Keyboard shortcuts

The Help task pane provides access to all Microsoft Office Visio Help and appears as part of Microsoft Office Visio. The Help window displays topics and other Help content and appears as a window next to, but separate from, Visio.

F1

Display the Help task pane from a Visio window or a context-sensitive topic from a Visio dialog box.

In the Help task pane

F6

Switch between the Help task pane and the active application.

TAB

Select the next item in the Help task pane.

SHIFT+TAB

Select the previous item in the Help task pane.

ENTER

Perform the action for the selected item.

DOWN ARROW and UP ARROW

In a table of contents, select the next and previous item, respectively.

RIGHT ARROW and LEFT ARROW

In a table of contents, expand and collapse the selected item, respectively.

ALT+LEFT ARROW

Move back to the previous task pane.

ALT+RIGHT ARROW

Move forward to the next task pane.

CTRL+SPACEBAR

Open the menu of task panes.

CTRL+F1

Close and reopen the current task pane.

CTRL+RIGHT ARROW

Expand a +/- list.

CTRL+LEFT ARROW

Collapse a +/- list.

In the Help window

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 Online Web site article.

ENTER

Perform the action for the selected Show All, Hide All, hidden text, or hyperlink.

ALT+LEFT ARROW

Move back to the previous Help topic.

ALT+RIGHT ARROW

Move forward to the next Help topic.

CTRL+P or CTRL+SHIFT+F12 or CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+F2

Print the current Help topic as it appears on the screen.

UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW

Scroll small amounts up and down, respectively, within the currently displayed Help topic.

PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN

Scroll larger amounts up and down, respectively, within the currently displayed Help topic.

ALT+U

Change whether the Help window appears connected to (docked) or separate from (floating) the active application.

SHIFT+F10 or Application ( )

Display a menu of commands for the Help window; requires that the Help window have active focus (click an item in the Help window).

F10 or ALT

Select the menu bar (menu bar: The horizontal bar below the title bar that contains the names of menus. A menu bar can be the built-in menu bar or a custom menu bar.), or close an open menu and submenu at the same time.

SHIFT+F10 or Application ( )

Display the shortcut menu (shortcut menu: A menu that shows a list of commands relevant to a particular item. To display a shortcut menu, right-click an item or press SHIFT+F10.) for the selected item.

TAB or SHIFT+TAB

When a toolbar (toolbar: A bar with buttons and options that you use to carry out commands. To display a toolbar, press ALT and then SHIFT+F10.) or menu bar is selected, select the next or previous button or menu.

CTRL+TAB or CTRL+SHIFT+TAB

Select a task pane or toolbar after pressing F10 or ALT to select the menu bar. Pressing the keys repeatedly moves the focus among the open toolbars, menu bars, and task pane.

ENTER

Open the selected menu, or perform the action for the selected button or command.

ALT+SPACEBAR

Display the title bar shortcut menu.

DOWN ARROW or UP ARROW

When a menu or submenu (submenu: A menu that appears when a user points to a command on a higher-level menu.) is open, select the next or previous command.

LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW

When a toolbar or menu bar is selected, select the next or previous button or menu. 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, or the first or last button on a toolbar.

ESC

Close an open menu. When a submenu is open, close only the submenu.

SHIFT+DOWN ARROW

Open the selected menu.

CTRL+DOWN ARROW

When a shortened 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.

File menu

CTRL+N

Open a new drawing based on the open drawing (File menu, New submenu, New Drawing).

CTRL+O or CTRL+F12 or CTRL+ALT+F2

Open the Open dialog box (File menu, Open).

CTRL+F4

Close the active drawing window (File menu, Close).

CTRL+S or SHIFT+F12 or ALT+SHIFT+F2

Save the active drawing (File menu, Save).

F12 or ALT+F2

Open the Save As dialog box (File menu, Save As).

SHIFT+F5

Open the Print Setup tab in the Display Page Setup dialog box (File menu, Page Setup).

CTRL+F2

Open the Print Preview window (File menu, Print Preview).

CTRL+P

Open the Print dialog box (File menu, Print).

Edit menu

CTRL+Z or ALT+BACKSPACE

Reverse the last action you performed (Edit menu, Undo).

CTRL+Y or ALT+SHIFT+BACKSPACE

Reverse the action of the Undo command (Edit menu, Redo).

F4

Repeat the previous action.

CTRL+X or SHIFT+DELETE

Remove the selection from the active drawing and place it on the Clipboard (Edit menu, Cut).

CTRL+C or CTRL+INSERT

Copy the selection to the Clipboard (Edit menu, Copy).

CTRL+V or SHIFT+INSERT

Paste the contents of the Clipboard (Edit menu, Paste).

DELETE

Delete the selection (Edit menu, Clear).

CTRL+A

Select all the shapes on the active drawing page (Edit menu, Select All).

CTRL+D

Copy the selection to the active drawing (Edit menu, Duplicate).

CTRL+F

Open the Find dialog box (Edit menu, Find).

SHIFT+F4

Open the Page dialog box (Edit menu, Go To submenu, Page).

View menu

CTRL+F1

Toggle the task pane (View menu, Task Pane).

F5

Open the active drawing in full-screen view (View menu, Full Screen).

CTRL+SHIFT+I

Zoom to 100% magnification (View menu, Zoom submenu, 100%).

CTRL+W

Zoom to show the whole page (View menu, Zoom submenu, Whole Page).

Insert menu

CTRL+F9

Open the Field dialog box for the selected shape (Insert menu, Field).

CTRL+K

Open the Hyperlinks dialog box (Insert menu, Hyperlinks).

Format menu

F11

Open the Font tab in the Text dialog box (Format menu, Text).

SHIFT+F11

Open the Paragraph tab in the Text dialog box (Format menu, Text).

CTRL+F11

Open the Tabs tab in the Text dialog box (Format menu, Text).

F3

Open the Fill dialog box for the selected shape (Format menu, Fill).

SHIFT+F3

Open the Line dialog box (Format menu, Line).

Tools menu

F7

Check the active drawing for spelling errors (Tools menu, Spelling).

ALT+F9

Open the General tab in the Snap & Glue dialog box (Tools menu, Snap & Glue).

SHIFT+F9

Toggle the Snap check box on the General tab in the Snap & Glue dialog box; snaps shapes to items selected in the Snap to section of the dialog box (Tools menu, Snap & Glue).

F9

Toggle the Glue check box on the General tab in the Snap & Glue dialog box; glues shapes to items selected in the Glue to section of the dialog box (Tools menu, Snap & Glue).

ALT+F8

Open the Macros dialog box (Tools menu, Macros submenu, Macros).

ALT+F11

Open the Visual Basic Editor (Tools menu, Macros submenu, Visual Basic Editor).

ALT+Q

Close the Visual Basic Editor and return to the Visio program window (File menu in Visual Basic Editor, Close and Return to Visio).

Shape menu

CTRL+G or CTRL+SHIFT+G

Group the selected shapes (Shape menu, Grouping submenu, Group).

CTRL+SHIFT+U

Ungroup shapes in the selected group (Shape menu, Grouping submenu, Ungroup).

CTRL+SHIFT+F

Bring the selected shape to the front (Shape menu, Order submenu, Bring To Front).

CTRL+SHIFT+B

Send the selected shape to the back (Shape menu, Order submenu, Send To Back).

CTRL+L

Rotate the selected shape to the left (Shape menu, Rotate or Flip submenu, Rotate Left).

CTRL+R

Rotate the selected shape to the right (Shape menu, Rotate or Flip submenu, Rotate Right).

CTRL+H

Flip the selected shape horizontally (Shape menu, Rotate or Flip submenu, Flip Horizontal).

CTRL+J

Flip the selected shape vertically (Shape menu, Rotate or Flip submenu, Flip Vertical).

F8

Open the Align Shapes dialog box for the selected shape (Shape menu, Align Shapes).

Window menu

SHIFT+F7

Display the open drawing windows tiled horizontally (Window menu, Tile).

CTRL+SHIFT+F7

Display the open drawing windows tiled vertically.

ALT+F7 or CTRL+ALT+F7

Display the open drawing windows so that you can see the title of every window (Window menu, Cascade).

Standard toolbar

CTRL+SHIFT+P

Toggle the Format Painter tool on and off ( ).

CTRL+1

Select the Pointer Tool ( ).

CTRL+3

Select the Connector Tool ( ).

CTRL+SHIFT+1

Select the Connection Point Tool ( ).

CTRL+2

Select the Text Tool ( ).

CTRL+SHIFT+4

Select the Text Block Tool ( ).

CTRL+SHIFT+3

Select the Stamp Tool ( ).

Drawing toolbar

CTRL+8

Select the Rectangle Tool ( ).

CTRL+9

Select the Ellipse Tool ( ).

CTRL+6

Select the Line Tool ( ).

CTRL+7

Select the Arc Tool ( ).

CTRL+5

Select the Freeform Tool ( ).

CTRL+4

Select the Pencil Tool ( ).

Picture toolbar

CTRL+SHIFT+2

Select the Crop Tool ( ).

CTRL+F1

Open the task pane or hide the current task pane.

F6

Move to a task pane (task pane: A window within an Office program that provides commonly used commands. Its location and small size allow you to use these commands while still working on your files.) 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 (toolbar: A bar with buttons and options that you use to carry out commands. To display a toolbar, press ALT and then SHIFT+F10.) is active, move to a task pane. (You may need to press CTRL+TAB more than once.)

CTRL+SPACEBAR

Open the menu of task panes.

ALT+HOME

Go to the Getting Started task pane.

ALT+LEFT ARROW

Reverse the sequence of task panes you opened.

ALT+RIGHT ARROW

Repeat the sequence of task panes you opened.

ESC

Close a menu if one is currently open, or go back to the drawing.

TAB or SHIFT+TAB

When a task pane is active, select the next or previous option in the task pane.

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 or Application ( )

Open a shortcut menu (shortcut menu: A menu that shows a list of commands relevant to a particular item. To display a shortcut menu, right-click an item or press SHIFT+F10.) for the selected item.

HOME or END

When a menu or submenu is visible, select the first or last command on the menu or submenu.

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

Run the selected command.

An edit box is a blank field in which you type or paste an entry, such as your user name or the path (path: The route that the operating system uses to locate a folder or file; for example, C:\House finances\March.doc.) 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 clear the selection one character to the left.

SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW

Select or clear the selection one character to the right.

CTRL+SHIFT+LEFT ARROW

Select or clear the selection one word to the left.

CTRL+SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW

Select or clear the selection one word to the right.

SHIFT+HOME

Select everything from the insertion point to the beginning of the entry.

SHIFT+END

Select everything from the insertion point to the end of the entry.

The Open, Save As, and Insert Picture 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 following shortcuts.

CTRL+O or CTRL+F12 or CTRL+ALT+F2

Display the Open dialog box.

F12 or ALT+F2

Display the Save As dialog box.

ALT+1

Go to the previous folder ( ).

ALT+2

Open the folder one level from the open folder (Up One Level button ).

ALT+3

Close the dialog box and open your Web search page (Search the Web button ).

ALT+4

Delete the selected folder or file (Delete button ).

ALT+5

Create a new subfolder in the open folder (Create New Folder button ).

ALT+6

Switch between the available folder views (Views arrow ).

ALT+7 or ALT+L

Show the Tools menu (Tools button).

SHIFT+F10 or Application ( )

Display the shortcut menu for a selected item, such as a folder or file.

TAB

Move between options or areas in the dialog box.

F4

Open the Look in, File name, or Files of type list, depending on where the insertion point is.

ALT+I

Open the Look in list.

F5

Refresh the file list.

Program window

ALT+F10

Maximize the Visio program window.

ALT+F5

Restore the size of the Visio program window after you've maximized it.

ALT+TAB

Switch to the next program window.

ALT+SHIFT+TAB

Switch to the previous program window.

Drawing window

CTRL+TAB or CTRL+F6

Cycle focus through open drawings.

CTRL+SHIFT+TAB or CTRL+SHIFT+F6

Cycle focus through open drawings in reverse order.

ALT+ENTER

For any window with an icon in its title bar (for example, a stencil window), display the window shortcut menu.

CTRL+F4

Close the active drawing window.

CTRL+F10

Maximize the active drawing window.

CTRL+F5

Restore the size of the active drawing window after you've maximized it.

F6

Cycle focus through all open stencils, anchored windows, the task pane, and the drawing window.

CTRL+PAGE DOWN or CTRL+ALT+TAB

Cycle focus through pages in a drawing, including any visible markup overlays.

CTRL+PAGE UP or CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+TAB

Cycle focus through pages in a drawing in reverse order.

CTRL+ALT+P

Open the Reorder Pages dialog box.

PRINT SCREEN

Copy a picture of the screen to the Clipboard.

ALT+PRINT SCREEN

Copy a picture of the selected window to the Clipboard.

TAB

Move from shape to shape on the drawing page. A dotted rectangle indicates the shape that has the focus.

 Note   You cannot move to shapes that are protected against selection or on a locked layer.

SHIFT+TAB

Move from shape to shape on the drawing page in reverse order.

ENTER

Select a shape that has focus.

 Note   To select multiple shapes, use the arrow keys to bring focus to the first shape you want to select and press ENTER. Hold down SHIFT while you press TAB to bring focus to another shape. When the focus rectangle is over the shape you want, press ENTER to add that shape to the selection. Repeat for each shape you want to select.

ESC

Clear selection of or focus on a shape.

F2

Toggle between text edit and shape selection mode on a selected shape.

 Note   SCROLL LOCK must be turned off.

ARROW KEYS

Nudge a selected shape.

SHIFT+ARROW KEYS

Nudge a selected shape one pixel at a time.

ALT+SHIFT+F10

Cycle through visible smart tags.

ARROW KEYS

Move between master shapes (master: A shape on a stencil that you use repeatedly to create drawings. When you drag a shape from a stencil onto the drawing page, the shape becomes an instance of that master.) in a stencil.

HOME

Move to the first master shape in a row of a stencil.

END

Move to the last master shape in a row of a stencil.

PAGE UP

Move to the first master shape in a column of a stencil.

PAGE DOWN

Move to the last master shape in a column of a stencil.

CTRL+C or CTRL+INSERT

Copy the selected master shapes to the Clipboard.

CTRL+V or SHIFT+INSERT

Paste the contents of the Clipboard to a custom stencil.

 Note   The custom stencil must first be opened for editing. To open a stencil for editing, press ALT+ENTER, and then press E.

CTRL+A

Select all the master shapes in a stencil.

 Note   To select multiple master shapes, use the arrow keys to bring focus to the first master shape you want. Hold down SHIFT while you press the arrow keys to bring focus to another master. When the focus rectangle is over the master you want, press ENTER to add that master to the selection. Repeat for each master you want to select.

SHIFT+ENTER

Toggle selection of a master shape that has focus on and off.

ESC

Clear the selection of master shapes in a stencil.

CTRL+ENTER

Insert the selected master shapes into the drawing.

 Note   To automatically insert and connect a master shape to an existing shape in your drawing, first select the shape you want the new shape to be connected to in the drawing. Select the Connector Tool on the Standard toolbar, and then select the master shape on the stencil and press CTRL+ENTER.

ALT+ENTER, E

Open a custom stencil for editing.

DELETE

Delete the selected master shape (master: A shape on a stencil that you use repeatedly to create drawings. When you drag a shape from a stencil onto the drawing page, the shape becomes an instance of that master.) from the custom stencil.

CTRL+X or SHIFT+DELETE

Remove the selected master shape from the custom stencil and place it on the Clipboard.

F2

Rename the selected master shape.

RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW

Move to the next or previous character in a line of text.

DOWN ARROW or UP ARROW

Move to the next or previous line of text.

CTRL+RIGHT ARROW or CTRL+LEFT ARROW

Move to the next or previous word in a line of text.

CTRL+DOWN ARROW or CTRL+UP ARROW

Move to the next or previous paragraph.

CTRL+A

Select all the text in a text block.

SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW or SHIFT+LEFT ARROW

Select the next or previous character.

CTRL+SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW or CTRL+SHIFT+LEFT ARROW

Select the next or previous word.

SHIFT+DOWN ARROW or SHIFT+UP ARROW

Select the next or previous line.

CTRL+SHIFT+DOWN ARROW or CTRL+SHIFT+UP ARROW

Select the next or previous paragraph.

CTRL+BACKSPACE

Delete the previous word.

CTRL+SHIFT+H

Replace the selected text with the field height. If no text is selected, replace all text with the field height for the selected shape.

CTRL+SHIFT+W

Replace the selected text with the field width. If no text is selected, replace all text with the field width for the selected shape.

CTRL+B

Turn bold ( ) on or off.

CTRL+I

Turn italic ( ) on or off.

CTRL+U

Turn underline ( ) on or off.

CTRL+SHIFT+D

Turn double underline on or off.

CTRL+SHIFT+A

Turn all caps on or off.

CTRL+SHIFT+K

Turn small caps on or off.

CTRL+SHIFT+,

Decrease font size.

CTRL+SHIFT+.

Increase font size.

CTRL+=

Turn subscript ( ).

CTRL+SHIFT+=

Turn superscript ( ).

CTRL+SHIFT+L

Align text left.

CTRL+SHIFT+C

Center text horizontally.

CTRL+SHIFT+R

Align text right.

CTRL+SHIFT+J

Justify text horizontally.

CTRL+SHIFT+T

Top-align text vertically.

CTRL+SHIFT+M

Center text vertically.

CTRL+SHIFT+V

Bottom-align text vertically.

ALT+F6

Zoom in.

ALT+SHIFT+F6

Zoom out.

Use these keyboard shortcuts to move between Visio and another program or page when you are in full-screen view.

PAGE DOWN or DOWN ARROW or RIGHT ARROW

Open the next page.

 Note   Do not use PgDn on the numeric keypad.

PAGE UP or UP ARROW or LEFT ARROW

Open the previous page.

 Note   Do not use PgUp on the numeric keypad.

TAB

Cycle focus through the left frame, the drawing, shapes on the drawing that contain custom property information, and hyperlinks.

ENTER

Activate the hyperlink for the shape or hyperlink on the drawing that has focus.

CTRL+ENTER

View details for the shape on the drawing that has focus and contains custom property information.