Complete Keyboard Shortcuts for Outlook
Keyboard shortcuts
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
F1
Display the Help Pane.
F6
Switch between the Help Pane and the active application.
TAB
Select the next item in the Help Pane.
SHIFT+TAB
Select the previous item in the Help Pane.
ENTER
Perform the action for the selected item.
UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW
In a Table of Contents, select the next and previous item, respectively.
LEFT ARROW and RIGHT 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.
CONTROL+SPACE
Open the menu of Pane options.
CONTROL+F1
Close and reopen the current Task Pane.
RIGHT ARROW
Expand a +/- list.
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 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.
CONTROL+P
Print the current Help topic.
ALT+U
Change whether the Help window appears connected to (tiled) or separate from (untiled) the active application.
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
ESC
Close an Assistant message or a tip
Display and use the Help window
F1
Display the Help window.
In the Help window
TAB
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.
SHIFT+TAB
Select the previous hidden text, hyperlink, Show All, or Hide All
ENTER
Perform the action for the selected Show All, Hide All, hidden text, or hyperlink
ALT+F4
Close the Help window
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
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 interface
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
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, click Customize on the Tools menu, and then click the Toolbars tab.) 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 (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
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
CTRL+ESC
Display the Start menu
F11
Enter a name in the Find a Contact box
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.
- Press ALT to 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.).
- Press CTRL+TAB repeatedly to select the toolbar (toolbar: A bar with buttons and options that you use to carry out commands. To display a toolbar, click Customize on the Tools menu, and then click the Toolbars tab.) you want.
- In the toolbar, press CTRL+SPACE to display the Toolbar Options menu.
- Do one of the following:
- 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.
- 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.
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 (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 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 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.
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 (search page: A page from which you can find and go to other Internet sites or to documents on an intranet. Many search pages provide various ways to search, such as by topic, by keyword, or by matches to user queries.)
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 (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 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
ALT+TAB
Switch to the next window
ALT+SHIFT+TAB
Switch to the previous window
ALT+F4
Close the selected program window; if this is the only open window, closes the program
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)
PRINT SCREEN
Copy a picture of the screen to the Clipboard
ALT+PRINT SCREEN
Copy a picture of the selected window to the Clipboard
Outlook shortcuts
CTRL+1
Switch to Mail
CTRL+2
Switch to Calendar
CTRL+3
Switch to Contacts
CTRL+4
Switch to Tasks
CTRL+5
Switch to Notes
CTRL+6
Switch to Folder List in Navigation Pane (Navigation Pane: The column on the left side of the Outlook window that includes panes such as Shortcuts or Mail and the shortcuts or folders within each pane. Click a folder to show the items in the folder.)
CTRL+7
Switch to Shortcuts
CTRL+COMMA
Next item (with item open)
CTRL+PERIOD
Previous item (with item open)
F6 or CTRL+SHIFT+TAB
Switch between the Folder List and the main Outlook window
TAB
Move among the Outlook window, the Navigation Pane (Navigation Pane: The column on the left side of the Outlook window that includes panes such as Shortcuts or Mail and the shortcuts or folders within each pane. Click a folder to show the items in the folder.), and the Reading Pane
Arrow keys
Move around within the Navigation Pane
CTRL+Y
Go to a different folder
PLUS or MINUS SIGN on the numeric keypad
Expand/collapse a group (with a group selected)
CTRL+SHIFT+A
Appointment
CTRL+SHIFT+C
Contact
CTRL+SHIFT+L
Distribution list
CTRL+SHIFT+X
Fax
CTRL+SHIFT+E
Folder
CTRL+SHIFT+J
Journal entry
CTRL+SHIFT+Q
Meeting request
CTRL+SHIFT+M
Message
CTRL+SHIFT+N
Note
CTRL+SHIFT+H
new Office document.
CTRL+SHIFT+S
Post in this folder
CTRL+SHIFT+P
Search Folder
CTRL+SHIFT+K
Task
CTRL+SHIFT+U
Task request
SHIFT+F1
Display ScreenTip for the active element
CTRL+S or SHIFT+F12
Save
ALT+S
Save and Close, Send
F12
Save As
CTRL+Z or ALT+BACKSPACE
Undo
CTRL+D
Delete
CTRL+P
Print
CTRL+SHIFT+Y
Copy item
CTRL+SHIFT+V
Move item
ALT+K (with Word as e-mail editor)
CTRL+K (using the Outlook e-mail editor)
Check names
F7
Check spelling
CTRL+SHIFT+G
Flag for follow-up
CTRL+F
Forward
CTRL+ENTER (Outlook e-mail editor only)
Send/post/invite all
F3 or CTRL+E
Find items
F4
Search for text in items
SHIFT+F4
Find next during text search
CTRL+SHIFT+F
Use Advanced Find
CTRL+SHIFT+P
Create a new Search Folder
F2
Turn on editing in a field (except icon view)
CTRL+SHIFT+I
Switch to Inbox
CTRL+SHIFT+O
Switch to Outbox
CTRL+TAB (with focus on the To line) and then TAB to the Accounts button
Choose the account from which to send a message
CTRL+ENTER
Send
CTRL+R
Reply to a message
CTRL+SHIFT+R
Reply all to a message
CTRL+ ALT+J
Mark a message as not junk
CTRL+SHIFT+I
Display blocked external content (in a message)
CTRL+ SHIFT+S
Post to a folder
CTRL+M or F9
Check for new mail
UP ARROW
Go to the next message
DOWN ARROW
Go to the previous message
ALT+ UP ARROW
Go to the row above (message or group heading)
ALT+ DOWN ARROW
Go to the row below (message or group heading)
CTRL+N
Open a received message
CTRL+SHIFT+B
Display the Address Book
CTRL+SHIFT+O
Convert an HTML or RTF message to plain text
INSERT
Add a Quick Flag to a message
CTRL+SHIFT+G
Display the Flag for Follow Up dialog box
CTRL+Q
Mark as read
ALT+C
Accept
ALT+D
Decline
See also under Views, Day/Week/Month view and For Date Navigator.
CTRL+SHIFT+D
Dial
F11
Enter a name in the Find a Contact box
ALT+C
Accept
ALT+D
Decline
ALT+O
Display the Format menu
SHIFT+F3
Switch case (with text selected)
CTRL+B
Add bold
CTRL+SHIFT+L
Add bullets
CTRL+I
Add italics
CTRL+T
Increase indent
CTRL+SHIFT+T
Decrease indent
CTRL+L
Left align
CTRL+E
Center
CRTL+U
Underline
CTRL+]
Increase font size
CTRL+[
Decrease font size
CTRL+X or SHIFT+DELETE
Cut
CTRL+C or CTRL+INSERT
Copy
CTRL+V or SHIFT+INSERT
Paste
CTRL+SHIFT+Z or CTRL+SPACEBAR
Clear formatting
To add Web information to items
CTRL+left mouse button
Edit a URL in the body of an item
SHIFT+left mouse button
Specify a Web browser
CTRL+K (When using Word as e-mail editor only)
Insert a hyperlink
CTRL+F2
Open print preview
ALT+P
Print a print preview
ALT+S or ALT+U
Print preview page setup
ALT+Z
Zoom
ALT+C
Close print preview
F9
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.
SHIFT+F9
Starts a send/receive for current folder retrieving full items (header, item, and any attachments)
Views
ENTER
Open an item
CTRL+A
Select all items
PAGE DOWN
Go to the item at the bottom of the screen
PAGE UP
Go to the item at the top of the screen
SHIFT+UP ARROW or SHIFT+DOWN ARROW
Extend or reduce the selected items by one item
CTRL+UP ARROW or CTRL+DOWN ARROW
Go to the next or previous item without extending the selection
CTRL+SPACEBAR
Select or unselect the active item
CTRL+HOME or CTRL+END (with in-cell editing disabled)
Move every item in the selection to the top or bottom in the list order
ENTER or RIGHT ARROW
Expand the group
ENTER or LEFT ARROW
Collapse the group
UP ARROW
Select the previous group
DOWN ARROW
Select the next group
HOME
Select the first group
END
Select the last group
NUM -
Collapses the group
NUM+
Expands the group
RIGHT ARROW
Select the first item on screen in an expanded group or the first item off screen to the right
CONTROL+NUM -
Collapses all groups
CONTROL+NUM+
Expands all groups
ALT+key for number of days
View from 1 through 9 days
ALT+0 (ZERO)
View 10 days
ALT+HYPHEN SIGN
Switch to weeks
ALT+EQUAL SIGN
Switch to months
CTRL+TAB or F6
Move between Calendar, TaskPad, and the Folder List
SHIFT+TAB
Select the previous appointment
LEFT ARROW
Go to the previous day
RIGHT ARROW
Go to the next day
ALT+LEFT ARROW
Move selected item to the previous day when multiple days appear
ALT+RIGHT ARROW
Move selected item to the next day when multiple days appear
ALT+DOWN ARROW
Go to the same day in the next week
ALT+UP ARROW
Go to the same day in the previous week
HOME
Select the time that begins your work day
END
Select the time that ends your work day
UP ARROW
Select the previous block of time
DOWN ARROW
Select the next block of time
PAGE UP
Select the block of time at the top of the screen
PAGE DOWN
Select the block of time at the bottom of the screen
SHIFT+UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW
Extend or reduce the selected time
With the cursor in the appointment, ALT+UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW
Move an appointment
With the cursor in the appointment, ALT+SHIFT+UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW
Change an appointment start or end time
ALT+DOWN ARROW
Move selected item to the same day in the next week
ALT+UP ARROW
Move selected item to the same day in the previous week
HOME
Go to the first day of the week
END
Go to the last day of the week
PAGE UP
Go to the same day of the week in the previous week (or 5 weeks previous if viewing by month)
PAGE DOWN
Go to the same day of the week in the next week (or 5 weeks ahead if viewing by month)
ALT+UP, DOWN, LEFT, or RIGHT ARROW
Move the appointment up, down, left, or right
SHIFT+LEFT, RIGHT, UP, or DOWN ARROW; or SHIFT+HOME or END
Change the duration of the selected block of time
ALT+HOME
Go to the first day of the current week
ALT+END
Go to the last day of the current week
ALT+UP ARROW
Go to the same day in the previous week
ALT+DOWN ARROW
Go to the same day in the next week
ALT+PAGE UP
Go to the first day of the month
ALT+PAGE DOWN
Go to the last day of the month
Type one or more letters of the name the card is filed under or of the field you are sorting by
Select a specific card in the list
UP ARROW
Select the previous card
DOWN ARROW
Select the next card
HOME
Select the first card in the list
END
Select the last card in the list
PAGE UP
Select the first card on the current page
PAGE DOWN
Select the first card on the next page
RIGHT ARROW
Select the closest card in the next column
LEFT ARROW
Select the closest card in the previous column
CTRL+SPACEBAR
Select or unselect the active card
SHIFT+UP ARROW
Extend the selection to the previous card and unselect cards after the starting point
SHIFT+DOWN ARROW
Extend the selection to the next card and unselect cards before the starting point
CTRL+SHIFT+UP ARROW
Extend the selection to the previous card, regardless of the starting point
CTRL+SHIFT+DOWN ARROW
Extend the selection to the next card, regardless of the starting point
SHIFT+HOME
Extend the selection to the first card in the list
SHIFT+END
Extend the selection to the last card in the list
SHIFT+PAGE UP
Extend the selection to the first card on the previous page
SHIFT+PAGE DOWN
Extend the selection to the last card on the last page
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.
CTRL+DOWN ARROW
To the next card
CTRL+UP ARROW
To the previous card
CTRL+HOME
To the first card in the list
CTRL+END
To the last card in the list
CTRL+PAGE UP
To the first card on the previous page
CTRL+PAGE DOWN
To the first card on the next page
CTRL+LEFT ARROW
To the closest card in the previous column
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW
To the closest card in the next column
F2
To a field in the active card
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.
TAB
Move to the next field and, from the last field of a card, move to the first field in the next card
SHIFT+TAB
Move to the previous field and, from the first field of a card, move to the last field in the previous card
ENTER
Move to the next field, or add a line to a multi-line field
SHIFT+ENTER
Move to the previous field without leaving the active card
F2
Display the insertion point in the active field to edit text
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.
ENTER
Add a line in a multi-line field
HOME
Move to the beginning of a line
END
Move to the end of a line
PAGE UP
Move to the beginning of a multi-line field
PAGE DOWN
Move to the end of a multi-line field
UP ARROW
Move to the previous line in a multi-line field
DOWN ARROW
Move to the next line in a multi-line field
LEFT ARROW
Move to the previous character in a field
RIGHT ARROW
Move to the next character in a field
For Timeline view (Tasks or Journal)
LEFT ARROW
Select the previous item
RIGHT ARROW
Select the next item
SHIFT+LEFT ARROW or SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW
Select several adjacent items
CTRL+LEFT ARROW+SPACEBAR or CTRL+RIGHT ARROW+SPACEBAR
Select several nonadjacent items
ENTER
Open the selected items
PAGE UP
Display the items one screen above the items on screen
PAGE DOWN
Display the items one screen below the items on screen
HOME
Select the first item on the timeline (if items are not grouped) or the first item in the group
END
Select the last item on the timeline (if items are not grouped) or the last item in the group
CTRL+HOME
Display (without selecting) the first item on the timeline (if items are not grouped) or the first item in the group
CTRL+END
Display (without selecting) the last item on the timeline (if items are not grouped) or the last item in the group
ENTER or RIGHT ARROW
Expand the group
ENTER or LEFT ARROW
Collapse the group
UP ARROW
Select the previous group
DOWN ARROW
Select the next group
HOME
Select the first group on the timeline
END
Select the last group on the timeline
RIGHT ARROW
Select the first item on screen in an expanded group or the first item off screen to the right
When a unit of time on the time scale for days is selected
LEFT ARROW
Move back in increments of time that are the same as those shown on the time scale
RIGHT ARROW
Move forward in increments of time that are the same as those shown on the time scale
SHIFT+TAB
When the lower time scale is selected, select the upper time scale
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
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