In this article, I have compiled a list of useful Google Sheets shortcuts.
While there may be a lot more Google Docs shortcuts, I’ll focus on the most commonly used and helpful shortcuts within each category.
Let’s get started!
Most Commonly Used Google Docs Shortcuts
| Action Description | Windows Shortcut | Mac Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Make a copy of the selection | Ctrl + C | ⌘ + C |
| Cut the selection | Ctrl + X | X |
| Insert copied content from clipboard | Ctrl + V | ⌘ + V |
| Insert clipboard contents without formatting | Ctrl + Shift + V | ⌘ + Shift + V |
| Reverse the last action | Ctrl + Z | ⌘ + Z |
| Reverse the undo action | Ctrl + Shift + Z | Shift + Z |
| Create or modify a hyperlink | Ctrl + K | ⌘ + K |
| Activate selected hyperlink | Alt + Enter | Option + Enter |
| Display keyboard shortcut help | Ctrl + / | ⌘ + / |
| Save the document (autosave is also active) | Ctrl + S | ⌘ + S |
| Print the document | Ctrl + P | ⌘ + P |
| Open a document | Ctrl + O | ⌘ + O |
| Search within the document | Ctrl + F | ⌘ + F |
| Search and replace text in the document | Ctrl + H | ⌘ + Shift + H |
| Find the next occurrence | Ctrl + G | ⌘ + G |
| Find the previous occurrence | Ctrl + Shift + G | ⌘ + Shift + G |
| Toggle the visibility of the menu options | Ctrl + Shift + F | Ctrl + Shift + F |
| Insert a break to start a new page | Ctrl + Enter | ⌘ + Enter |
| Search within the document’s menus | Alt + / or Alt + Shift + Z or Alt + z | Option + / or Ctrl + Option + Z |
| Apply the last action again | Ctrl + Y | ⌘ + Y |
| Change to editing mode | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Z | ⌘ + Option + Shift + Z |
| Change to suggestion mode | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + X | ⌘ + Option + Shift + X |
| Change to viewing mode | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + C | ⌘ + Option + Shift + C |
| Increase the zoom level of the document | Ctrl + + | ⌘ + + |
| Decrease the zoom level of the document | Ctrl + – | ⌘ + – |
| Reset magnification to default level | Ctrl + 0 | ⌘ + 0 |
Text Formatting Shortcuts in Google Docs
Below are the text formatting-related shortcuts in Google Docs for Windows as well as Mac:
| Action Description | Windows Shortcut | Mac Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Apply bold formatting | Ctrl + B | ⌘ + B |
| Apply italic formatting | Ctrl + I | ⌘ + I |
| Apply underline formatting | Ctrl + U | ⌘ + U |
| Apply strikethrough formatting | Alt + Shift + 5 | ⌘ + Shift + X |
| Apply superscript formatting | Ctrl + . | ⌘ + . |
| Apply subscript formatting | Ctrl + , | ⌘ + , |
| Copy the text’s formatting | Ctrl + Alt + C | ⌘ + Option + C |
| Paste the copied text formatting | Ctrl + Alt + V | ⌘ + Option + V |
| Remove all text formatting | Ctrl + \ or Ctrl + Space | ⌘ + \ |
| Increase the text’s font size | Ctrl + Shift + . | ⌘ + Shift + . |
| Decrease the text’s font size | Ctrl + Shift + , | ⌘ + Shift + , |
| Apply paragraph formatting | Ctrl + Alt + 0 | ⌘ + Option + 0 |
| Increase paragraph indentation | Ctrl + ] | ⌘ + ] |
| Decrease paragraph indentation | Ctrl + [ | ⌘ + [ |
| Set text to normal style | Ctrl + Alt + 0 | ⌘ + Option + 0 |
| Apply heading styles | Ctrl + Alt + [1-6] | ⌘ + Option + [1-6] |
| Align text to the left | Ctrl + Shift + L | ⌘ + Shift + L |
| Center align text | Ctrl + Shift + E | ⌘ + Shift + E |
| Align text to the right | Ctrl + Shift + R | ⌘ + Shift + R |
| Justify text alignment | Ctrl + Shift + J | ⌘ + Shift + J |
| Create a numbered list | Ctrl + Shift + 7 | ⌘ + Shift + 7 |
| Create a bulleted list | Ctrl + Shift + 8 | ⌘ + Shift + 8 |
| Create a checklist | Ctrl + Shift + 9 | ⌘ + Shift + 9 |
| Move the paragraph up or down | Ctrl + Shift + Up/Down arrow | Ctrl + Shift + Up/Down arrow |
This table includes a variety of text formatting and paragraph formatting shortcuts to help you streamline your work in Google Docs.
Image-Related Shortcuts in Google Docs
| Action Description | Windows Shortcut | Mac Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Add alternative text to images | Ctrl + Alt + Y | ⌘ + Option + Y |
| Enlarge image or shape | Ctrl + Alt + k | ⌘ + Ctrl + K |
| Enlarge image or shape horizontally | Ctrl + Alt + B | ⌘ + Ctrl + B |
| Enlarge image or shape vertically | Ctrl + Alt + I | ⌘ + Ctrl + I |
| Reduce image or shape size | Ctrl + Alt + J | ⌘ + Ctrl + J |
| Reduce image or shape size horizontally | Ctrl + Alt + W | ⌘ + Ctrl + W |
| Reduce image or shape size vertically | Ctrl + Alt + Q | ⌘ + Ctrl + Q |
| Rotate the image or shape clockwise by 15 degrees | Alt + Right arrow | Option + Right arrow |
| Rotate the image or shape anticlockwise by 15 degrees | Alt + Left arrow | Option + Left arrow |
| Rotate the image or shape anticlockwise by 1 degree | Alt + Shift + Left arrow | Option + Shift + Left arrow |
| Rotate the image or shape clockwise by 1 degree | Alt + Shift + Right arrow | Option + Shift + Right arrow |
| Exit the drawing or graphic editor | Shift + Esc | ⌘ + Esc or Shift + Esc |
These shortcuts can greatly enhance your efficiency when working with images and drawings within your documents.
Comments and Footnotes Related Shortcuts in Google Docs
| Action Description | Windows Shortcut | Mac Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Insert a new comment | Ctrl + Alt + M | ⌘ + Option + M |
| Access the discussion thread | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + A | ⌘ + Option + Shift + A |
| Jump to the current comment | Ctrl + Alt, E, then C | Ctrl + ⌘, E, then C |
| Add a footnote | Ctrl + Alt + F | ⌘ + Option + F |
| Navigate to the current footnote | Ctrl + Alt, E, then F | Ctrl + ⌘, E, then F |
| Go to the next footnote | Ctrl + Alt, N, then F | Ctrl + ⌘, N, then F |
| Go to the previous footnote | Ctrl + Alt, P, then F | Ctrl + ⌘, P, then F |
| Advance to the next suggested edit | Ctrl + Alt, N, then U | Ctrl + ⌘, N, then U |
| Return to the previously suggested edit | Ctrl + Alt, P, then U | Ctrl + ⌘, P, then U |
| Review suggested edits in sequence | Ctrl + Alt, O, then U | Ctrl + ⌘, O, then U |
| Move to the next comment in the document | Ctrl + Alt, N, then C | Ctrl + ⌘, N, then C |
| Move to the previous comment in the document | Ctrl + Alt, P, then C | Ctrl + ⌘, P, then C |
| Display the comment history | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + A | ⌘ + Option + Shift + A |
This set of shortcuts provides quick navigation and control over comments and footnotes, streamlining the review and editing process within your documents.
Menu Related Shortcuts in Google Docs
| Action Description | Windows Shortcut | Mac Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Open context (right-click) menu | Ctrl + Shift + X / Ctrl + Shift + \ / Shift + F10 | ⌘ + Shift + \ / Shift + F10 |
| Open File menu | Alt + F / Alt + Shift + F (depending on browser) | Ctrl + Option + F |
| Open Edit menu | Alt + E / Alt + Shift + E (depending on browser) | Ctrl + Option + E |
| Open View menu | Alt + V / Alt + Shift + V (depending on browser) | Ctrl + Option + V |
| Open Insert menu | Alt + I / Alt + Shift + I (depending on browser) | Ctrl + Option + I |
| Open Format menu | Alt + O / Alt + Shift + O (depending on browser) | Ctrl + Option + O |
| Open Tools menu | Alt + T / Alt + Shift + T (depending on browser) | Ctrl + Option + T |
| Open Help menu | Alt + H / Alt + Shift + H (depending on browser) | Ctrl + Option + H |
| Open the Accessibility menu (when screen reader support is enabled) | Alt + A / Alt + Shift + A (depending on browser) | Ctrl + Option + A |
| Open the Input Tools menu (for non-Latin languages) | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + K | ⌘ + Option + Shift + K |
| Show the browser’s context menu | Shift + right-click | Shift + right-click |
Text Selection Shortcuts in Google Docs
| Action Description | Windows Shortcut | Mac Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Select all text | Ctrl + A | ⌘ + A |
| Deselect all text | Ctrl + Alt, U, then A | Ctrl + ⌘, U, then A |
| Extend text selection by one character | Shift + Left/Right arrow | Shift + Left/Right arrow |
| Extend text selection by one line | Shift + Up/Down arrow | Shift + Up/Down arrow |
| Extend text selection by one word | Ctrl + Shift + Left/Right arrow | Shift + Fn + Left/Right arrow |
| Extend text selection to the beginning of the line | Shift + Home | Option + Shift + Up/Down arrow |
| Extend text selection to the end of the line | Shift + End | Shift + Fn + Right arrow |
| Extend text selection to the beginning of the document | Ctrl + Shift + Home | ⌘ + Shift + Up arrow |
| Extend text selection to the end of the document | Ctrl + Shift + End | ⌘ + Shift + Down arrow |
| Select the current list item | Ctrl + Alt + Shift, E, then I | Ctrl + ⌘ + Shift, E, then I |
| Select all list items at the current level | Ctrl + Alt + Shift, E, then O | Ctrl + ⌘ + Shift, E, then O |
| Select multiple text sections | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Left/Right arrow | Ctrl + ⌘ + Shift + Left/Right arrow |
| Select a word with the mouse | Double-click | Double-click |
| Extend selection by words with the mouse | Double-click + drag | Double-click + drag |
| Select a paragraph with the mouse | Triple-click | Triple-click |
| Extend selection by paragraphs with the mouse | Triple-click + drag | Triple-click + drag |
Other Shortcuts in Google Docs
These are some shortcuts I couldn’t fit anywhere else, so I created a separate section for them.
| Action Description | Windows Shortcut | Mac Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Insert Equation | ALT + I + E | Ctrl + Option + I + E |
So, these are most of the keyboard shortcuts you can use in Google Docs.
You are, of course, not expected to learn all of them, but if there are a few things that you often do in Google Docs, and you can find a shortcut for that on this page, it’s worth memorizing.
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