Ctrl + A to Ctrl + Z: what every letter does

The Ctrl key with a letter is the commonest kind of shortcut on Windows. Programs are free to choose their own meanings, but a strong tradition has grown up, and most of the alphabet now means the same thing wherever you are. This page goes through it from A to Z. On a Mac, read Cmd for Ctrl.

Many of the letters are the first letter of the command, which makes them easy to remember.

Keys	What it does
`Ctrl` + `A`	Select all
`Ctrl` + `B`	Bold
`Ctrl` + `C`	Copy
`Ctrl` + `D`	In browsers, bookmark the page. In Excel, fill down. In Word, open the Font box. In File Explorer, delete
`Ctrl` + `E`	In browsers and File Explorer, go to the search box. In Word, centre the text. In Excel, Flash Fill
`Ctrl` + `F`	Find
`Ctrl` + `G`	Go to: a page in Word, a cell in Excel. In browsers, find the next match
`Ctrl` + `H`	Find and replace. In browsers, open the history
`Ctrl` + `I`	Italic
`Ctrl` + `J`	In browsers, open downloads. In Word, justify the text
`Ctrl` + `K`	Insert a link
`Ctrl` + `L`	In browsers and File Explorer, go to the address bar. In Word, align left
`Ctrl` + `M`	In PowerPoint, add a new slide. In Word, indent the paragraph
`Ctrl` + `N`	New document, or new window
`Ctrl` + `O`	Open a file
`Ctrl` + `P`	Print
`Ctrl` + `Q`	In some programs, quit. In Word, remove paragraph formatting
`Ctrl` + `R`	In browsers, reload the page. In Word, align right. In Excel, fill right
`Ctrl` + `S`	Save
`Ctrl` + `T`	In browsers and File Explorer, open a new tab. In Excel, create a table
`Ctrl` + `U`	Underline. In browsers, view the page's source
`Ctrl` + `V`	Paste
`Ctrl` + `W`	Close the tab or document
`Ctrl` + `X`	Cut
`Ctrl` + `Y`	Redo
`Ctrl` + `Z`	Undo

The ones that mean the same everywhere

Ten of these can be trusted in nearly any program: A select all, C copy, F find, N new, O open, P print, S save, V paste, X cut and Z undo. Add B, I and U wherever text can be formatted.

Why these letters?

Save, Open, New, Print, Find, Bold, Italic and Underline are simply the first letters.
A is for all.
Z, X, C and V are a row of four keys under the left hand. Undo, cut, copy and paste are used so often that they were given the easiest keys to reach while the other hand holds the mouse. X suggests crossing out or scissors. C is for copy. V sits beside C, and its shape recalls the mark editors use to insert text.
Y for redo sits next to nothing in particular. Many programs also accept Ctrl + Shift + Z, which is the Mac's way.

With Shift added

Adding Shift usually gives a stronger or opposite version of the same command.

Keys	What it does
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `T`	In browsers, reopen the tab you just closed
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `N`	In browsers, open a private window. In File Explorer, create a new folder
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `V`	Paste as plain text, in many programs
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Z`	Redo, in many programs
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `S`	Save As, in many programs
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Esc`	Open Task Manager
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `C`	In Word and PowerPoint, copy formatting
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `L`	In Excel, filter buttons on or off

Ctrl with other keys

Keys	What it does
`Ctrl` + `Home`	Go to the start of the document
`Ctrl` + `End`	Go to the end of the document
`Ctrl` + `Left arrow` or `Ctrl` + `Right arrow`	Move one word
`Ctrl` + `Backspace`	Delete the word to the left
`Ctrl` + `Enter`	In Word, a page break. In email programs, send. In a browser's address bar, add www. and .com
`Ctrl` + `Tab`	Go to the next tab
`Ctrl` + `Plus` or `Ctrl` + `Minus`	Zoom in or out
`Ctrl` + `0`	Back to normal zoom, in browsers
`Ctrl` + `mouse wheel`	Zoom in or out
`Ctrl` + `click`	Select several separate items. On a link, open it in a new tab

Where the letters mean something else

A few programs go their own way, and it is worth knowing the well-known cases.

Outlook: Ctrl + F forwards the message. Search is Ctrl + E.
Terminals: Ctrl + C stops the running program. Ctrl + Z suspends it. Copy and paste need Shift as well.
Gmail and YouTube: single letters, with no Ctrl, are the shortcuts.
Excel: Ctrl + D and Ctrl + R fill down and right.

When a program surprises you, its Help menu, or a search of its settings for "keyboard shortcuts", shows what each key does there.

A little history

These conventions are older than Windows. Cut, copy, paste and undo on Z, X, C and V go back to the first graphical computers of the early 1980s, and other systems adopted them because people already knew them. That shared habit is why a new program feels familiar the moment you open it.

This is an independent reference site. It is not connected with Microsoft, Apple, Google or any other maker of the programs named here. Product names belong to their owners and are used only to say where a shortcut works. Programs change; if a shortcut does not work for you, check the program's own help.