If you like to use the keyboard
to accomplish tasks in Windows and in applications, I found a handy trick that
allows you to find out what keyboard shortcuts are available in Microsoft Word.
This trick works in Word 2003, 2007, and 2010.
The trick involves running a macro, called ListCommands, that is built-in to
these versions of Word. A macro is a series of commands recorded for playback at
a later time. Word comes with many pre-recorded macros to perform various tasks.
You can also record your own custom macros if there are tasks you perform often
that are not part of the list of built-in Word macros.
This post shows you how to access the Macros dialog box in the three latest
versions of Word and how to access and run the ListCommands macro to generate a
list of Word keyboard shortcuts.
Access Macros in Word 2003
To access the Macros dialog box in Word 2003, select Macro | Macros from the
Tools menu.
Access Macros in Word 2007
To access the Macros dialog box in Word 2007, you must first activate the
Developer tab if it is not available on the Ribbon already. To do this, click
the Office button and click Word Options at the bottom of the Office menu.
The Popular screen should display by default on the Word Options dialog box. On
that screen, click the Show Developer tab in the Ribbon check box so there is a
check mark in the box.
Click OK to close the Word Options dialog box.
Click the Developer tab on the Ribbon.
Click the Macros button in the Code section of the Developer tab.
Access Macros in Word 2010
Accessing the Macros dialog box in Word 2010 is very similar to accessing it in
Word 2007. Some of the options are named differently and are located in slightly
different places, but the procedure is essentially the same. You must first
activate the Developer tab if it is not available on the Ribbon already. To do
this, click the Office button and click Word Options at the bottom of the Office
menu.
On the Word Options dialog box, click the Customize Ribbon option in the list on
the left.
On the Customize Ribbon screen, select the Developer check box under Customize
the Ribbon drop-down list so there is a check mark in the box.
Click OK to close the Word Options dialog box.
Click the Developer tab on the Ribbon.
Click the Macros button in the Code section of the Developer tab.
Run the ListCommands Macro
At this point, once you have opened the Macros dialog box, the procedure is the
same for all three versions of Word. Select Word commands from the Macros in
drop-down list.
Start typing “ListCommands” (without the quotes) in the Macro name edit box to
find the macro in the list.
Once you find the ListCommands macro, select it in the list and click Run.
The List Commands dialog box displays. Select whether you want to generate a
list of only Current keyboard settings or All Word commands. Click OK.
NOTE: Be warned that when we generated a list of All Word commands, it turned
out to be 81 pages in Word 2010. Selecting Current keyboard settings generated a
list that took up 11 pages in Word 2010. The number of pages was less in Word
2003 because the default spacing in the table cells was smaller than in Word
2007 and Word 2010.
NOTE: The Current keyboard settings option on the List Commands dialog box in
Word 2003 is called Current menu and keyboard settings.
A table is generated containing all commands listed alphabetically by the name,
with the keyboard shortcuts listed in the Modifiers column, as applicable, and
the Key column. Modifiers are other keys that must be pressed before pressing
the main Key for the shortcut. Some shortcuts may not have any Modifiers.
NOTE: A new document in a new instance of Word is opened up when you run the
ListCommands macro.
When you generate the list of commands in Word 2003, an additional column
displays, that was taken out in Word 2007 and 2010. The Menu column shows you
the menu option that corresponds to the command in Word.
Now you can save the Word file with the generated table of commands and have a
handy reference allowing you to quickly find shortcuts to Word commands
alphabetically by their name.