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Getting Started Guide 7.3

Appendix A
Keyboard Shortcuts

Using LibreOffice without a mouse

Copyright

This document is Copyright © 2022 by the LibreOffice Documentation Team. Contributors are listed below. This document maybe distributed and/or modified under the terms of either the GNU General Public License (https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html), version 3 or later, or the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), version 4.0 or later.

All trademarks within this guide belong to their legitimate owners.

Contributors

To this edition

Peter Schofield

Kees Kriek

Jean Hollis Weber

To previous editions

Jean Hollis Weber

Rafael Lima

Kees Kriek

Olivier Hallot

Steve Fanning

Ron Faile Jr.

John A Smith

 

 

Feedback

Please direct any comments or suggestions about this document to the Documentation Team’s mailing list: documentation@global.libreoffice.org

Note

Everything sent to a mailing list, including email addresses and any other personal information that is written in the message, is publicly archived and cannot be deleted.

Publication date and software version

Published February 2022. Based on LibreOffice 7.3 Community.
Other versions of LibreOffice may differ in appearance and functionality.

Introduction

LibreOffice can be used without requiring a pointing device, such as a mouse or trackball, by using the keyboard shortcuts that are available in LibreOffice. Tasks as varied and complex as docking and un-docking toolbars and windows, or changing the size or position of objects, can all be accomplished using keyboard shortcuts. Although LibreOffice has an extensive set of keyboard shortcuts, each LibreOffice module has keyboard shortcuts that are specific to that module.

This appendix lists some of the more common keyboard shortcuts that apply to multiple components of LibreOffice. For shortcuts specific to Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Math, or Base, refer to the relevant user guide or search the LibreOffice Help.

To assist the user with identification of useful keyboard shortcuts, shortcuts are indicated by text next to menu items and as tooltips for some tools on the toolbars. In Writer, for example, some commonly used keyboard shortcuts are as follows:

LibreOffice provides further information about the keys used and the available keyboard shortcuts in the list presented on the Keyboard tab of the Customize dialog for Linux/Windows (Figure 1) or macOS (Figure 2).

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Figure 1: Customize dialog – Keyboard tab for Linux (Windows is similar)

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Figure 2: Customize dialog – Keyboard tab in macOS

Note

Some keyboard shortcuts listed may not be available if the operating system uses the same shortcuts for other tasks. To resolve any conflicts, assign different keys to these shortcuts by reconfiguring either LibreOffice (see Chapter 14, Customizing LibreOffice) or the operating system (see operating system documentation or help).

Assistive tools in LibreOffice

In addition to keyboard shortcuts, LibreOffice supports some assistive technology tools like screen magnification software, screen readers, and on-screen keyboards. Please note that except for the Windows platform, accessibility support relies on Java technology for communications with assistive technology tools. This means that the first program startup may take a few seconds longer, because the Java runtime environment has to be started as well.

A current list of supported assistive tools can be found on the Wiki at https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Accessibility.

Information for macOS users

Some keystrokes and menu items are different in macOS than those used in Windows or Linux. Table 1 gives the common substitutions that are used in a LibreOffice document. For a more detailed list, see LibreOffice Help.

Table 1: macOS equivalent keystrokes

Windows or Linux

macOS equivalent

Effect

Tools > Options
menu selection

LibreOffice > Preferences

Access setup options

Right-click

Control+click or right-click depending on computer setup

Open a context menu

Ctrl (Control)

(Command)

Used with other keys

Alt

⌥ (Option) or Alt, depending on keyboard

Used with other keys

F11

+T

Open Styles deck in Sidebar

Note

Actual keys available on a macOS keyboard depend on the type of keyboard being used. For example, a macOS laptop keyboard may not have a Delete key, but a macOS keyboard with a numeric keypad does have a Delete key.

Note

Some keyboard shortcuts are not available for computers using macOS. This is indicated in the following tables by a blank cell.

Keyboard shortcuts

Note

Some of the shortcut keys may be assigned to the computer operating system and are not available for LibreOffice. Either assign different keys in LibreOffice using Tools > Customize > Keyboard on the Menu bar, or in the computer operating system. For more information, see Chapter 14, Customizing LibreOffice or the documentation/help for the computer operating system.

Using keyboard shortcuts

LibreOffice functions can easily be used by using keyboard shortcuts. For example, the Ctrl+O (macOS ⌘+O) keyboard shortcut is shown next to Open in the File menu on the Menu bar. To use this keyboard shortcut, press and hold down the Ctrl (macOS ) key and then press the O key. Release both keys together after the dialog box opens.

Opening menus and menu items

Table 2: Keys for opening menus and menu items

Windows
Linux

macOS

Effect

Alt+<?>

Windows only

 

Opens a menu where <?> is an underlined character of the menu being opened. For example, Alt+F opens the File menu.

When a menu is opened, there may be submenu items with underlined characters. Press the underlined character directly to carry out the action or option.

Where two menu items have the same underlined character, press the character key again to move to the next menu item.

Menu items that have no underlined character have to be clicked on directly.

Esc

Esc

Closes an open menu.

F6

 

Repeatedly pressing F6 switches the focus through the following objects:

  • Menu bar

  • Every toolbar from top to bottom and from left to right

  • Every free window from left to right

  • Document

 

F6

Repeatedly pressing F6 switches the focus through the following objects:

  • Each toolbar from top to bottom and from left to right

  • Sidebar

  • Document

Shift+F6

Shift+F6

Switches focus through objects in the opposite direction.

Ctrl+F6

⌘+F6

Switches the focus to the document.

F10

 

Switches focus to the Menu bar and back.

Accessing menu commands

1)  Press Alt or F6 or F10 to select the first item on the Menu bar (normally the File menu). In macOS, selection is the first tool on the Standard toolbar.

2)  Press the right or left arrow to move the selection right or left.

3)  Press the Home key (macOS Fn+left arrow) or End key (macOS Fn+right arrow) to move menu selection to the first or last item on the Menu bar.

4)  Press the down or up arrow to move the selection down or up the list of menu commands.

5)  If necessary, press the right arrow to open any submenus on the selected menu. Submenus are indicated by a triangle ► next to the name of the selected menu.

6)  If necessary, press the down or up arrow to move the selection down or up the list of submenu commands.

7)  If necessary, press the left arrow to close a submenu.

8)  Press Enter to run the selected menu or submenu command.

Accessing toolbar commands

1)  Press F6 repeatedly until the first icon on a toolbar is selected.

2)  On a horizontal toolbar, press the right or left arrows to move tool selection to the right or left.

3)  On a vertical toolbar, press the up or down arrows to move tool selection upward or downward.

4)  Press the Home key (macOS Fn+left arrow) or End key (macOS Fn+right arrow) to move tool selection to the first or last tool on a toolbar.

5)  Press Enter to action the selected tool on the toolbar.

6)  To insert an object into a drawing or presentation after selecting the required object on the Drawing toolbar, use the key combination Ctrl+Enter (macOS ⌘+Enter) to insert the object in the center of the drawing page or slide.

Note

If a tool on a toolbar has an editable text field, for example Load URL or Line Width, the Tab or Shift+Tab keys are then used to move the selection right or left onto the next tool on the toolbar.

Navigation and selection

Navigate through a document and make selections using the keyboard is as follows:

Table 3: Keys for navigation and selection

Windows
Linux

macOS

Effect

Left Arrow

Left Arrow

Ctrl+B

Moves the cursor one character to the left.

Right Arrow

Right Arrow

Ctrl+F

Moves the cursor one character to the right.

Ctrl+Left Arrow

+Left Arrow

Moves the cursor one word to the left.

Ctrl+Right Arrow

+Right Arrow

Moves the cursor one word to the right.

Up Arrow

Up Arrow

Ctrl+P

Moves the cursor up one line.

Down Arrow

Down Arrow

Ctrl+N

Moves the cursor down one line.

Ctrl+Up or Down Arrow

+Up or Down Arrow

Moves the cursor up or down to the beginning of the previous or next paragraph.

Home

Fn+Left arrow

Ctrl+A

Moves the cursor to the beginning of the current line.

Ctrl+Home

⌘+Up Arrow

Moves the cursor to the beginning of the document.

End

Fn+Right arrow

Ctrl+E

Moves the cursor to the end of the current line.

Ctrl+End

⌘+Down Arrow

Moves the cursor to the end of the document.

Page Up

Fn+Up Arrow

Scrolls up one page.

Ctrl+Page Up

⌘+Fn+Up Arrow

Moves the cursor to the header.

Page Down

Fn+Down Arrow

Scrolls down one page.

Ctrl+Page Down

⌘+Fn+Down Arrow

Moves the cursor to the footer.

Controlling dialogs

When opening any dialog, one element (for example button, option field, entry in a list box, or checkbox) is highlighted indicating that the element has focus on it. How the element is highlighted depends on the operating system and how the computer is setup.

Table 4: Keys for controlling dialogs

Shortcut Keys

Result

Enter

Activates selected button.

When no button is selected, Enter is equivalent to clicking OK.

Esc

Closes dialog without saving any changes made while the dialog was open.

Esc is also equivalent to clicking Cancel.

When a drop-down list is open and selected, Esc closes the list.

Spacebar

Checks or clears an empty checkbox.

Up or Down arrow

Moves focus up and down a list.

Increases or decreases value of a variable.

Moves focus vertically within a section of dialog.

Left or Right arrow

Moves focus horizontally within a section of a dialog.

Tab

Advances focus to the next section or element of a dialog.

Shift+Tab

Returns focus to the previous section or element in a dialog.

Alt+Down arrow

(macOS +Down arrow)

Shows items in a drop-down list.

Controlling documents and windows

Table 5: Keys for controlling documents and windows

Windows
Linux

macOS

Effect

Ctrl+O

⌘+O

Opens the Open dialog to select and open a document.

Ctrl+S

⌘+S

Saves the current document. If the document is a previously unsaved file, the shortcut opens the Save As dialog.

Ctrl+N

⌘+N

Creates a new document.

Shift+Ctrl+N

⌘+Shift+N

Opens the Templates dialog.

Ctrl+P

⌘+P

Opens the Print dialog to print the document.

Ctrl+F

⌘+F

Opens the Find toolbar.

Ctrl+H

+⌘+F

Opens the Find and Replace dialog.

Ctrl+Shift+F

 

Searches for the last entered search term.

Ctrl+Shift+J

 

Toggles the view between full-screen mode and normal mode in Writer or Calc.

Ctrl+Shift+R

⌘+Shift+R

Opens and closes the rulers.

F1

F1

Opens the LibreOffice Help contents in your default browser. If the local Help package is not installed, LibreOffice opens the online Help located at https://help.libreoffice.org.

Shift+F1

Shift+F1

Turns the cursor into a What’s This? question mark. Shows the tip for an item underneath the cursor. The shortcut does not work with the online help.

Shift+F2

Shift+F2

Turns on Extended Tips for the currently selected command, icon or control. The shortcut does not work with the online help.

Ctrl+Shift+F10

⌘+Shift+F10

Docks and undocks floating toolbars, Sidebar and Navigator.

Ctrl+F4 or Alt+F4

⌘+F4

Closes the current document. Closes LibreOffice when the last open document is closed.

Ctrl+Q

⌘+Q

Exits LibreOffice.

Editing or formatting documents

Table 6: Keys for editing or formatting documents

Windows
Linux

macOS

Effect

Enter

Enter

When an OLE object is selected, activates the software used to create the OLE object.

When a drawing object is selected, activates text mode.

Ctrl+X

⌘+X

Cuts selected text or objects from a document and places them in the clipboard.

Ctrl+C

⌘+C

Copies selected text or objects and places them in the clipboard.

Ctrl+V

⌘+V

Places text or objects from the clipboard that have copied or cut into the document.

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V

⌘++Shift+V

Pastes unformatted text from the clipboard. The text is pasted using the format that exists at the insertion point.

Ctrl+Shift+V

⌘+Shift+V

Opens the Paste Special dialog.

Ctrl+A

⌘+A

Selects all text and objects in a document.

Ctrl+Z

⌘+Z

Undoes last action.

Ctrl+Y

⌘+Y

Redoes last action.

Ctrl+Shift+Y

⌘+Shift+Y

Repeats last command.

Ctrl+I

⌘+I

Applies the Italic attribute to selected characters and text.

Ctrl+B

⌘+B

Applies the Bold attribute to selected characters and text.

Ctrl+U

⌘+U

Applies the Underline attribute to selected characters and text.

Ctrl+M

⌘+M

Removes direct formatting from selected text or objects. This command is also available in Format > Clear Direct Formatting in the Menu bar.

Sidebar keyboard shortcuts

General

Table 7: General keyboard shortcuts for the Sidebar

Windows
Linux

macOS

Effect

Tab

Tab

Moves the focus in the Sidebar.

Shift+Tab

Shift+Tab

Moves the focus in the reverse direction in the Sidebar.

Shift+F10

Shift+F10

Opens a context menu for the selected element in the Sidebar.

Home

Fn+Left Arrow

Moves focus to first entry.

End

Fn+Right Arrow

Moves focus to last entry.

Up or Down Arrow

Up or Down Arrow

Moves the selection up or down and opens the panels in the selected deck.

Right Arrow

Right Arrow

Opens any sub-elements in the selected element.

Left Arrow

Left Arrow

Closes any sub-elements in the selected element.

Ctrl+Enter

⌘+Enter

Opens the Properties dialog for the selected element.

Gallery

Table 8: Keyboard shortcuts for Gallery in Sidebar

Windows
Linux

macOS

Effect

Ctrl+R

 

Opens the Enter Title dialog. Only themes added to LibreOffice can be renamed. Themes installed with LibreOffice cannot be renamed.

Ctrl+D

⌘+D

Deletes themes that have been added to LibreOffice. Themes installed with LibreOffice cannot be deleted.

Insert

 

Inserts a new theme into the Gallery and opens the Insert of New Theme dialog.

Ctrl+Shift+Insert

⌘+Shift+Insert

Inserts the selected object as a linked object into the current document.

Ctrl+I

Ctrl+I

Inserts a copy of the selected object into the current document.

Ctrl+P

Spacebar

Enter

Ctrl+P

Spacebar

Enter

Switches between a view of a list of object previews and a selected object.

Database table keyboard shortcuts

Table 9: Keyboard shortcuts for database tables

Windows
Linux

macOS

Effect

Ctrl+Shift+F4

⌘+Shift+F4

Opens and closes a database table in a document for editing.

Spacebar

Spacebar

Toggles row selection, except when the row is in edit mode.

Ctrl+Spacebar

⌘+Spacebar

Toggles row selection.

Shift+Spacebar

Shift+Spacebar

Selects the current column.

Ctrl+Page Up

⌘+ + Fn+ Up Arrow

Moves the cursor to the first row.

Ctrl+Page Down

⌘+ + Fn+ Down Arrow

Moves the cursor to the last row.

Controlling macros

Table 10: Keys for controlling macros

Windows
Linux

macOS

Effect

Ctrl+* (multiplication sign on number pad only)

⌘+* (multiplication sign on number pad only)

Runs a macro field.

Shift+Ctrl+Q

⌘+Ctrl+Q

Stops a running macro.

Note

For more information on macros, see Chapter 13, Getting Started with Macros.

Entering Unicode numbers

Each character in LibreOffice can be entered into a document by typing its Unicode hexadecimal number and then pressing Ctrl+Alt+X (mac OS ⌘++X). For example, to enter the copyright sign into text, type U+00A9 followed immediately by Ctrl+Alt+X (mac OS ⌘++X) and the copyright sign © appears at the cursor position in the text.

Note

Unicode hexadecimal numbers in the range U+0000 to U+0020 are not converted into characters using the conversion shortcut Ctrl+Alt+X (mac OS ⌘++X).

Defining keyboard shortcuts

In addition to using the built-in keyboard shortcuts listed in this Appendix, custom keyboard shortcuts can be defined. For more information, see Chapter 14, Customizing LibreOffice.

To check if a keyboard shortcut is is already in use, open the Keyboard page in the Customize dialog and scroll though the listed keyboard shortcuts. Go to Tools > Customize on the Menu bar to open the Customize dialog.

Further reading

For help with keyboard shortcuts, or using LibreOffice with a keyboard only, search the application Help using the keywords “shortcut keys” or “accessibility”.

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