multi-line field | PAGE UP |
Move to the end of a multi-line field | PAGE DOWN |
Move to the previous line in a multi-line field | UP ARROW |
Move to the next line in a multi-line field | DOWN ARROW |
Move to the previous character in a field | LEFT ARROW |
Move to the next character in a field | RIGHT ARROW |
For Timeline view (Tasks or Journal)
When an item is selected
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Select the previous item | LEFT ARROW |
Select the next item | RIGHT ARROW |
Select several adjacent items | SHIFT+LEFT ARROW or SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW |
Select several nonadjacent items | CTRL+LEFT ARROW+SPACEBAR or CTRL+RIGHT ARROW+SPACEBAR |
Open the selected items | ENTER |
Display the items one screen above the items on screen | PAGE UP |
Display the items one screen below the items on screen | PAGE DOWN |
Select the first item on the timeline (if items are not grouped) or the first item in the group | HOME |
Select the last item on the timeline (if items are not grouped) or the last item in the group | END |
Display (without selecting) the first item on the timeline (if items are not grouped) or the first item in the group | CTRL+HOME |
Display (without selecting) the last item on the timeline (if items are not grouped) or the last item in the group | CTRL+END |
When a group is selected
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Expand the group | ENTER or RIGHT ARROW |
Collapse the group | ENTER or LEFT ARROW |
Select the previous group | UP ARROW |
Select the next group | DOWN ARROW |
Select the first group on the timeline | HOME |
Select the last group on the timeline | END |
Select the first item on screen in an expanded group or the first item off screen to the right | RIGHT ARROW |
When a unit of time on the time scale for days is selected
| To do this | Press |
|---|
Move back in increments of time that are the same as those shown on the time scale | LEFT ARROW |
Move forward in increments of time that are the same as those shown on the time scale | RIGHT ARROW |
When the lower time scale is selected, select the upper time scale | SHIFT+TAB |
When the upper time scale is selected, select the lower time scale | TAB |
When the lower time scale is selected, select the first item on screen or the first group on screen if items are grouped | TAB |
|
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