Microsoft Outlook keyboard shortcuts
Microsoft Outlook keyboard shortcuts
63 shortcuts
Windows, macOS and Linux
Microsoft Outlook is the desktop mail and calendar client. These are the defaults for classic Outlook for Windows, which is what most people still mean; the new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web ship a different default scheme and can also emulate Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail, so check Settings if a key does nothing. Several bindings are context-dependent — Ctrl + R replies in the message list but right-aligns text inside an open message.
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + R | Reply to the selected message — On macOS: ⌘ + R |
| Ctrl + Shift + R | Reply to everyone on the message — On macOS: ⌘ + ⇧ + R |
| Ctrl + F | Forward the selected message — On macOS: ⌘ + J. This is the one that catches people out — it is not Find |
| Ctrl + Alt + R | Reply to a meeting request with a message |
| Ctrl + Enter | Send the open message — On macOS: ⌘ + Return |
| Delete | Delete the selected item |
| Ctrl + Shift + D | Delete and ignore the conversation |
| Ctrl + Q | Mark the message as read — On macOS: ⌘ + T |
| Ctrl + U | Mark the message as unread — On macOS: ⌘ + ⇧ + T |
| Ctrl + Alt + J | Mark the message as not junk |
| Ctrl + M | Send and receive all folders — F9 does the same |
| Ctrl + Shift + B | Open the Address Book |
Compose and create
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + Shift + M | Create a new message from anywhere in Outlook — New Outlook for Windows uses Ctrl + N instead |
| Ctrl + N | Create a new item in the current view — On macOS: ⌘ + N |
| Ctrl + Shift + A | Create an appointment |
| Ctrl + Shift + Q | Create a meeting request |
| Ctrl + Shift + C | Create a contact |
| Ctrl + Shift + L | Create a contact group |
| Ctrl + Shift + K | Create a task |
| Ctrl + Shift + N | Create a note |
| Ctrl + Shift + E | Create a folder |
Navigation and panes
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + 1 | Switch to Mail — On macOS: ⌘ + 1 |
| Ctrl + 2 | Switch to Calendar — On macOS: ⌘ + 2 |
| Ctrl + Y | Go to a different folder |
| Alt + Left arrow | Go back to the previous view |
| Alt + Right arrow | Go forward to the next view |
| F6 | Move between the folder pane, message list and reading pane |
| Ctrl + Period | Switch to the next open message |
| Ctrl + Comma | Switch to the previous open message |
| Esc | Close the open window or menu |
Search
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + E | Jump to the search box — F3 does the same |
| Ctrl + Alt + A | Widen the search to all items |
| Ctrl + Shift + F | Open Advanced Find |
| F4 | Find text inside an open item |
| Shift + F4 | Find the next instance of that text |
| Ctrl + H | Find and replace text in an open item |
Calendar
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + G | Go to a specific date |
| Ctrl + Alt + 1 | Switch to Day view |
| Ctrl + Alt + 2 | Switch to Work Week view |
| Ctrl + Alt + 3 | Switch to Full Week view |
| Ctrl + Alt + 4 | Switch to Month view |
| Ctrl + Right arrow | Go to the next day |
| Ctrl + Left arrow | Go to the previous day |
| Alt + Page Down | Go to the next month |
| Alt + S | Snooze the open reminder |
| Alt + D | Dismiss the open reminder |
Formatting
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + B | Apply or remove bold |
| Ctrl + I | Apply or remove italic |
| Ctrl + U | Underline the selected text — Only inside an open item — in the message list Ctrl + U marks a message unread |
| Ctrl + L | Left-align the paragraph |
| Ctrl + R | Right-align the paragraph — Only inside an open item — in the message list Ctrl + R replies |
| Ctrl + Shift + T | Decrease a hanging indent |
| Ctrl + K | Insert a hyperlink |
| Shift + F3 | Change the case of the selected text |
Flags and folders
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + Shift + G | Open the Flag for Follow Up dialog |
| Insert | Add a quick flag to the selected message |
| F2 | Rename the selected folder |
| Ctrl + Shift + V | Move the selected item to a folder |
| Ctrl + Shift + Y | Copy the selected item to a folder |
People and tasks
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + A | Select every contact in the list |
| Ctrl + O | Open the selected contact |
| F11 | Search the address book from the current view |
| Ctrl + Shift + Alt + U | Create a task request |
Common questions
- How many keyboard shortcuts does Microsoft Outlook have?
- This page lists 63 shortcuts across 8 groups, covering the ones people actually use day to day rather than every binding the application defines.
- Are Microsoft Outlook shortcuts the same on Mac and Windows?
- Mostly. The usual difference is that Ctrl on Windows becomes ⌘ on macOS, which is why the shortcuts here are written as "Ctrl/⌘". Where a binding genuinely differs beyond that swap, it is spelled out separately.
Related pages
Sources
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place