Keyboard shortcuts for Access

In this topic

Frequently used shortcuts

To do this Press
Go to the File menu. Alt+F
Go to the Home tab. Alt+H
Go to the Create tab. Alt+C
Go to the External Data tab. Alt+X or Alt+X, 1
Go to the Database Tools tab. Alt+Y, 2
Go to the Table tab. Alt+J, T
Go to the Add-ins tab, if present. Alt+X, 2
Go to the Tell me box on the ribbon. Alt+Q

Use the keyboard to work with ribbon tabs

Work with database files

Open and save databases

To do this Press
Open a new database. Ctrl+N
Open an existing database. Ctrl+O or Ctrl+F12
Open the selected folder or file. Enter
Open the folder one level above the selected folder. Backspace
Delete the selected folder or file. Delete
Display a shortcut menu for a selected item such as a folder or file. Shift+F10 or the Windows Menu key
Move forward through options. Tab key
Move backward through options. Shift+Tab
Open the Look in list. F4 or Alt+I
Save a database object. Ctrl+S or Shift+F12
Open the Save As dialog box. F12 or Alt+F, S
To do this Press
Print the current or selected object. Ctrl+P
From Print Preview, open the Print dialog box. P or Ctrl+P
From Print Preview, open the Page Setup dialog box. S
Cancel Print Preview or Layout Preview. C or Esc
From the File menu, return to your database. Esc

Switch from tabbed documents to windowed documents

Move in the Access workspace

Work with menus, dialog boxes, wizards, and property sheets

Use menus

To do this Press
Show KeyTips. Alt or F10
Show the program icon menu (on the program title bar), also known as the control menu. Alt+Spacebar
With the menu or submenu visible, select the next or previous command. Down or Up arrow key
Select the menu to the left or right or, when a submenu is visible, switch between the main menu and the submenu. Left or Right arrow key
Select the first or last command on the menu or submenu. Home or End
Open the selected menu, or perform the action assigned to the selected button. Spacebar or Enter
Open a shortcut menu or open a dropdown menu for the selected gallery item. Shift+F10 or the Windows Menu key
Scroll up or down in the selected gallery list. Page up or Page down
Move to the top or bottom of the selected gallery list. Ctrl+Home or Ctrl+End
Close the visible menu and submenu at the same time. Alt
Close the visible menu or, with a submenu visible, close only the submenu. Esc

Use dialog boxes

Switch to the next tab in a dialog box. Ctrl+Tab
Switch to the previous tab in a dialog box. Ctrl+Shift+Tab
Move to the next or previous option or option group. Tab key or Shift+Tab
Move between options in the selected dropdown list box or move between options in a group of options. Arrow keys
Perform the action assigned to the selected button or select or clear the checkbox. Spacebar
Open the list if it is closed and move to an option in the list. First letter of an option in a dropdown list
Select the option, or select or clear the checkbox by the letter underlined in the option name. Alt+letter key
Open the selected dropdown list box. Alt+Down arrow key
Close the selected dropdown list box. Esc
Perform the action assigned to the default button in the dialog box. Enter
Cancel the command and close the dialog box. Esc

Use wizards

To do this Press
Toggle the focus forward between controls in the wizard. Tab key
Toggle the focus between sections (header, body, and footer) of the wizard. F6
Complete the wizard. Alt+F

Use property sheets

To do this Press
Show or hide the property sheet. F4
Move among choices in the control selection dropdown list one item at a time. Down or Up arrow key
Move among choices in the control selection dropdown list one page at a time. Page down or Page up
Move to the property sheet tabs from the control selection dropdown list. Tab key
Move among the property sheet tabs with a tab selected, but no property selected. Left or Right arrow key
With a property already selected, move down one property on a tab. Tab key
With a property selected, move up one property on a tab, or if already at the top, move to the tab. Shift+Tab
Toggle forward between tabs when a property is selected. Ctrl+Tab
Toggle backward between tabs when a property is selected. Ctrl+Shift+Tab

Work with text boxes, combo boxes, and list boxes

Edit a text box

To do this Press
Move to the beginning of the entry. Home
Move to the end of the entry. End
Move one character to the left or right. Left or Right arrow key
Move one word to the left or right. Ctrl+Left or Right arrow key
Select from the insertion point to the beginning of the text entry. Shift+Home
Select from the insertion point to the end of the text entry. Shift+End
Change the selection by one character to the left. Shift+Left arrow key
Change the selection by one character to the right. Shift+Right arrow key
Change the selection by one word to the left. Ctrl+Shift+Left arrow key
Change the selection by one word to the right. Ctrl+Shift+Right arrow key

Use a combo or list box

To do this Press
Open a combo box. F4 or Alt+Down arrow key
Refresh the contents of the Lookup field list box or a combo box. F9
Move down one line. Down arrow key
Move down one page. Page down
Move up one line. Up arrow key
Move up one page. Page up
Exit the combo box or list box. Tab key

Work with objects

Edit and navigate the Objects list

| To do this | Press | |—————————————————————————————-|————| | Open the selected table or query in the Datasheet View. | Enter | | Open the selected form or report. | Enter | | Run the selected macro. | Enter | | Open the selected table, query, form, report, macro, or module in the Design View. | Ctrl+Enter | | Display the Immediate window in the Visual Basic Editor. | Ctrl+G |

Common shortcuts for the Design, Layout, and Datasheet views 

Work in the Datasheet View

| To do this | Press | |—————————————————|——————————————————————————–| | Move to the next field. | Tab key or Right arrow key | | Move to the last field in the current record. | End | | Move to the previous field. | Shift+Tab or Left arrow key | | Move to the first field in the current record. | Home | | Move to the current field in the next record. | Down arrow key | | Move to the current field in the last record. | Ctrl+Down arrow key | | Move to the last field in the last record. | Ctrl+End | | Move to the current field in the previous record. | Up arrow key | | Move to the current field in the first record. | Ctrl+Up arrow key | | Move to the first field in the first record. | Ctrl+Home | | Go to a specific record. | Alt+F5, then, in the record number box, type the record number and pressEnter |

To do this Press
Move up one screen. Page up
Move down one screen. Page down
Move right one screen. Ctrl+Page down
Move left one screen. Ctrl+Page up

Select and move a column

To do this Press
Select the current column or cancel the column selection, in Navigation mode only. Ctrl+Spacebar
Extend the selection one column to the right, if the current column is selected. Shift+Right arrow key
Extend the selection one column to the left, if the current column is selected. Shift+Left arrow key

Work with subdatasheets

Work in the Design View

Edit using controls in the form and report in the Design View

To do this Press
Move to the next field. Tab key
Move to the previous field. Shift+Tab
Move to the last control on the form and remain in the current record. End
Move to the last control on the form and set focus in the last record. Ctrl+End
Move to the first control on the form and remain in the current record. Home
Move to the first control on the form and set focus in the first record. Ctrl+Home
Move to the current field in the next record. Ctrl+Page down
Move to the current field in the previous record. Ctrl+Page up
Go to a specific record. Alt+F5, then, in the record number box, type the record number and press Enter

Navigate in forms with more than one page

To do this Press
Move down one page, or at the end of the record, move to the equivalent page on the next record. Page down
Move up one page, or at the end of the record, move to the equivalent page on the previous record. Page up
To do this Press
Enter the subform from the preceding field in the main form. Tab key
Enter the subform from the following field in the main form. Shift+Tab
Exit the subform and move to the next field in the master form or next record. Ctrl+Tab
Exit the subform and move to the previous field in the main form or previous record. Ctrl+Shift+Tab
To do this Press
Open the Print dialog box (for datasheets, forms, and reports). Ctrl+P
Open the Page Setup dialog box (for forms and reports). S
Cancel Print Preview or Layout Preview. C or Esc
Scroll down in small increments. Down arrow key
Scroll down one full screen. Page down
Move to the bottom of the page. Ctrl+Down arrow key
Scroll up in small increments. Up arrow key
Scroll up one full screen. Page up
Move to the top of the page. Ctrl+Up arrow key
Scroll to the right in small increments. Right arrow key
Move to the right edge of the page. End
Move to the lower-right corner of the page. Ctrl+End
Scroll to the left in small increments. Left arrow key
Move to the left edge of the page. Home
Move to the upper-left corner of the page. Ctrl+Home
Move to the page number box. Alt+F5, then, type the page number and press Enter

Work with panes

Use a diagram pane

To do this Press
Move among tables, views, and functions (and join lines, if available). Tab key or Shift+Tab
Move between columns in a table, view, or function. Arrow keys
Choose the selected data column for output. Spacebar or Plus sign (+)
Remove the selected data column from the query output. Spacebar or Minus sign (-)
Remove the selected table, view, or function, or join line from the query. Delete

Use a grid pane

Use an SQL pane

Use the Field List pane with a form or report in the Design View or Layout View

To do this Press
Show or hide the Field List pane. Alt+F8
Add the selected field to the form or report detail section. Enter
Move up or down the Field List pane. Up or Down arrow key
Move between the upper and lower panes of the Field List. Tab key

Select text or data

Select a field or record

To do this Press
Select the next field. Tab key
Switch between Edit mode (with insertion point displayed) and Navigation mode in a datasheet. F2
Exit Navigation mode in a form or report. Esc
Switch between selecting the current record and the first field of the current record, in Navigation mode. Shift+Spacebar
Extend the selection to the previous record, if the current record is selected. Shift+Up arrow key
Select all records. Ctrl+A

Select text in a field

To do this Press
Change the size of the selection by one character to the right. Shift+Right arrow key
Change the size of the selection by one word to the right. Ctrl+Shift+Right arrow key
Change the size of the selection by one character to the left. Shift+Left arrow key
Change the size of the selection by one word to the left. Ctrl+Shift+Left arrow key

Extend a selection

Find and replace text or data

To do this Press
Open the Find tab in the Find and Replace dialog box. Ctrl+F
Find the next occurrence of the text specified in the Find and Replace dialog box when the dialog box is closed (in the Datasheet View and Form View only). Shift+F4

Edit text or data

Move the insertion point in a field

To do this Press
Move the insertion point one character to the right. Right arrow key
Move the insertion point one word to the right. Ctrl+Right arrow key
Move the insertion point one character to the left. Left arrow key
Move the insertion point one word to the left. Ctrl+Left arrow key
Move the insertion point to the end of the field in single-line fields, or move it to the end of the line in multiline fields. End
Move the insertion point to the end of the field, in multiline fields. Ctrl+End
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the field in single-line fields, or move it to the beginning of the line in multiline fields. Home
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the field, in multiline fields. Ctrl+Home

Copy, move, or delete text

To do this Press
Copy the selection to the clipboard. Ctrl+C
Cut the selection and copy it to the clipboard. Ctrl+X
Paste the contents of the clipboard at the insertion point. Ctrl+V
Delete the selection or the character to the left of the insertion point. Backspace
Delete the selection or the character to the right of the insertion point. Delete
Delete all characters to the right of the insertion point. Ctrl+Delete

Undo changes

Enter data in the Datasheet View or Form View

To do this Press
Insert the current date. Ctrl+Semicolon (;)
Insert the current time. Ctrl+Shift+Colon (:)
Insert the default value for a field. Ctrl+Alt+Spacebar
Insert the value from the same field in the previous record. Ctrl+Apostrophe (‘)
Add a new record. Ctrl+Plus sign (+)
In a datasheet, delete the current record. Ctrl+Minus sign (-)
Save changes to the current record. Shift+Enter
Switch between the values in a checkbox or option button. Spacebar
Insert a new line in a Short Text or Long Text field. Ctrl+Enter

Refresh fields with current data

To do this Press
Requery the underlying tables or in a subform, requery the underlying table only for the subform. Shift+F9 or F5
Refresh the contents of a Lookup field list or combo box. F9

Work and move around in tables

To do this Press
Move to the next cell. Tab key
Move to the preceding cell. Shift+Tab
Move to the next row. Down arrow key
Move to the preceding row. Up arrow key
Insert a tab in a cell. Ctrl+Tab
Start a new paragraph. Enter
Add a new row at the bottom of the table. Tab key at the end of the last row

Move around in tables or cells

To do this Press
Move one character to the left. Left arrow key
Move one character to the right. Right arrow key
Move up one line. Up arrow key
Move down one line. Down arrow key
Move one word to the left. Ctrl+Left arrow key
Move one word to the right. Ctrl+Right arrow key
Move to the end of a line. End
Move to the beginning of a line. Home
Move up one paragraph. Ctrl+Up arrow key
Move down one paragraph. Ctrl+Down arrow key
Move to the end of a text box. Ctrl+End
Move to the beginning of a text box. Ctrl+Home
Repeat the last Find action. Shift+F4

Get help with Access

Miscellaneous keyboard shortcuts

To do this Press
Display the complete hyperlink address (URL) for a selected hyperlink. F2
Open the Zoom box to conveniently enter expressions and other text in small input areas. Shift+F2
Copy a screenshot of the entire screen to the clipboard. Print screen
Copy a screenshot of the current window to the clipboard. Alt+Print screen
Display the full set of commands on the task pane menu. Ctrl+Down arrow key
Exit Access. Alt+F4

Keyboard shortcuts for Access

Tags

#Windows

#Microsoft

#Access 365

#English