In desktop Word, open File → Options → Customize Ribbon → Customize… on Windows, or Tools → Customize Keyboard on Mac. Choose the command, style, macro, font, or symbol, enter a key combination, check its current assignment, and save it. Word for the web does not provide the full desktop shortcut-customization dialog, so open the document in the desktop app.
Before you start: desktop Word and platform differences
These instructions apply to Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, Word 2021, Word 2019, and Word 2016 on Windows, and Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, and Word 2021 on Mac. Menu names differ by platform. The full customization dialog is a desktop feature; if you are in Word for the web or a mobile app, use Open in Desktop App before continuing. Microsoft documents the desktop limitation in its macro guidance at Create or run a macro.
Create a custom shortcut in Word for Windows
- Open the desktop Word application and a document.
- Select File, then Options.
- Choose Customize Ribbon.
- At the bottom of the window, select Customize… beside Keyboard shortcuts.
- In Save changes in, choose the current document, Normal.dotm, or another available template.
- Under Categories, select the area containing the feature. Choose All Commands if the command is difficult to locate.
- In Commands, select the exact command.
- Review Current keys. Click Press new shortcut key and press the desired combination.
- Read Currently assigned to. If Word names another command, the combination is already in use; choose another one unless you intentionally want to replace that action.
- Select Assign, then Close and OK as required.
Microsoft’s Windows dialog supports commands, macros, fonts, styles, and frequently used symbols. A Windows shortcut must begin with Ctrl or a function key. See the exact controls and restrictions in Microsoft’s keyboard-shortcut instructions.
Understand the save location
| Save in | When to use it | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Current document | A one-off workflow or a document that will be shared with its customizations | The shortcut travels with that document, not automatically with new documents |
| Normal.dotm | A personal shortcut you want in documents created from your normal template | Available broadly in your Word profile while that template is in use |
| Custom template | A project or organization-specific workflow | Available when that template is attached or loaded |
Templates can store shortcut keys along with styles, AutoText, AutoCorrect entries, macros, toolbars, and menu customizations. See Microsoft’s template and add-in guidance.
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Create a custom shortcut in Word for Mac
- Open desktop Word for Mac.
- Select Tools → Customize Keyboard.
- Choose a category, then select the command in Commands.
- Review Current keys.
- Click Press new keyboard shortcut and press a combination containing at least one modifier—Command, Control, Option, or Shift—plus another key.
- Check whether Word reports an existing assignment.
- Select Add. Word may keep existing shortcuts and add the new one.
Mac shortcut descriptions are based on a U.S. keyboard layout. On another layout or on a laptop with different function-key behavior, the same physical keys may produce different results. Some default shortcuts cannot be removed through this dialog. Microsoft’s current Mac procedure is documented at Create a custom keyboard shortcut for Word for Mac.
Choose a safe key combination
Never assume a combination is unused. The Currently assigned to field (Windows) or Word’s assignment message (Mac) identifies what will happen now. Reassigning a key can disable its former action in that Word context. For example, assigning Ctrl+B elsewhere means Ctrl+B no longer bolds selected text until the original assignment is restored.
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- Avoid familiar editing shortcuts such as Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+X, Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+S, Ctrl+B, Ctrl+I, and Ctrl+U unless you have a deliberate replacement plan.
- Record the original assignment before replacing it.
- Test a new shortcut in a blank document before using it in important work.
- Function keys can be captured by Windows, macOS, laptop firmware, accessibility tools, programmable keyboards, or other software. Microsoft specifically notes that Ctrl+Alt+F8 may be reserved by programmable-keyboard software.
Assign a shortcut to a style
Use a style when the goal is repeatable formatting rather than a sequence of arbitrary actions. Create or modify the style first, then select that style in the Customize Keyboard dialog and assign a shortcut. A style applies a coordinated set of font, paragraph, spacing, indentation, and color settings; changing the style later updates its uses throughout the document. Microsoft explains style creation at Customize or create new styles.
Assign a shortcut to a macro
Use a macro when one keystroke must perform several Word actions, such as inserting content, applying several formatting changes, and navigating to a location.
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- On Windows desktop Word, select View → Macros → Record Macro.
- Name the macro and choose Keyboard.
- Enter a shortcut, check whether it is already assigned, choose a storage location, and select Assign.
- Perform the workflow. Use keyboard-based selection and navigation where possible; mouse selections are not recorded in the same way.
- Select View → Macros → Stop Recording.
Store a macro in Normal.dotm when it should be available in future documents, or keep it in a project template/document when it is specific to that work. A macro stored only in one document is not automatically available elsewhere. See Microsoft’s macro instructions for recording, storage, and running details.
Remove, restore, or reset shortcuts
Remove one shortcut on Windows
- Open File → Options → Customize Ribbon → Customize….
- Select the correct save location, category, and command.
- In Current keys, select the shortcut.
- Select Remove, then save and close the dialogs.
Remove one shortcut on Mac
- Open Tools → Customize Keyboard.
- Select the category and command.
- Select the shortcut in Current keys.
- Select Remove. The control may be unavailable for a built-in shortcut that Word does not permit deleting.
Reset every assignment managed by the dialog
Select Reset All in the Customize Keyboard dialog. This is a broad reset, not a way to undo only the shortcut currently selected, so use it only when you intend to restore the dialog’s complete default assignment set.
Restore a replaced built-in shortcut
Find the original command in the same dialog, select the replacement in Current keys, and remove it. Then assign the original combination back to its original command, checking the assignment message before saving.
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| Your need | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One built-in Word command | Custom keyboard shortcut | Fast, direct access to an existing command |
| Recurring headings, quotes, captions, or other formatting | Style plus shortcut | Consistent formatting that can be changed centrally |
| Several commands in one workflow | Macro plus shortcut | Automates a sequence instead of binding only one command |
| Repeated phrases, signatures, or text blocks | AutoCorrect or AutoText | A typed abbreviation or insertion entry is often simpler |
| Occasional or hard-to-find action | Quick Access Toolbar | A clickable button avoids memorizing another combination |
| Browser or mobile use | Built-in web/mobile shortcuts or desktop Word | The full customization dialog is not provided in Word for the web |
If a command is not obvious, inspect All Commands and categories associated with its Ribbon tab. Visible Ribbon labels and internal command names are not always identical. If the command is not exposed at all, use a macro or customize the Ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar; Microsoft’s Ribbon options are described at Customize the Ribbon in Word.
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Another action runs
Open the dialog, press the combination again, and read the assignment message. Choose an unused combination or deliberately replace the existing one after recording it.
It works in one document only
The shortcut was probably saved in the current document. Reopen the dialog, select the intended template—often Normal.dotm for personal use—and assign it again. For a macro, move or copy it into Normal.dotm or the relevant global template.
Nothing happens
- Confirm that you selected Assign on Windows or Add on Mac.
- Check the save location and confirm you are using desktop Word, not Word for the web.
- Verify that the command is available in the current context.
- Check laptop function-key mode and whether another application or operating-system utility captures the keys first.
- For a macro, confirm that it is stored in an open document/template and is permitted by your organization’s macro-security settings.
The command is missing
Try All Commands and inspect related categories. If it still does not appear, expose the action through a macro, Ribbon customization, or the Quick Access Toolbar.
The shortcut disappeared after a template or profile change
The effective Normal template, attached project template, user profile, or organizational deployment may have changed. Recheck the template in Save changes in and keep a record of important assignments. Because templates contain shortcuts and other customizations, a backed-up template is the most direct way to preserve a project-specific setup.
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