Have you ever encountered the issue that your mouse and touchpad are not working properly, or you are one of me who wants to work smartly and use KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS?
Almost every act in Outlook will be executed by keyboard shortcuts, we have worked hard to explore and find shortcuts that really help you a lot.
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Outlook Keyboard Shortcuts
There are multiple areas in Microsoft Outlook that cover (messages, calendars, Notes & tasks) and many other minor features.
Every function can be easily operated by a specific Shortcut Keyboard function, Let’s understand the Keyboard shortcuts and the results.
Calendar
Show First day in Outlook Calender | ALT+1 |
Show Second days in Outlook Calender | ALT+2 |
Show Third days in Outlook Calender | ALT+3 |
Show Fourth days in Outlook Calender | ALT+4 |
Show Fifth days in Outlook Calender | ALT+5 |
Show Sixth days in Outlook Calender | ALT+6 |
Show Seventh days in Outlook Calender | ALT+7 |
Show Eight days in Outlook Calender | ALT+8 |
Show Ninth days in Outlook Calender | ALT+9 |
Show Tenth days in Outlook Calender | ALT+0 |
Single day view | CTRL+ALT+1 |
Work week view | CTRL+ALT+2 |
Full week view | CTRL+ALT+3 |
Month view | CTRL+ALT+4 |
Switch between Calendar, TaskPad/Daily Task List and Navigation Pane | F6 |
Go to begin of day | CTRL+HOME |
Go to end of day | CTRL+END |
Go to begin of working day | HOME |
Go to end of working day | END |
Go to next day | RIGT ARROW |
Go to previous day | LEFT ARROW |
Go to next week/move selected item to next week | ALT+DOWN ARROW |
Go to previous week/move selected item to previous week | ALT+UP ARROW |
Go to beginning of week | ALT+HOME |
Go to end of week | ALT+END |
Go to next month | ALT+PAGE DOWN |
Go to previous month | ALT+PAGE UP |
Go to next appointment | CTRL+> |
Go to previous appointment | CTRL+< |
Go to specific date | CTRL+G |
Set an Appointment Recurrence (when item is opened) | CTRL+G |
Making selections and moving items
Select entire Contacts | Alt + A |
Open the Check Address dialog in an opened contact form | ALT+D |
Search for contacts. | Alt+H, F, C |
Display the first email address in an opened contact form | ALT+SHIFT+1 |
Display the second email address in an opened contact form | ALT+SHIFT+2 |
Display the third email address in an opened contact form | ALT+SHIFT+3 |
Create Contact | Ctrl + N |
Open web page of selected contact | CTRL+SHIFT+X |
Search in the Address Book (Find a Contact) | F11 |
Creating new items
CTRL+N | Create a new email of current selected folder |
CTRL+SHIFT+A | To Create New Appointment |
CTRL+SHIFT+C | To Create New Contact |
CTRL+SHIFT+E | To Create New Folder |
CTRL+SHIFT+H | To Create New Office Document |
CTRL+SHIFT+J | New Journal entry |
CTRL+J | New Journal entry for selected item |
CTRL+SHIFT+K | To Create New Task |
CTRL+SHIFT+L | To Create New Distribution list |
CTRL+SHIFT+M | To Create New Message |
CTRL+SHIFT+N | To Create New Note |
CTRL+SHIFT+P | To Create New Search Folder |
CTRL+SHIFT+Q | To Create New Meeting Request |
CTRL+SHIFT+S | To Create New Post |
Making selections and moving items
CTR+A | To Select All |
DELETE | To Delete selected text or Item |
CTRL+C | Copy selected items or text |
CTRL+X | Cut selected items or text |
CTRL+V | Paste copied or cut items or text |
CTRL+ALT+V | Paste Special (text only) |
CTRL+SHIFT+C | Copy format/Format Painter (text only) |
CTRL+INSERT | Copy text (alternative option) |
INSERT | Paste text (alternative option) |
CTRL+SHIFT+V | Move to Other Folder (selected items only) |
CTRL+SHIFT+Y | Copy to folder (selected items only) |
CTRL+Z | Undo |
CTRL+Y | Redo |
Messages – Reading
CTRL+ENTER | Mark as Read |
CTRL+U | Mark as Unread |
CTRL+SHIFT+G | Flag for Follow Up |
INSERT | Quick Flag |
Messages – Send/Receive
F9 or CTRL+M | Update New messages |
CTRL+ALT+S | Open Send/Receive settings dialog |
CTRL+ALT+M | Mark to download messages |
CTRL+ALT+U | Unmark selected headers |
Mail keyboard shortcuts
Switch to Inbox. | Ctrl+Shift+I |
Switch to Outbox. | Ctrl+Shift+O |
Run Macro | Alt + F8 |
Send a message. | Alt+S |
Reply to a message. | Ctrl+R |
Select the Reply to All option. | Ctrl+Shift+R |
Reply with a meeting request. | Ctrl+Alt+R |
Forward a message. | Ctrl+F |
Post to a folder. | Ctrl+Shift+S |
Apply Normal style. | Ctrl+Shift+N |
Check for new messages. | Ctrl+M or F9 |
Go to previous message. | Up arrow key |
Go to next message. | Down arrow key |
Create a message | Ctrl+N |
Create a message | Ctrl+Shift+M |
Open a received message | Ctrl+O |
Delete and ignore a conversation. | Ctrl+Shift+D |
Open the Address Book. | Ctrl+Shift+B |
Display the Flag for follow up dialog. | Ctrl+Shift+G |
Mark a message as read. | Ctrl+Q |
Mark a message as unread. | Ctrl+U |
Open the MailTip in the selected message. | Ctrl+Shift+W |
Find or replace text. | F4 |
Find the next item. | Shift+F4 |
Send a message. | Ctrl+Enter |
Print an item. | Ctrl+P |
Forward a message as an attachment. | Ctrl+Alt+F |
Show the properties for the selected item. | Alt+Enter |
Mark an item for download. | Ctrl+Alt+M |
Check the Mark for download status. | Ctrl+Alt+U |
Display the Send/Receive progress. | Ctrl+B (when a Send/Receive is in progress) |
Save an item. | Ctrl+S |
Open the Save as dialog. | F12 |
Visual Basic Editor | Alt + F11 |
Navigation Pane Switch Using
CTRL+1 | Mail View |
CTRL+2 | Calendar View |
CTRL+3 | Contacts View |
CTRL+4 | Tasks View |
CTRL+5 | Notes View |
CTRL+6 | Folder List View |
CTRL+7 | Shortcuts View |
CTRL+8 | Journal Navigation |
The Alt key assumes a pivotal role, especially when your mouse or touchscreen malfunctions.
By pressing Alt, you’ll notice alphabetic, numeric, or combined indicators above each function key.
These indicators facilitate navigation through the Ribbon, Menus, and Toolbars, enabling you to perform tasks normally done with a mouse, using just your keyboard.

You can press and let go of the ALT key and then simply type the letter in the tooltip to activate it.
Find your Outlook Keyboard Shortcut in the below articles:
- Print Preview
- Superscript
- Subscript
- Hyperlink
- Find and Replace
- Full Screen
- Thumbs Up Emoji
- Thumbs Down Emoji
- Zoom-In and Zoom-Out
- Add Currency Symbol
- Send Email
- Go To Folder
- Reply All
- Insert Smiley Emoji
- Change Font Size
- Create a New Search Folder
- Move Email to Folder
- Open Outlook
- Create A New Folder
- Line and Paragraph Spacing
- Create New Task
- Schedule an Appointment
- Add Attachment
- Create New Contact
- Create an Email to Contact
- Forward Email
- Find Contact
- Add Signature
- Quick Parts
- Mark as Read
- Archive Email Message
- Pop Out Reply
- Refresh (Update)
- Remove Hyperlink
- Right Click
- Block Sender
- BCC (Blind Carbon Copy)
- Fingers Crossed Emojis
- Crying Emoji
- Angry Emoji
- Laughing Emojis
- Christmas Tree Emojis
- Heart Emoji
- Clapping Hands Emojis
- Namaste (Folded Hands) Emojis
- Minimize Outlook
- E-Mail Envelope Symbol
- Approximately Equal To Symbol (≈)
- Briefcase Emoji
Working on any application in Microsoft Office using the Keyboard Shortcuts key brings additional busters to your work.
These shortcut keys will change the way you email, using Keyboard shortcuts is much easier than the mouse or touch screen.
Final Words
In summary, whatever you do, DO NOT overuse these shortcuts. They’re just like your Windows desktop or Mac shortcuts.
If you overuse them, soon you’ll be clicking Space, Tab, Enter, and Shift instead of moving the mouse around.
While Microsoft Word offers plenty of keyboard shortcuts, it doesn’t have everything. For instance, it feels clunky and strange to use Outlook keyboard shortcuts.
Microsoft will add more to this list in subsequent updates, but until then, this article offers a list of keyboard shortcuts, from basic to advanced, so you can master Outlook keyboard shortcuts simply fine.
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