Basic Text Navigation and Commands
When working with text, you'll primarily be using your arrow keys and the Control key. The arrow keys provide very basic movement, and the Control key will help you move through groups of items. When you're ready to select text, just hold down the Shift key while you move through your document. The Shift key will select any text that you move through. That's pretty much it!
| Task | Keyboard Command |
|---|---|
| Move to the previous or next character | Left/right arrow |
| Move to previous or next word | Ctrl + left/right arrow |
| Move to previous or next line | Up/down arrow |
| Move to previous or next paragraph | Ctrl + down/up arrow |
| Read all from current position, JAWS specific | JAWS/NVDA + down arrow (Desktop) or JAWS/NVDA + A (Laptop) |
| Go to top of document | Ctrl + home |
| Go to end of document | Ctrl + end |
| Select text | Hold shift and use any of the navigation commands above |
| Select all | Ctrl + a |
| Delete previous word | Ctrl + backspace |
| Delete next word | Ctrl + delete |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z |
| Redo | Ctrl + Y (some apps use Ctrl + Shift + Z) |
| Spell Check | F7 |
Working with Selected Text
It's a good idea to memorize a few basic text commands to help you work with text effectively.
| Task | Keyboard Command |
|---|---|
| Copy | Ctrl + C |
| Cut | Ctrl + X |
| Paste | Ctrl + V |
| Bold | Ctrl + B |
| Italic | Ctrl + I |
| Underline | Ctrl + U |
| Increase font size | Ctrl + Shift + > |
| Decrease font size | Ctrl + Shift + < |
| Create hyperlink | Ctrl + K |
| Center | Ctrl + E |
| Heading (levels 1–3) | Ctrl + Alt + Number (1–3) |