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Complete Function Key features in Microsoft Word

Here’s a complete list of the Word Function Key features from fast access to Help, jumping around the document, doc panes, spelling, grammar and managing field codes.

Let’s discuss in detail the functionality of the F-keys labelled F1 through F12 on your keyboard.

F1 – Help, field jump

  • F1 – Displays the Word help pane. At times pressing F1 also takes you to Microsoft’s help support webpage and suggest similar topics about the function you are interested in researching. This mostly happens when a dialog box is open, during pressing F1. 
  • Alt+F1:  If you have many fields in your Word document. This option makes you hop to the next field.
  • Alt+Shift+F1:  Takes you to the previous field in your Word document.
  • Shift+F1:   Opens the “Reveal Formatting” pane.
  • Ctrl+F1: Displays or hides the ribbon. By hiding the ribbon only, the quick access toolbar will be displayed. An alternate way of obtaining this result is by right-clicking on the ribbon and selecting Collapse the Ribbon.

F2 – move, Print Preview

  • F2: Moves Text or Graphic. Select the text/graphic that you want to move and press F2. Place the cursor where you want to move the text and Press enter key to reflect the changes in your word document. Press the Esc key to cancel.
  • Ctrl + F2:  Takes you to the Print preview page, where you can preview and print your document.
  • Shift+F2: Works like your Ctrl +C. It copies your selected text in the word document.
  • Alt+Shift+F2: Saves the document. Works like your Ctrl + S.
  • Alt+Ctrl+F2: Open document window, where you can easily see and open a document.

F3 – Change case

  • F3:  Acts as a building block. Once an initial search is performed, F3 will find the next searched value to expand it to the full text.
  • Alt+F3: Create new building block by adding an auto text entry from the selected text.
  • Shift+F3:  Changes the text in Word from upper to lowercase or Initial letter case at the beginning of every word.
  • Ctrl+F3: Cut selected text from your Word document.
  • Ctrl+Shift+F3: Insert the text from the clipboard (performed by Ctrl +F3) After inserting the text it also clears up the clipboard memory.

F4 – Repeat

  • F4: Repeats your last command
  • Shift+F4: Repeats the Last Find. Same as Find Next.
  • Ctrl+F4: Asks to save your document before closing the active document.
  • Alt+F4: Closes the active document, but always asks to save your recent work before quitting Word.

F5 – Go To, jump to last edit

  • F5: Opens the Go To tab on the Find and Replace window. Using this function, you can quickly navigate to a page, section, line, comment, footnote or bookmark.
  • Shift+F5: Moves to the previous modification you made in the current document. If you press again it takes you to the edit before the previous. It remembers two last changes made by you.
  • Ctrl+Shift+F5: Displays the Bookmark dialog window.
  • Alt+F5: Restores the document window size.

F6 – Panes

  • F6: Switches between the document, taskbar, status bar and ribbon. This function helps to go to the window without using your mouse.
  • Shift+F6: Moves from open dialog box back to the document.
  • Ctrl+F6: Moves to the next open document
  • Ctrl+Shift+F6: Moves to the previously open document

F7 – Spelling, Grammar etc

  • F7: Opens the Editor dialog box and start spell check
  • Shift+F7: Displays the thesaurus pane. If you have selected a word and pressed this function key it will look up the selected word in the Thesaurus pane.
  • Alt+F7: Checks for the next spelling or grammar error in your word document.
  • Alt+Shift+F7: Opens the Translation pane. If you have selected a text in your word document and quickly wants to translate it into another language available in the Translator option. It instantly does that for you.

F8 – Selection

  • F8: In Word, if you select a section and Press F8 it extends selection for the rest of the text in the document
  • Shift+F8: This option reduces the expansion of the selected text
  • Ctrl+Shift+F8: Turns on/off extend selection mode. If switched on, the arrow keys extend the selection.
  • Alt+F8 – Displays the “Macro” dialog box – create, run, edit or delete a macro.

F9 – Field Codes

  • F9: Updates field codes in the word document
  • Shift +F9: Show a field’s code in the word document
  • Ctrl +F9: Inserts empty fields showing 2 curly brackets
  • Ctrl + Shift +F9: Unlinks a field code
  • Alt +F9: Toggles between field code and results.

F10

  • F10:  Pressing this key display single letter shortcuts to access the menu commands on Word. Same as pressing Alt.
  • Shift+F10: Displays a context menu.
  • Ctrl+F10: Maximizes or restores document window.
  • Alt+F10: Displays selection task pane.
  • Alt+Shift+F10: Displays a menu for an available selection. Same as right-mouse click.

F11 – more Field Codes

  • F11: Moves to the next field in your document.
  • Shift+F11: Moves to the previous field in your document
  • Ctrl+F11: Locks a field code so that it cannot be modified
  • Ctrl+Shift+F11: Unlock a field code
  • Alt+F11: Opens a VBA editor to create a macro

F12 – Save, Open, Print

  • F12: Opens the Save As window to save your document.
  • Shift+F12: Saves your document.
  • Ctrl+F12: Displays the Open window.
  • Ctrl+Shift+F12: Open the Print window.

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