Microsoft Word Ribbons
| Ribbon Tab | Purpose | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| File | Backstage View for file management | Open, Save, Print, Share, Export, Options, Close |
| Home | Basic text formatting & clipboard operations | Font, Paragraph, Styles, Copy, Paste, Format Painter |
| Insert | Insert various elements into the document | Tables, Pictures, Shapes, Charts, Header & Footer, Text Box |
| Design | Customize document appearance | Themes, Page Borders, Colors, Fonts, Watermark |
| Layout (Page Layout) | Control page settings & paragraph spacing | Margins, Orientation, Columns, Page Size, Indents, Line Spacing |
| References | Manage citations, footnotes & table of contents | Table of Contents, Footnotes, Bibliography, Index |
| Mailings | Create and manage mail merge | Envelopes, Labels, Merge Fields, Start Mail Merge |
| Review | Proofreading & document collaboration tools | Spelling & Grammar, Comments, Track Changes, Compare |
| View | Adjust document display settings | Read Mode, Print Layout, Zoom, Gridlines, Navigation Pane |
| Help (Newer versions) | Provides support & training resources | Get Help, Contact Support, Feedback |
Important Shortcut Keys taken from past papers
- Ctrl + N Create a new document
- Ctrl + O Open an existing document
- Ctrl + S Save the document
- Ctrl + P Print the document
- Ctrl + X Cut selected text
- Ctrl + C Copy selected text
- Ctrl + V Paste copied text
- Ctrl + Z Undo last action
- Ctrl + Y Redo last action
- Ctrl + A Select all text
- Ctrl + B Bold selected text
- Ctrl + I Italicize selected text
- Ctrl + U Underline selected text
- Ctrl + Shift + W Underline words only (not spaces)
- Ctrl + Shift + D Double underline text
- Ctrl + [ Decrease font size
- Ctrl + ] Increase font size
- Ctrl + Shift + > Increase font size step by step
- Ctrl + Shift + < Decrease font size step by step
- Ctrl + E Center align text
- Ctrl + L Left align text
- Ctrl + R Right align text
- Ctrl + J Justify text
- Ctrl + M Increase indent
- Ctrl + Shift + M Decrease indent
- Ctrl + T Create a hanging indent
- Ctrl + Shift + T Remove a hanging indent
- Ctrl + Spacebar Remove formatting from selected text
- Ctrl + Enter Insert a page break
- Ctrl + F Open Find dialog box
- Ctrl + H Open Find and Replace dialog box
- Ctrl + G (or F5) Go to a specific page, section, or line
- Ctrl + Shift + C Copy formatting
- Ctrl + Shift + V Paste formatting
- Ctrl + Home Move cursor to the beginning of the document
- Ctrl + End Move cursor to the end of the document
- Ctrl + Left Arrow Move cursor one word left
- Ctrl + Right Arrow Move cursor one word right
- Ctrl + Up Arrow Move cursor one paragraph up
- Ctrl + Down Arrow Move cursor one paragraph down
- Shift + Home Select text from cursor to the beginning of the line
- Shift + End Select text from cursor to the end of the line
- Shift + Arrow Keys Select text character by character
- Ctrl + Shift + Arrow Keys Select text word by word
- Alt + Shift + D Insert current date
- Alt + Shift + T Insert current time
- F1 Open Help
- F4 Repeat last action
- F7 Open Spelling and Grammar check
- F12 Open Save As dialog box
- Ctrl + F2 Open Print Preview
- F1 – Opens the Help Pane (Press Ctrl + F1 to show/hide the ribbon)
- F2 – Moves text or objects (similar to cut and paste)
- F3 – AutoComplete (Used with AutoText entries)
- F4 – Repeats the last action performed
- F5 – Opens the “Find and Replace” (Go To) dialog box
- F6 – Moves the cursor to different panes in Word (e.g., from text area to task pane)
- F7 – Opens the Spell Check and Grammar check
- F8 – Activates Selection Mode (Press repeatedly to expand selection: word → sentence → paragraph → document)
- F9 – Updates selected fields (e.g., Table of Contents, Date, Page Numbers)
- F10 – Activates the menu bar (similar to pressing Alt)
- F11 – Moves to the next field in a document
- F12 – Opens the “Save As” dialog box