Writer is the word processor built into the LibreOffice suite. As a free alternative to Word, the application inherits most of the functions of the legendary processor, such as key combinations or keyboard shortcuts. Thanks to these, we can automate certain actions, which helps us improve productivity within the program. This time we have made a compilation with the best Writer keyboard shortcuts for LibreOffice and OpenOffice on Windows on anyone of its versions (Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7…).
Basic keyboard shortcuts to use in Writer
Bold, italic, paste without formatting, search for words … Simple actions that allow us to speed up certain mechanical tasks with the mouse and that OpenOffice and LibreOffice can carry out easily.
- Control + X: cut selected elements (text, images …).
- Control + C: copy the selected elements (text, images …).
- Control + V: paste items from clipboard.
- Control + A: select all elements (text, images …).
- Control + Z: undo the last action performed.
- Control + Y: redo the last action performed.
- Control + Shift + Y: repeat the last order made.
- Control + F: open the Search menu.
- Control + H: open the Find and Replace menu.
- Control + Shift + F: find the last search term.
- Control + Alt + Shift + V– Pastes plain text from the clipboard. The text format will be the same as the document input format.
- Control + Shift + V: open the Paste Special menu.
- Control + I– Make text and selected items italic.
- Control + B– Make text and selected items bold.
- Control + U– Make text and selected items underlined.
- Control + M– Remove the formatting of all selected items.
Writer key combinations for windows and text documents
Beyond the Writer format functions, the program has various options that allow us to interact with the documents and the interface windows by means of keyboard shortcuts using the Control key, Shift and the different F (F1, F2, F3…).
- Control + A: open a document.
- Control + S: save the current document.
- Control + F: create a new document.
- Control + Shift + N: open the Templates menu.
- Control + P: print the active document.
- Control + Shift + J: enable or disable full screen.
- Control + Shift + R: reload the view of the active document.
- Control + Shift + I: enable or disable the text selection cursor.
- Control + Alt + Shift + Home: show or hide the main menus.
- Control + F4 (or Alt + F4): close the active document. If the last tab of the program is closed, Writer will be closed.
- Control + Q: close Writer.
- F1: open the Help menu of LibreOffice.
- F2: open the formula menu.
- F3: open the Automatic text input menu.
- F5: open the LibreOffice browser.
- F7: Open the Check Spelling menu.
- F8: enable or disable the Extended Selection option.
- F9: open the Fields menu.
- F11: Open the Style and Format menu.
- F12: open the Numbering menu.
- Control + F2: insert a field command.
- Control + F3: edit the text automatically.
- Shift + F4: select the next frame.
- Control + Shift + F5: activate LibreOffice browser or go to page number.
- Control + F7: open the Synonyms menu.
- Control + F8: turn marks on or off.
- Shift + F8: activate additional selection mode
- Control + Shift + F8: Activate the menu Block selection mode
- Control + F9: show the command of a field
- Shift + F9: calculate the selected table.
- Control + Shift + F9: update input fields and lists.
- Shift + F11: create a new style.
- Control + F11: focus the text styles box.
- Control + Shift + F11: update the style of the selected text.
- Control + F12: insert or edit tables.
- Shift + F12: activate bullets.
- Control + Shift + F12– Enable or disable numbering or vignetting.
Advanced text keyboard shortcuts for Writer LibreOffice
If we are going to make advanced use of Writer, we will most likely turn to little-known text elements, such as indexes, unnumbered newlines, or macros. The good news is that Writer is compatible with most text elements of this type, as we will see below.
- Control + 0: apply the default paragraph style.
- Control + 1: apply the Heading 1 or Heading 1 paragraph style
- Control + 2: apply the Heading 2 or Heading 2 paragraph style
- Control + 3: apply the Heading 3 or Heading 3 paragraph style
- Control + 4: apply the Heading 4 or Heading 4 paragraph style
- Control + 5: apply the Heading 5 or Heading 5 paragraph style
- Control + ‘+’: calculate the selected text and copy the result to the clipboard.
- Control + Shift + ‘-‘: protected script.
- Control + ‘*’ (on the numeric keyboard): execute the macro fields.
- Control + Shift + Space: protected area. These types of spaces do not break at the end of the line, nor do they expand in justified text.
- Shift + Enter: insert a line break without paragraph change.
- Control + Shift + Enter: insert a column break.
- Alt + Enter– Inserts an unnumbered paragraph into a list.
- Alt + Enter: insert a paragraph directly before or after a certain section or table.
- Control + Right: move to the beginning of the next word.
- Control + Shift + Right: select word by word to the right within a selection.
- Above: move the cursor up one line.
- Shift + Up: select lines up.
- Control + Up: move the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph.
- Control + Shift + Up: select the text up to the beginning of the paragraph.
- Under: move the cursor down one line.
- Shift + Down: select lines down.
- Control + Down: move the cursor to the end of the paragraph.
- Control + Shift + Under: select to the end of the paragraph.
- Start: move to the beginning of the line.
- Home + Shift: move and select the beginning of a line.
- End: move to the end of the text line.
- End + Shift: move and select the end of the line.
- Control + Home: move to the beginning of the document.
- Control + Home + Shift: move to the beginning of the document with selection.
- Control + End: move to the end of the document.
- Control + End + Shift: move to the end of the document with selection.
Control + Page Up: move the cursor between the text and the heading. - Control + Page Down: move the cursor between the text and the footer.
Keyboard shortcuts for Writer objects
Objects are Writer elements that can contain different types of resources, such as images, text, or graphics, for example. Like Word, Writer also has a series of commands to control them within the options that the program offers.
- F2 (or Enter): move the cursor to the end of the text in the text frame if a text frame is selected.
- Alt + Up / Down / Right / Left: move the object to the direction indicated by the direction arrows.
- Alt + Control + Up / Down / Right / Left: resize the object by moving the right and bottom edge.
- Alt + Control + Shift + Up / Down / Right / Left: resize the object by moving the left and top edge.
- Control + Tab– Select an object’s anchor if Edit Points mode is active.
Key combinations for Writer tables
Tables are another important part of any third party word processor. In the case of Writer, the application has some functions of Calc, LibreOffice’s solution for create tables, graphs and invoices with simple and complex mathematical calculations.
- Control + A: select all the contents of the table if the active cell is empty. Otherwise, the content of the current cell will be selected. If we click a second time, the entire content of the table will be selected.
- Control + Home: move to the beginning of the table if the active cell is empty. Otherwise, the cursor will move to the start of the current cell with the first press of the command. With the second press, the cursor will move to the beginning of the current table. With the third, the cursor will move to the beginning of the document.
- Control + End: move to the end of the table if the cell is empty. Otherwise, the cursor will move to the end of the current cell with the first press of the command. With the second press, the cursor will move to the end of the current table. With the third, the cursor will move to the end of the document.
- Control + Tab: insert a tab.
- Alt + Up / Down / Right / Left– Increase or decrease the size of the active column or row at the bottom and right cell border.
- Alt + Shift + Up / Down / Right / Left– Increase or decrease the size of the active column or row at the top and left cell border.
- Shift + Control + Delete– Remove cursor text at the end of sentences where the cursor is active if no cells are selected. If the cursor is located at the end of the cell, the content of the next cell will be deleted. If an entire cell is not selected and the cursor is at the end of the table, the paragraph following the table will be removed. If one or more cells are selected, the entire row containing the selection will be removed. If all rows are fully or partially selected, the entire table will be dropped.
