---
title: "Microsoft Outlook keyboard shortcuts — the full list"
description: "63 Microsoft Outlook keyboard shortcuts, grouped by what they do. Windows, macOS and Linux, with the Mac equivalents where they differ."
url: https://atoneplace.net/shortcuts/outlook/
site: "At One Place"
---

# 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.

## Mail

| 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

- [Microsoft Excel shortcuts](https://atoneplace.net/shortcuts/excel/)
- [Windows 11 shortcuts](https://atoneplace.net/shortcuts/windows/)
- [macOS shortcuts](https://atoneplace.net/shortcuts/macos/)
- [Microsoft Word shortcuts](https://atoneplace.net/shortcuts/word/)
- [Visual Studio Code shortcuts](https://atoneplace.net/shortcuts/vscode/)
- [Google Chrome shortcuts](https://atoneplace.net/shortcuts/chrome/)
- [Adobe Photoshop shortcuts](https://atoneplace.net/shortcuts/photoshop/)
- [Microsoft PowerPoint shortcuts](https://atoneplace.net/shortcuts/powerpoint/)
- [Google Sheets shortcuts](https://atoneplace.net/shortcuts/google-sheets/)
- [Gmail shortcuts](https://atoneplace.net/shortcuts/gmail/)
- [Vim shortcuts](https://atoneplace.net/shortcuts/vim/)
- [Figma shortcuts](https://atoneplace.net/shortcuts/figma/)

## Sources

- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)