Getting Started Guide 7.4

Appendix A
Keyboard Shortcuts
Using LibreOffice without a mouseCopyrightThis document is Copyright © 2022 by the LibreOffice Documentation Team. Contributors arelisted below. This document maybe distributed and/or modified under the terms of either theGNU General Public License (https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html), version 3 or later, or theCreative 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
Skip Masonsmith

Kees Kriek

To previous editions
Jean Hollis Weber
Olivier Hallot
John A Smith

Rafael Lima
Steve FanningPeter Schofield

Kees Kriek
Ron Faile Jr.

Feedback
Please direct any comments or suggestions about this document to the Documentation Team’s
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Publication date and software version
Published November 2022. Based on LibreOffice 7.4 Community.
Other versions of LibreOffice may differ in appearance and functionality.

Documentation for LibreOffice is available at https://documentation.libreoffice.org/en/Contents
Copyright..........................................................................................................................2
Contributors................................................................................................................................2
Feedback....................................................................................................................................2
Publication date and software version........................................................................................2

Introduction......................................................................................................................4
Assistive tools in LibreOffice......................................................................................... 5
Information for macOS users......................................................................................... 6Keyboard shortcuts.........................................................................................................6Using keyboard shortcuts...........................................................................................................6Opening menus and menu items................................................................................................7
Accessing menu commands.......................................................................................................7Accessing toolbar commands.....................................................................................................8Navigation and selection.............................................................................................................8Controlling dialogs......................................................................................................................9Controlling documents and windows........................................................................................10
Editing or formatting documents...............................................................................................11Sidebar keyboard shortcuts......................................................................................... 12General.....................................................................................................................................12Gallery......................................................................................................................................12Database table keyboard shortcuts.............................................................................13Controlling macros........................................................................................................13Entering Unicode numbers...........................................................................................13
Defining keyboard shortcuts........................................................................................13
Further reading.............................................................................................................. 14

Appendix A, Keyboard Shortcuts | 3

Introduction
LibreOffice can be used without requiring a pointing device, such as a mouse or trackball, byusing the keyboard shortcuts that are available in LibreOffice. Tasks as varied and complex as
docking and undockingtoolbars 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 thatmodule.
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, somecommonly used keyboard shortcuts are as follows:•The menu item File > Open includes text indicating that Ctrl+O (macOS ⌘+O) is akeyboard shortcut.

•The Align Left tool in the Formatting toolbar has a tooltip indicating that Ctrl+L(macOS ⌘+L) is a keyboard shortcut.

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).

Figure 1: Customize dialog – Keyboard tab for Linux (Windows is similar)
4 | Appendix A, Keyboard Shortcuts

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 13,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 likescreen magnification software, screen readers, and on-screen keyboards. Please note thatexcept for the Windows platform, accessibility support relies on Java technology forcommunications 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 athttps://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Accessibility.

Assistive tools in LibreOffice | 5

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 moredetailed list, see LibreOffice Help.
Table 1: macOS equivalent keystrokes
Windows or LinuxmacOS equivalent

EffectTools > 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, dependingon keyboard

Used with other keys

F11⌘+T

Open Styles deck in Sidebar

NoteActual 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 isindicated 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 LibreOfficeusing Tools > Customize > Keyboard on the Menu bar, or in the computer
operating system. For more information, see Chapter 13, Customizing LibreOfficeor 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.

6 | Appendix A, Keyboard Shortcuts

Opening menus and menu itemsTable 2: Keys for opening menus and menu items
WindowsLinuxmacOS

Opens a menu where <?> is an underlined characterof 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 theunderlined 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 tothe next menu item.
Menu items that have no underlined character haveto be clicked on directly.

Alt+<?>
Windows onlyEscEffect

Esc

Closes an open menu.
Repeatedly pressing F6 switches the focus throughthe following objects:

F6•Menu bar•

Every toolbar from top to bottom and fromleft to right•Every free window from left to right•

Document

Repeatedly pressing F6 switches the focus throughthe following objects:

F6• Each toolbar from top to bottom and fromleft 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.
Keyboard shortcuts | 76) If necessary, press the down or up arrow to move the selection down or up the list ofsubmenu 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 orleft.
3) On a vertical toolbar, press the up or down arrows to move tool selection upward ordownward.
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 theDrawing toolbar, use the key combination Ctrl+Enter (macOS ⌘+Enter) to insert theobject in the center of the drawing page or slide.

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

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

To move the cursor, use one of the keys or key combinations given in the following table.

•

To select any text while moving the cursor, hold down the Shift key as the cursor ismoved.

•

To select a word, position the cursor in the word and double-click.

•To select a sentence, position the cursor in the sentence and triple-click.

•To select a paragraph, position the cursor in the paragraph and click four times.

•To select all of the text or objects in a document, use Ctrl+A (macOS ⌘+A).

•

Use Ctrl+Del (macOS ⌘+Delete) to delete everything from the cursor position to theend of the word.

Table 3: Keys for navigation and selection
WindowsLinuxmacOS

EffectLeft 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.

8 | Appendix A, Keyboard Shortcuts

WindowsLinuxmacOS

EffectCtrl+LeftArrow⌥+Left Arrow

Moves the cursor one word to the left.

Ctrl+RightArrow⌥+RightArrow

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 orDown Arrow⌥+Up or Down

Arrow

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

HomeFn+Leftarrow
Ctrl+A

Moves the cursor to the beginning of the currentline.

Ctrl+Home⌘+Up Arrow

Moves the cursor to the beginning of the document.

EndFn+Rightarrow
Ctrl+E

Moves the cursor to the end of the current line.

Ctrl+End⌘+DownArrow

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+PageDown⌘+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, orcheckbox) is highlighted indicating that the element has focus on it. How the element ishighlighted depends on the operating system and how the computer is setup.
Table 4: Keys for controlling dialogs
Shortcut Keys

ResultEnter

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.

SpacebarChecks or clears an empty checkbox.

Keyboard shortcuts | 9

Shortcut Keys

ResultUp 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 Rightarrow

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 ⌥+Downarrow)Shows items in a drop-down list.

Controlling documents and windows
Table 5: Keys for controlling documents and windowsWindowsLinuxmacOS

EffectCtrl+O⌘+O

Opens the Open dialog to select and open adocument.

Ctrl+S⌘+S

Saves the current document. If the document is apreviously unsaved file, the shortcut opens theSave 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 andnormal mode in Writer or Calc.

Ctrl+Shift+
R⌘+Shift+R

Opens and closes the rulers.

F1

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

Shift+F1

Shift+F1

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

Shift+F2

Shift+F2

Turns on Extended Tips for the currently selectedcommand, icon or control. The shortcut does notwork with the online help.

F1

10 | Appendix A, Keyboard Shortcuts

WindowsLinuxmacOS

EffectCtrl+Shift+
F10⌘+Shift+F1
0

Docks and undocks floating toolbars, Sidebar andNavigator.

Ctrl+F4 orAlt+F4⌘+F4Closes the current document. Closes LibreOfficewhen the last open document is closed.

Ctrl+Q⌘+Q

Exits LibreOffice.

Editing or formatting documents
Table 6: Keys for editing or formatting documents
WindowsLinuxmacOS

EffectEnterEnter

When an OLE object is selected, activates thesoftware used to create the OLE object.
When a drawing object is selected, activates textmode.

Ctrl+X⌘+X

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

Ctrl+C⌘+C

Copies selected text or objects and places them inthe clipboard.

Ctrl+V⌘+V

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

Ctrl+Alt+S
hift+V⌘+⌥+Shift+
V

Pastes unformatted text from the clipboard. The text
is pasted using the format that exists at theinsertion 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 charactersand text.

Ctrl+B⌘+B

Applies the Bold attribute to selected charactersand text.

Ctrl+U⌘+U

Applies the Underline attribute to selectedcharacters and text.

Ctrl+M⌘+M

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

Keyboard shortcuts | 11

Sidebar keyboard shortcuts
GeneralTable 7: General keyboard shortcuts for the Sidebar
WindowsLinuxmacOSEffect

Tab

Tab

Moves the focus in the Sidebar.

Shift+Tab

Shift+Tab

Moves the focus in the reverse direction in theSidebar.

Shift+F10

Shift+F10

Opens a context menu for the selected element inthe Sidebar.

HomeFn+Left
Arrow

Moves focus to first entry.

EndFn+Right
Arrow

Moves focus to last entry.

Up or Down
Arrow

Up or Down
Arrow

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

RightArrow

Right Arrow

Opens any sub-elements in the selected element.

LeftArrow

Left Arrow

Closes any sub-elements in the selected element.

Ctrl+Enter⌘+Enter

Opens the Properties dialog for the selectedelement.

Gallery
Table 8: Keyboard shortcuts for Gallery in Sidebar
WindowsLinuxmacOS

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

Ctrl+R

Ctrl+DEffect⌘+DDeletes themes that have been added toLibreOffice. Themes installed with LibreOfficecannot be deleted.
Inserts a new theme into the Gallery and opens
the Insert of New Theme dialog.

InsertCtrl+Shift+In
sert⌘+Shift+Ins
ert

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

Ctrl+I

Ctrl+I

Inserts a copy of the selected object into thecurrent document.

Ctrl+PSpacebarEnter

Ctrl+PSpacebarEnter

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

12 | Appendix A, Keyboard Shortcuts

Database table keyboard shortcuts
Table 9: Keyboard shortcuts for database tables
WindowsLinuxmacOS

EffectCtrl+Shift+F4⌘+Shift+F4Opens and closes a database table in adocument for editing.

Spacebar

Spacebar

Toggles row selection, except when the row is inedit 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+PageDown⌘+⌥ + Fn+
Down Arrow

Moves the cursor to the last row.

Controlling macros
Table 10: Keys for controlling macros
WindowsLinuxmacOS

Ctrl+* (multiplicationsign on number pad only)
Shift+Ctrl+Q⌘+* (multiplication signon number pad only)⌘+Ctrl+QEffect

Runs a macro field.
Stops a running macro.

NoteFor more information on macros, see Chapter 11, 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 copyrightsign into text, type U+00A9 followed immediately by Ctrl+Alt+X (mac OS ⌘+⌥+X) and thecopyright sign © appears at the cursor position in the text.

NoteUnicode 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 13, Customizing LibreOffice.

Defining keyboard shortcuts | 13

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 theapplication Help using the keywords “shortcut keys” or “accessibility”.

14 | Appendix A, Keyboard Shortcuts