Keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard Shortcuts buttonOutlook has many keyboard shortcuts which allows you to execute commands
without using your mouse or touchpad. By using keyboard shortcuts, you can achieve repetitive tasks more quickly.

As there are a lot of keyboard shortcuts available in Outlook, they have been divided into the following sections.


Outlook program icon shortcuts

These keys need to be pressed and held down when clicking on the Outlook shortcut in for instance the Start Menu or Taskbar.

Start Outlook in Safe ModeCTRL+CLICK
Start Outlook as an AdministratorCTRL+SHIFT+CLICK
Open a new Outlook window when Outlook is already runningSHIFT+CLICK
Cycle through open Outlook windowsCTRL+CLICK

The shortcuts below will allow you to browse through the main Outlook window.

Mail NavigationCTRL+1
Calendar NavigationCTRL+2
Contacts NavigationCTRL+3
Tasks NavigationCTRL+4
Notes NavigationCTRL+5
Folder List NavigationCTRL+6
Shortcuts NavigationCTRL+7
Journal NavigationCTRL+8
Select Inbox folderCTRL+SHIFT+I
Select Outbox folderCTRL+SHIFT+O
Folder picker dialogCTRL+SHIFT+Y
Open Address BookCTRL+ALT+B
Expand selected folder or groupRIGT ARROW
(or + on Num Pad)
Expand subfolders of selected folder* (on Num Pad)
Collapse selected folder or groupLEFT ARROW
(or – on Num Pad)
Expand all groups in viewCTRL++ (on Num Pad)
Collapse all groups in viewCTRL+- (on Num Pad)
Previous folder selectionALT+LEFT
Next folder selection (when previous has been used)ALT+RIGHT
Refresh viewF5
Cycle through the main Outlook panesF6
Cycle backwards through the main Outlook panesSHIFT+F6
Cycle through the smaller Outlook panes and fieldsTAB
Cycle backwards through the smaller Outlook panes and fieldsSHIFT+TAB
Cycle through items and fields in the Reading PaneCTRL+TAB
Cycle backwards through items and fields in the Reading PaneCTRL+SHIFT+TAB
Select the InfoBar or Mail Tip of a messageCTRL+SHIFT+W

Tip!
Arrow keys can be used to “walk” within a pane. Use ENTER to execute the selected action.

Toggling Panes

By repeatedly pressing the keyboard shortcuts below, you can show or hide the corresponding pane. The Navigation Pane and the To-Do Bar also have a “minimized” state.

RibbonCTRL+F1
Navigation PaneALT+F1
To-Do BarALT+F2

The below ALT combinations aren’t actual keyboard shortcuts but a great help when you do not want to use a mouse and do not know the keyboard shortcut or when there simply isn’t a keyboard shortcut for the command. They basically allow you to browse the Ribbon, Menus and Toolbars like you would normally do with a mouse but then via your keyboard.

ALT commands in menu’s, toolbars and forms will show an underlined character which you need to press together with the ALT button. You can also press and release the ALT button and then use the ARROW keys to “walk” through the menus instead.

Using keyboard shortcuts in menus, toolbars and forms
Hold the ALT button and type any of the underlined characters to execute the command.

ALT commands in the Ribbon and in Backstage (when pressing File in Outlook 2010 or later) will show a letter in a tooltip. You can press and let go of the ALT key and then simply type the letter in the tooltip to activate it or to navigate the Ribbon or in Backstage.

Using keyboard shortcuts in the Ribbon
After typing the letter to activate the correct tab, new letters will show up to execute commands.

Tip!
While the classic File menu has changed to the Office Menu or Office Orb in Office 2007 and the File screen or Backstage in Outlook 2010 and later, its shortcut luckily never changed; use ALT+F to activate it.

Note:
Unlike most of the other keyboard shortcuts listed in this guide, the above ALT+letter keyboard shortcuts are highly depended on the language of Office that you have installed and thus not the same for all localized versions of Office programs.

Up one line of text or itemUP ARROW
Down one line of text or itemDOWN ARROW
Right one character of text or itemRIGHT ARROW
Left one character of text or itemLEFT ARROW
Up one paragraphCTRL+UP ARROW
Down one paragraphCTRL+DOWN ARROW
Right one wordCTRL+RIGHT ARROW
Left one wordCTRL+LEFT ARROW
Delete previous wordCTRL+BACKSPACE
Delete next wordCTRL+DELETE
Up one screenPAGE UP
Down one screenPAGE DOWN
To start of current lineHOME
To end of current lineEND
To top of documentCTRL+HOME
To end of documentCTRL+END

Tip!
Most of the above key and combinations can also be used to navigate through the message list and views in other folders. For instance, the arrow keys are great for making selections in the Calendar folder.

Making selections and moving items

Select AllCTR+A
Selecting adjacent itemsSHIFT+nav command
Selecting non-adjacent items
(to add highlighted item to current selection)
CTRL+nav command+
SPACEBAR
Delete selectionDELETE
Copy selected items or textCTRL+C
Cut selected items or textCTRL+X
Paste copied or cut items or textCTRL+V
Paste Special (text only)CTRL+ALT+V
Copy format/Format Painter (text only)CTRL+SHIFT+C
Copy text (alternative option)CTRL+INSERT
(more info)
Paste text (alternative option)INSERT
(more info)
Move to Other Folder (selected items only)CTRL+SHIFT+V
Copy to folder (selected items only)CTRL+SHIFT+Y
UndoCTRL+Z
RedoCTRL+Y

Tip!
As an alternative to using navigation commands to make your selection, you can also hold SHIFT and click on the first and last item of your selection or hold CTRL and click on all the items that you wish to select.

Creating new items

New item for currently selected folder (when in a email folder it will create a new email, when in the Calendar it will create a new appointment, etc…)CTRL+N
New AppointmentCTRL+SHIFT+A
New ContactCTRL+SHIFT+C
New FolderCTRL+SHIFT+E
New Office DocumentCTRL+SHIFT+H
New Journal entryCTRL+SHIFT+J
New Journal entry for selected itemCTRL+J
New TaskCTRL+SHIFT+K
New Distribution listCTRL+SHIFT+L
New MessageCTRL+SHIFT+M
New NoteCTRL+SHIFT+N
New Search FolderCTRL+SHIFT+P
New Meeting RequestCTRL+SHIFT+Q
New PostCTRL+SHIFT+S
New InfoPath Form (requires InfoPath) (Outlook 2007)CTRL+SHIFT+T
New InfoPath Form (requires InfoPath) (Outlook 2010)CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+T
New Task Request (Outlook 2007 and previous)CTRL+SHIFT+U
New Task Request (Outlook 2010 and later)CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+U
New Internet Fax (requires Fax service)CTRL+SHIFT+X
  
Reply to selected itemCTRL+R
Reply to All for selected itemCTRL+SHIFT+R
Reply to Post in current folderCTRL+T
Forward selected item(s)CTRL+F
Forward as attachmentCTRL+ALT+F

General item actions

SaveCTRL+S or SHIFT+F12
Save asF12
Send/Save and closeALT+S
CloseALT+F4
Close item window or cancel dialogESC
PrintCTRL+P
DeleteDELETE
(or DEL or CTRL+D)
Copy to folderCTRL+SHIFT+Y
Move to folderCTRL+SHIFT+V
Message properties or Item propertiesALT+ENTER
Check names in address fields and resolve them against the Address BookCTR+K
(or CTRL+M for some localized versions)
Check the spelling and grammarF7
Move to next spelling or grammar mistakeALT+F7
Open Dictionary/Translate PaneALT+SHIFT+F7
Open the Research PaneALT+CLICK
Open the Thesaurus Research PaneSHIFT+F7

Note:
Several of the commands listed above may not work for Note items.

Messages – Reading

Mark as ReadCTRL+ENTER
or CTRL+Q
Mark as UnreadCTRL+U
Flag for Follow UpCTRL+SHIFT+G
Quick FlagINSERT
Display blocked content (download pictures from the Internet)CTRL+SHIFT+I
Show Infobar options or Mail TipCTRL+SHIFT+W
Ignore/stop ignoring a conversationCTRL+DEL
Mark a junked message as Not JunkCTRL+ALT+J
Select next item/message (when message is open in its own window)CTRL+>
Select previous item (when message is open in its own window)CTRL+<
Reading Pane – Page down (can also advance to next message with “Single key reading” enabled)SPACEBAR
(more info)
Reading Pane – Page upSHIFT+SPACEBAR
Open a selected messageCTRL+O or ENTER

Messages – Send/Receive

Check for new messagesF9 or CTRL+M
Open Send/Receive settings dialogCTRL+ALT+S
Mark to download messagesCTRL+ALT+M
Unmark selected headersCTRL+ALT+U

Message Composing and Item Formatting

Send message (can be disabled)CTRL+ENTER
Show/hide formatting and hidden text (like dots for spaces and pilcrow signs for paragraphs ¶ )CTRL+SHIFT+8
Show/hide field codesALT+F9
Reveal Formatting PaneSHIFT+F1
Bring up Font Formatting dialogCTRL+SHIFT+P
or CTRL+D
Set the paragraph style to Normal (tab Format Text)CTRL+SHIFT+N
Set the Paragraph style to Heading 1CTRL+ALT+1
Set the Paragraph style to Heading 2CTRL+ALT+2
Set the Paragraph style to Heading 3CTRL+ALT+3
Create a bulleted listCTRL+SHIFT+L
Select Symbol fontCTRL+SHIFT+Q
Apply Styles dialogCTRL+SHIFT+S
Show Styles Task PaneCTRL+SHIFT+ALT+S
Erase formattingCTRL+SPACEBAR
Copy formatting/Format PainterCTRL+SHIFT+C
Paste SpecialALT+CTRL+V
Text – Bold (can be different for some localized versions)CTRL+B
Text – Italic (can be different for some localized versions)CTRL+I
Text – Underline (can be different for some localized versions)CTRL+U
Text – SubscriptCTRL+=
Text – SuperscriptCTRL+SHIFT++
Text – Decrease font size one predefined stepCTRL+SHIFT+<
Text – Increase font size one predefined stepCTRL+SHIFT+>
Text – Decrease font size one pointCTRL+[
Text – Increase font size one pointCTRL+]
Text – Toggle between case optionsSHIFT+F3
Text – Change all text to uppercase/lowercaseCTRL+SHIFT+A
Text – HighlightCTRL+ALT+H
Align Text – LeftCTRL+L
Align Text – RightCTRL+R
Align Text – CenterCTRL+E
Align Text – JustifyCTRL+J
Line Spacing – 1CTRL+1
Line Spacing – 1.5CTRL+5
Line Spacing – 2CTRL+2
Line Spacing – Add/Remove space before paragraphCTRL+0
Increase IndentCTRL+T or CTRL+M
Decrease IndentCTRL+SHIFT+T
or CTRL+SHIFT+M
Insert hyperlinkCTRL+K
Insert dateALT+SHIFT+D
Insert timeALT+SHIFT+T
Insert equationALT+=
Insert number field (different from creating a list)CTRL+ALT+L
Repeat editor action (type or format text)CTRL+Y
AutoComplete Building Block/Quick PartF3 (more info)
Create a new Building Block/Quick Part for selected textALT+F3

Calendar

Show 1 dayALT+1
Show 2 days side-by-sideALT+2
Show 3 days side-by-sideALT+3
Show 4 days side-by-sideALT+4
Show 5 days side-by-sideALT+5
Show 6 days side-by-sideALT+6
Show 7 days side-by-sideALT+7
Show 8 days side-by-sideALT+8
Show 9 days side-by-sideALT+9
Show 10 days side-by-sideALT+0
Single day viewCTRL+ALT+1
Work week viewCTRL+ALT+2
Full week viewCTRL+ALT+3
Month viewCTRL+ALT+4
Schedule view (outlook 2010 only)CTRL+ALT+5
Switch between Calendar, TaskPad/Daily Task List and Navigation PaneF6
Go to begin of dayCTRL+HOME
Go to end of dayCTRL+END
Go to begin of working dayHOME
Go to end of working dayEND
Go to next dayRIGT ARROW
Go to previous dayLEFT ARROW
Go to next week/move selected item to next weekALT+DOWN ARROW
Go to previous week/move selected item to previous weekALT+UP ARROW
Go to beginning of weekALT+HOME
Go to end of weekALT+END
Go to next monthALT+PAGE DOWN
Go to previous monthALT+PAGE UP
Go to next appointmentCTRL+>
Go to previous appointmentCTRL+<
Go to specific dateCTRL+G
Set an Appointment Recurrence (when item is opened)CTRL+G

Tip!
In addition to the above shortcuts you can also use text based shortcuts to fill out time and date fields. For exact workings see; Quickly set dates with formulas and text

Contacts

Open web page of selected contactCTRL+SHIFT+X
Display the first email address in an opened contact formALT+SHIFT+1
Display the second email address in an opened contact formALT+SHIFT+2
Display the third email address in an opened contact formALT+SHIFT+3
Open the Check Address dialog in an opened contact formALT+D
Search in the Address Book (Find a Contact)F11

Note:
Additional commands related to contacts can also be found in the Creating new items, Message Composing and item formatting and Navigating sections.

Tasks

Set a Task Recurrence (when item is opened)CTRL+G
Flag or Mark as CompleteINSERT

Notes

There are no specific Notes keyboard shortcuts but commands related to Note items can be founded in the Creating new items and Navigating sections.

Journal

There are no specific Journal keyboard shortcuts but commands related to Journal items can be founded in the Creating new items, Message Composing and item formatting and Navigating sections. If your Journal view is set to a Calendar view, then you can also use several of the keyboard shortcuts mentioned in the Calendar section.

Search

Start a new searchCTRL+E or F3
Search in Current FolderCTRL+ALT+K
Include subfolders of currently selected folders in search (Outlook 2010 and later)CTRL+ALT+Z
Search in Current MailboxCTRL+ALT+A
Search in All Mailboxes (when multiple account are added)CTRL+ALT+A
Search All Outlook ItemsCTRL+ALT+O
Expand Search Query Builder (Outlook 2007)CTRL+ALT+W
Computer wide search (Outlook 2007)CTRL+ALT+K
Close Search/Reset resultsESC
Advanced FindCTRL+SHIFT+F
Search in the Address Book (Find a Contact)F11
New Search FolderCTRL+SHIFT+P
Search specific text within an opened itemF4
Find next instance of specific text within an opened itemSHIFT+F4
Find and Replace specific text within an opened itemCTRL+H
Open “Find and Replace” dialog on the “Go To” tabF5

Miscellaneous

HelpF1
Execute macrosALT+F8
Open VBA EditorALT+F11
Save Form DesignCTRL+ALT+SHIFT+F12
Save Form DataCTRL+SHIFT+F11
Expand lists (when you have selection a drop down list selected)F4
Zoom In/Out (when the focus is inside the body of a message -either in the Reading Pane or opened in its own window)Hold CTRL and scroll the wheel of your mouse
Split window of editorALT+CTRL+S
Add review commentCTRL+ALT+M
Mail Merge check (in Word)ALT+SHIFT+K
Mail Merge Edit Data Source (in Word)ALT+SHIFT+E
Mail Merge to Doc (in Word)ALT+SHIFT+N
Mail Merge to Printer (in Word)ALT+SHIFT+M
Reveal character code for last typed characterALT+X

Keyboard shortcuts to create international characters

International Characters buttonIn addition to the formatting keyboard shortcuts, there are also Keyboard shortcuts for international characters.

These are characters which you don’t find on every keyboard and are language specific. For instance; à, é, î, õ, ü, å, æ, œ, ç and ß.

Disabling keyboard shortcuts via Group Policy

Group Policy Editor buttonMost of the keyboard shortcuts in this guide can be disabled via Group Policy or the Office Customization Tool.

For detailed instruction on how to disable keyboard shortcuts see;