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🔒 Log in to trackUniversal Ctrl keys and MS Word shortcuts
🔒 Log in to trackUniversal Ctrl keys (work in almost every Windows app):
| Key | Action | Key | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ctrl+N | New file | Ctrl+O | Open |
| Ctrl+S | Save | Ctrl+P | |
| Ctrl+Z | Undo | Ctrl+Y | Redo / repeat |
| Ctrl+X / C / V | Cut / copy / paste | Ctrl+A | Select all |
| Ctrl+F | Find | Ctrl+W | Close document/tab |
MS Word:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+B / I / U | Bold / italic / underline |
| Ctrl+Shift+D | Double underline |
| Ctrl+L / E / R / J | Align left / centre / right / justify |
| Ctrl+1 / Ctrl+2 / Ctrl+5 | Single / double / 1.5 line spacing |
| Ctrl+] / Ctrl+[ | Font size +1 / -1 point |
| Ctrl+Shift+> / < | Next / previous size in the font list |
| Ctrl+D | Font dialog box |
| Ctrl+Shift+A / Ctrl+Shift+K | ALL CAPS / Small Caps |
| Shift+F3 | Change case (cycles) |
| Ctrl+= / Ctrl+Shift+= | Subscript / superscript |
| Ctrl+Space / Ctrl+Q | Remove character / paragraph formatting |
| Ctrl+Shift+C / Ctrl+Shift+V | Copy / paste formatting only |
| Ctrl+H / Ctrl+G (or F5) | Replace / Go To |
| Ctrl+K | Insert hyperlink |
| Ctrl+Enter | Page break |
| Ctrl+M / Ctrl+Shift+M | Increase / decrease indent |
| Ctrl+T | Hanging indent |
| Ctrl+Alt+1/2/3 | Heading 1/2/3 style |
| Ctrl+Shift+8 | Show/hide formatting marks (the pilcrow) |
| Alt+Shift+D / Alt+Shift+T | Insert date / time |
| Ctrl+Home / Ctrl+End | Start / end of the document |
| Ctrl+F2 | Print preview |
| Ctrl+F1 | Collapse/expand the ribbon |
| Alt+Ctrl+F / Alt+Ctrl+D | Footnote / endnote |
| F7 / Shift+F7 | Spelling and grammar / thesaurus |
| Ctrl+Shift+G | Word count |
| F12 | Save As |
Detailed notes
The universal Ctrl keys (every Windows app)
| Key | Action | Key | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ctrl+N | New file | Ctrl+O | Open |
| Ctrl+S | Save | Ctrl+P | |
| Ctrl+Z | Undo | Ctrl+Y | Redo |
| Ctrl+X | Cut | Ctrl+C | Copy |
| Ctrl+V | Paste | Ctrl+A | Select all |
| Ctrl+F | Find | Ctrl+W | Close document/tab |
| Ctrl+K | Insert hyperlink | Ctrl+B/I/U | Bold / italic / underline |
Letter logic: X looks like scissors (cut), V is a paste-down arrow, Z takes you back (undo), A = all.
Formatting keys (Word especially)
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+B / I / U | Bold / italic / underline |
| Ctrl+L / E / R / J | Align Left / cEntre / Right / Justify |
| Ctrl+1 / Ctrl+2 / Ctrl+5 | Single / double / 1.5 line spacing |
| Ctrl+Shift+D | Double underline |
| Shift+F3 | Cycle CASE (lower → UPPER → Capitalise) |
Memory hooks: C is taken by Copy, so centre borrows E ('cEntre'). Spacing uses the number itself — 1 single, 2 double — and 5 is the odd one for 1.5.
Find, replace, go to
- Ctrl+F — Find (in Word it opens the Navigation pane; in browsers 'find in page').
- Ctrl+H — Replace in Word/Excel (but History in a browser — a favourite cross-app trap).
- Ctrl+G and F5 — Go To a page/line in Word.
- Ctrl+Home / Ctrl+End — jump to the start / end of the document.
Undo and friends
- Ctrl+Z undoes the last action (press again to undo more); Ctrl+Y redoes it.
- Ctrl+S saves — press often; F12 is Save As (Office).
The double-life table (same key, different app)
| Key | Word / Excel | Browser | Explorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ctrl+H | Replace | History | — |
| Ctrl+D | Font dialog / fill down | Bookmark | — |
| Ctrl+Shift+N | — | Incognito window | New folder |
| Ctrl+F | Find (Navigation pane) | Find on page | Search box |
| Ctrl+W | Close document | Close tab | Close window |
How the exam uses it: the stem names the app in italics or bold — "in MS Word", "in a web browser". Read that phrase before anything else; it flips half the answers in this topic.
Worked example: "In MS Excel, pressing Ctrl+D will —" → fill down (copy the cell above). The same keys in Word open the Font dialog, and in Chrome they bookmark the page. One key, three lives, and only the stem's app decides.
Quick revision
- N-O-S-P: New, Open, Save, Print. X-C-V: cut-copy-paste. Z-Y: undo-redo.
- Alignment LERJ: Left, cEntre, Right, Justify. Spacing: 1-2-5 = single-double-1.5.
- Ctrl+F find, Ctrl+H replace (Word) but history (browser). Ctrl+K hyperlink.
- Ctrl+Home/Ctrl+End = document start/end. F12 = Save As in Office.
Types of questions asked
Every way this subtopic shows up in exams — how to recognise it, the formula or logic to use, and a solved example.
Type 1: Universal Ctrl-key recallvery common5 practice Q
'Which shortcut pastes / cuts / undoes / selects all?' — the everyday edit keys.
- Edit trio: Ctrl+X cut, Ctrl+C copy, Ctrl+V paste; Ctrl+Z undo, Ctrl+Y redo; Ctrl+A select all.
- File quartet: Ctrl+N new, Ctrl+O open, Ctrl+S save, Ctrl+P print.
- Memory hooks: X = scissors, V = paste-down, Z = back. Eliminate combos using Win or Alt where the stem says Ctrl.
Example: Which shortcut undoes the last action in almost every Windows program?
Ctrl+Z — Z walks you back; Ctrl+Y redoes what you undid.
Type 2: Formatting keys (bold, align, spacing, case)very common5 practice Q
'Which shortcut justifies text?', 'double line spacing', 'which key makes text bold?', 'Shift+F3 does what?'.
- Bold/italic/underline = Ctrl+B/I/U. Alignments = Ctrl+L/E/R/J (LERJ: Left, cEntre, Right, Justify).
- Line spacing = the number itself: Ctrl+1 single, Ctrl+2 double, Ctrl+5 = 1.5.
- Shift+F3 cycles the case of selected text in Word.
Example: Which shortcut sets double line spacing on the selected paragraphs in Word?
Ctrl+2 — the number is the spacing itself: Ctrl+1 single, Ctrl+2 double, Ctrl+5 = 1.5 lines.
Type 3: Find / Replace / Go To / navigationcommon3 practice Q
'Shortcut for Find and Replace', 'jump to the beginning of the document', 'which opens the Go To dialog?'.
- Ctrl+F find, Ctrl+H replace (Word/Excel), Ctrl+G or F5 = Go To (Word).
- Ctrl+Home jumps to the document start, Ctrl+End to the end.
- Cross-app trap: Ctrl+H is Replace in Office but History in browsers.
Example: Which shortcut opens Find and Replace directly on the Replace tab in MS Word?
Ctrl+H — H for 'hunt and swap'. Ctrl+F only finds; F5 or Ctrl+G goes to a page or line.
Type 4: Trap pairs and reverse recall in Officecommon2 practice Q
'Ctrl+D in Word does what?' (Font dialog, not duplicate), 'Ctrl+E in Excel vs Word', statements that swap Replace/History or centre/copy.
- Ctrl+D: Font dialog in Word, fill-down in Excel, bookmark in browsers — same key, three lives.
- Ctrl+E: centre in Word, but 'export' nowhere — in Excel it centres too; beware options inventing actions.
- Reverse recall: read the action in the stem, then recall the key, then check which app the stem names.
Example: In MS Word, pressing Ctrl+D opens the —
Font dialog box — not 'duplicate' (that is PowerPoint's Ctrl+D) and not fill-down (that is Excel's).
Shortcut tricks
⚡ L-E-R-J alignment
Left, cEntre, Right, Justify. C is already taken by Copy, so centre borrows the E from cEntre.
Example: Shortcut to centre a heading in Word?
Ctrl+E.
⚡ Spacing = the number itself
Ctrl+1 gives single spacing, Ctrl+2 gives double, and Ctrl+5 gives 1.5. Five is the odd one out: read it as 1.5.
Example: Ctrl+5 in Word sets?
1.5 line spacing.
Where students lose marks
Using Ctrl+C for centre - Ctrl+C copies; centre is Ctrl+E.
Thinking Ctrl+D is 'duplicate' in Word - in Word it opens the Font dialog (duplicate is PowerPoint).
Confusing Ctrl+H: Replace in Word, but History in a web browser.
Practice sets — 18 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Each answer comes with a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 10 questions
Suggested time 4 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.