WordPad Shortcut Keys – Complete Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows
WordPad is a free, lightweight word processor built into Windows, ideal for quick notes and basic document editing. While simpler than Microsoft Word, learning its keyboard shortcuts can significantly cut the time you spend on everyday tasks like formatting text, saving files, and navigating documents.
This guide covers every WordPad shortcut key available on Windows 10 and Windows 11, organized by category so you can find what you need instantly. Whether you are a student, teacher, or occasional Windows user, these shortcuts will help you work faster without touching the mouse.
WordPad Shortcut Keys for Windows 10 and Windows 11
All shortcut keys in this guide work on Windows 10. If you are using Windows 11, note that Microsoft began removing WordPad from version 23H2 onward it is no longer pre-installed on newer Windows 11 builds. If you still have WordPad on your Windows 11 device, all shortcuts listed here apply identically.
If WordPad is missing from your Windows 11 PC, you can use Notepad for plain text or install a free alternative like LibreOffice Writer for rich text editing with similar shortcut support.
Last verified: January 2026 – tested on Windows 10 (22H2) and Windows 11 (21H2). Source: Microsoft Support.
Top 10 Most Useful WordPad Shortcut Keys
Here are the most commonly used WordPad keyboard shortcuts that help you work faster and avoid repetitive mouse actions:
- Ctrl + N – Create a new document
- Ctrl + O – Open an existing document
- Ctrl + S – Save the current document
- Ctrl + P – Print the document
- Ctrl + C – Copy selected text
- Ctrl + X – Cut selected text
- Ctrl + V – Paste copied or cut content
- Ctrl + B – Make selected text bold
- Ctrl + Z – Undo the last action
- Ctrl + A – Select the entire document
Tip: Memorizing just these 10 WordPad shortcuts can handle most everyday editing tasks without touching the mouse.
Prefer offline access? Download the WordPad shortcut keys PDF for quick reference.
Basic WordPad Shortcut Keys
| Action | Shortcuts |
|---|---|
| Create a New document | Ctrl + N |
| Open an Existing document | Ctrl + O |
| Save | Ctrl + S |
| Save As | F12 |
| Ctrl + P | |
| Close | Alt + F4 |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z |
| Redo | Ctrl + Y |
Editing Shortcut Keys in WordPad
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Select the entire document | Ctrl + A |
| Copy | Ctrl + C |
| Cut | Ctrl + X |
| Paste | Ctrl + V |
| Find the text | Ctrl + F |
| Find the next instance of the text | F3 |
| Replace the text | Ctrl + H |
| Delete the next word | Ctrl + Delete |
Formatting Shortcut Keys in WordPad
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Make selected text bold | Ctrl + B |
| Italicize selected text | Ctrl + I |
| Underline selected text | Ctrl + U |
| Make selected text subscript | Ctrl + + |
| Make selected text superscript | Ctrl + Shift + + |
| Align text left | Ctrl + L |
| Align text center | Ctrl + E |
| Align text right | Ctrl + R |
| Justify text | Ctrl + J |
| Set single-line spacing | Ctrl + 1 |
| Set double-line spacing | Ctrl + 2 |
| Set line spacing to 1.5 | Ctrl + 5 |
| Increase the font size | Ctrl + Shift + > |
| Decrease the font size | Ctrl + Shift + < |
| Change characters to all capitals | Ctrl + Shift + A |
| Change the bullet style | Ctrl + Shift + L |
What is the shortcut key for Bold in WordPad?
The shortcut key for Bold in WordPad is Ctrl + B. Select the text you want to format, then press Ctrl + B to apply bold. Press it again to remove bold formatting.
What is the shortcut key for Italic in WordPad?
The shortcut key for Italic in WordPad is Ctrl + I. Highlight any text and press Ctrl + I to italicize it. Press again to toggle it off.
What is the shortcut key for Underline in WordPad?
The shortcut key for Underline in WordPad is Ctrl + U. Select your text and press Ctrl + U to underline it instantly without using the toolbar.
What is the shortcut key for Replace in WordPad?
The shortcut key for Replace in WordPad is Ctrl + H. This opens the Find and Replace dialog box, where you can search for a word and replace it with another across your entire document.
What is the shortcut key for Find in WordPad?
The shortcut key for Find in WordPad is Ctrl + F. It opens the Find dialog box so you can quickly search for any word or phrase in your document.
What is the shortcut key to Select All in WordPad?
The shortcut key to Select All in WordPad is Ctrl + A. This instantly highlights all text and content in your document, which is useful before copying, deleting, or reformatting everything at once.
What is the shortcut key to open WordPad?
There is no single dedicated key to open WordPad, but the fastest keyboard method is to press Windows key + R, type wordpad, and press Enter. This opens WordPad directly without using the mouse.
What is the shortcut key for Left Align in WordPad?
The shortcut key for Left Align in WordPad is Ctrl + L. Similarly, Ctrl + E centers text, Ctrl + R aligns text to the right, and Ctrl + J justifies text across the full line width.
Navigation Shortcut Keys in WordPad
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Move the cursor one word to the left | Ctrl + Left Arrow key |
| Move the cursor one word to the right | Ctrl + Right Arrow key |
| Move the cursor to the line above | Ctrl + Up Arrow key |
| Move the cursor to the line below | Ctrl + Down Arrow key |
| Move to the beginning of the document | Ctrl + Home |
| Move to the end of the document | Ctrl + End |
| Move up one page | Ctrl + Page Up |
| Move down one page | Ctrl + Page Down |
| Select text one word to the left | Ctrl + Shift + Left Arrow |
| Select text one word to the right | Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow |
| Select from cursor to beginning of line | Shift + Home |
| Select from cursor to end of line | Shift + End |
Insert, Help & Miscellaneous Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Insert a Microsoft Paint drawing | Ctrl + D |
| Show the current shortcut menu | Shift + F10 |
| Open WordPad Help | F1 |
| Display key tips | F10 |
Using WordPad shortcut keys is one of the easiest ways to work faster when creating or editing simple documents on Windows. Once you get used to these keyboard shortcuts, everyday tasks like formatting text and navigating files become much more efficient. If you ever need more advanced features, exploring other WordPad alternatives can help you find a tool that better fits your workflow.
WordPad Shortcut Keys A to Z
Here is a complete A to Z reference of all WordPad keyboard shortcuts organized by the letter used in the key combination, so you can look up any shortcut instantly.
| Key | Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|---|
| A | Ctrl + A | Select all content in the document |
| B | Ctrl + B | Bold selected text |
| C | Ctrl + C | Copy selected text |
| D | Ctrl + D | Insert a Microsoft Paint drawing |
| E | Ctrl + E | Center align text |
| F | Ctrl + F | Open Find dialog |
| H | Ctrl + H | Open Find and Replace dialog |
| I | Ctrl + I | Italicize selected text |
| J | Ctrl + J | Justify text alignment |
| L | Ctrl + L | Left align text |
| N | Ctrl + N | Create a new document |
| O | Ctrl + O | Open an existing document |
| P | Ctrl + P | Print the document |
| R | Ctrl + R | Right align text |
| S | Ctrl + S | Save the document |
| U | Ctrl + U | Underline selected text |
| V | Ctrl + V | Paste copied content |
| X | Ctrl + X | Cut selected text |
| Y | Ctrl + Y | Redo last action |
| Z | Ctrl + Z | Undo last action |
| 1 | Ctrl + 1 | Set single line spacing |
| 2 | Ctrl + 2 | Set double line spacing |
| 5 | Ctrl + 5 | Set 1.5 line spacing |
Frequently Asked Questions About WordPad Shortcut Keys
The most important WordPad shortcut keys are Ctrl+N (new document), Ctrl+S (save), Ctrl+C (copy), Ctrl+V (paste), Ctrl+Z (undo), Ctrl+B (bold), Ctrl+I (italic), Ctrl+U (underline), Ctrl+A (select all), and Ctrl+P (print). These cover most everyday editing and file tasks.
The shortcut key for bold in WordPad is Ctrl+B. Select the text you want to bold, then press Ctrl+B to apply or remove bold formatting.
The shortcut key for Replace in WordPad is Ctrl+H. This opens the Find and Replace dialog box where you can find a specific word and replace it with another.
The shortcut key to select all text in WordPad is Ctrl+A. This instantly highlights all content in your document.
Many WordPad keyboard shortcuts are similar to Microsoft Word, including Ctrl+C (copy), Ctrl+V (paste), Ctrl+B (bold), Ctrl+S (save), and Ctrl+Z (undo). However, WordPad has fewer shortcuts overall because it is a simpler text editor without advanced features like macros, styles, or track changes.
No, WordPad does not support custom keyboard shortcuts. Users must rely on the default shortcut keys provided by Windows.
To open WordPad using a keyboard shortcut, press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog, type ‘wordpad’, and press Enter. There is no single-key shortcut to open WordPad directly from the desktop.
WordPad is available on Windows 10. On Windows 11, Microsoft began phasing out WordPad starting with version 23H2 it is no longer installed by default on newer Windows 11 builds. All shortcut keys listed in this guide apply to WordPad on Windows 10 and earlier Windows 11 versions.
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