21 Keyboard Shortcuts Every Copywriter Should Know

What are keyboard shortcuts?

One of these keys is usually Ctrl, Alt or Shift. Keyboard shortcuts are used mainly by people working with text editors such as Microsoft Word.
What can you achieve by using specific key combinations? Shortcuts allow you to perform operations such as:

• copying,
• cutting,
• undoing and redoing,
• searching for a phrase,
• selecting text,
• printing a document.

Copying, cutting and pasting

One of the most popular keyboard shortcuts, CTRL + C, is used for copying. Selecting text and pressing this key combination “remembers” the phrase and transfers it to the computer’s clipboard. You can paste copied text using the CTRL + V shortcut.

You can replace CTRL + C with the shortcut for cutting, CTRL + X. The cut text is both copied to the clipboard and removed from its previous location.

Undo and redo

Although copywriters are considered language specialists, mistakes are an inevitable part of working on text. How can you quickly undo your last action in an editor? Use the CTRL + Z keyboard shortcut!

The CTRL + Y key combination restores an action that was previously undone. Redo works only after you have used the CTRL + Z shortcut.

Searching for a phrase in the text

Searching for a specific phrase in a text is one of the most frequently used functions in a copywriter’s work. The CTRL + F keyboard shortcut is used for this purpose and is familiar to most content creators. Why is this combination used so often by SEO copywriters?

The CTRL + F shortcut lets you find keywords in a text. This allows you to check after writing whether they have been placed appropriately. Since optimization can help a page achieve a higher position in search results, this is genuinely important.

Effective content formatting

Formatting a completed article is an essential part of a copywriter’s and content writer’s work. Regardless of the nature of your role, the shortcuts below are among the most popular combinations used in text editors.

CTRL + B makes the selected phrase bold. You can use this combination to highlight the most important parts of a text, headings or keywords. Another popular shortcut in a copywriter’s work is CTRL + U, which underlines text. Use it to mark a hyperlink or highlight part of a paragraph. The CTRL + I combination italicizes text. It is most often used to mark dialogue or a quotation.

Content formatting is not limited to highlighting parts of a text. It is also important to improve the appearance of the entire document using shortcuts such as:

• CTRL + L – align left,
• CTRL + R – align right,
• CTRL + J – justify.

Creating headings

Headings that organize the content in an editor form the foundation of every article. Text structure is created with the reader in mind – subheadings point to the most important information covered in the article. Which shortcuts are used to format headings in an editor?

• Ctrl+Alt+1 – Heading 1,
• Ctrl+Alt+2 – Heading 2,
• Ctrl+Alt+3 – Heading 3.

Selecting text

Before copying, cutting or formatting text, you must select it first. Shift + arrow key lets you quickly select words in a line. The down or up arrow selects the corresponding line vertically.

You can use the CTRL + A shortcut to select all the text you have written.

Save your text

Many copywriters, content writers and authors have experienced losing a document that had not been saved. Which keyboard shortcut can help you avoid this? The CTRL + S combination instantly saves the results of your work.

Switching between windows and tabs

A copywriter’s work largely involves constantly switching between different browser windows. How can you make your daily content creation more efficient? Use the CTRL + Tab shortcut! This key combination lets you quickly “jump” between consecutive tabs. The Alt + Tab shortcut, on the other hand, switches between application windows.