You may or may not have been aware of it, but you can combine your Key Tips letters with your Alt key to create shortcuts called Access Keys for your ribbon options. Go ahead and
press Alt+H to open the Home tab, and Alt+Q to move to the Tell me or Search field. Press Alt once more to see Key Tips for the options for the selected tab.
Depending on the version of Microsoft 365 you are using, the Search text field at the top of the app window might be called Tell Me instead. Both offer a largely similar thing, but some options and search results may vary.
In newer versions of Office, most of the old Alt key menu shortcuts still work, too. However, you will need to know the full shortcut. For example, press Alt, and then press one of the old menu keys, i.e., E (Edit), V (View), I (Insert), etc. A notification will appear saying you’re using an access key from an earlier version of Microsoft 365. If you know the entire key sequence, feel free to use it. If not, press Esc and use Key Tips instead.
To go directly to a tab on your ribbon, press one of the access keys below. Additional tabs may appear depending on your selection.
- Move to the Tell me or Search field on your ribbon and key in a search term for assistance or Help content: Alt+Q, then enter the search term
- Open File menu: Alt+F
- Open the Home tab and format text and numbers, and use the Find tool: Alt+H
- Open the Insert tab and insert PivotTables, charts, add-ins, Sparklines, pictures, shapes, headers, or text boxes: Alt+N
- Open the Page Layout tab and work with themes, page setup, scale, and alignment: Alt+P
- Open the Formulas tab and insert, trace, and customize functions and calculations: Alt+M
- Open the Data tab and connect to, sort, filter, analyze, and work with data: Alt+A
- Open the Review tab and check spelling, add notes and threaded comments, and protect sheets and workbooks: Alt+R
- Open the View tab and preview page breaks and layouts, show and hide gridlines and headings, set zoom magnification, manage windows and panes, and view macros. Alt+W
There will be more to come! Keep an eye out!
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