Keyboard shortcuts for access

Many users find that keyboard shortcuts for Access desktop databases help them work more efficiently. For users with impaired mobility or vision, keyboard shortcuts are an essential alternative to using the mouse. This article itemizes the keyboard shortcuts for Access on Windows.

Notes: 

• The shortcuts in this topic refer to the US keyboard layout. Keys for other layouts might not correspond exactly to the keys on a US keyboard.

• If a shortcut requires pressing two or more keys at the same time, this topic separates the keys with a plus sign (+). If you have to press one key immediately after another, the keys are separated by a comma (,).

• This topic assumes that JAWS users have the Virtual Ribbon Menu feature turned off.

In this topic

• Frequently used shortcuts

• Navigate the ribbon with only the keyboard

• Work with database files

• Navigate in the Access workspace

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

• Work with text boxes, combo boxes, and list boxes

• Work with objects

• Work in a Design, Layout, or Datasheet view

• Work in a Datasheet view

• Work in a Design view

• Navigate in Print Preview and Layout Preview

• Work with panes

• Select text or data

• Edit text or data

• Navigate in tables and cells

• Get help with Access

• Miscellaneous keyboard shortcuts

Frequently used shortcuts

This table itemizes the most frequently used shortcuts in Access desktop databases.

To do this	Press
Select the active tab of the ribbon and activate KeyTips	Alt or F10 (to move to a different tab, use KeyTips or the arrow keys)
Open the Home tab	Alt+H
Open the Tell me box on the ribbon	Alt+Q, and then enter the search term
Display the shortcut menu for the selected item	Shift+F10
Move the focus to a different pane of the window	F6
Open an existing database	Ctrl+O or Ctrl+F12
Show or hide the Navigation Pane	F11
Show or hide a property sheet	F4
Switch between Edit mode (with insertion point displayed) and Navigation mode in the Datasheet or Design view	F2
Switch to Form view from the form Design view	F5
Move to the next or previous field in the Datasheet view	The Tab key or Shift+Tab
Go to a specific record in the Datasheet view	Alt+F5 (then, in the record number box, type the record number and press Enter)
Open the Print dialog box from Print (for datasheets, forms, and reports)	Ctrl+P
Open the Page Setup dialog box (for forms and reports)	S
Zoom in or out on a part of the page	Z
Open the Find tab in the Find and Replace dialog box in the Datasheet view or Form view	Ctrl+F
Open the Replace tab in the Find and Replace dialog box in the Datasheet view or Form view	Ctrl+H
Add a new record in Datasheet view or Form view	Ctrl+Plus Sign (+)
Open the Help window	F1
Exit Access	Alt+F4

Navigate the ribbon with only the keyboard

The ribbon is the strip at the top of Access, organized by tabs. Each tab displays a different ribbon, which is made up of groups, and each group includes one or more commands.

You can navigate the ribbon with just the keyboard. KeyTips are special key combinations you can use to quickly get to a command on the ribbon by pressing a few keys, regardless of where you are in Access. Every command in Access can be given by using a KeyTip.

Note: Add-ins and other programs might add new tabs to the ribbon and might provide KeyTips for those tabs.

There are two ways to navigate the tabs in the ribbon:

• To get to the ribbon, press Alt, and then, to move between tabs, use the Right and Left arrow keys.

• To go directly to a tab on the ribbon, press one of the following KeyTips:

To do this	Press
Open the File page	Alt+F
Open the Home tab	Alt+H
Open the Create tab	Alt+C
Open the External Data tab	Alt+X or Alt+X,1
Open the Database Tools tab	Alt+Y
Open the Fields tab	Alt+J, B
Open the Table tab	Alt+J, T
Open the Add-ins tab, if present	Alt+X, 2
Open the Tell me box on the ribbon	Alt+Q, and then enter the search term

Working in ribbon tabs with the keyboard

• To move to the list of ribbon tabs, press Alt; to go directly to a tab, press its KeyTip.

• To move in the group that's currently selected, press the Down Arrow key.

• To move between groups on a ribbon, press Ctrl+Right Arrow or Ctrl+Left Arrow.

• To move between commands within a group, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab. You move forward or backward through the commands in order.

• You activate controls in different ways, depending upon the type of control:

  • If the selected command is a button, to activate it, press Spacebar or Enter.

  • If the selected command is a split button (that is, a button that opens a menu of additional options), to activate it, press Alt+Down Arrow. Tab through the options. To select the current option, press Spacebar or Enter.

  • If the selected command is a list (such as the Font list), to open the list, press the Down Arrow key. Then, to move between items, press the Up Arrow key or the Down Arrow key.

  • If the selected command is a gallery, to select the command, press Spacebar or Enter. Then, tab through the items.

Tip: In galleries with more than one row of items, the Tab key moves the focus from the beginning to the end of the current row. When you reach the end of a row, the focus moves to the beginning of the next row. Pressing the Right Arrow key at the end of the current row moves the focus back to the beginning of the current row.

The following table lists ways to move the focus by using the keyboard:

To do this	Press
Select the active tab of the ribbon and activate KeyTips	Alt or F10 (to move to a different tab, use KeyTips or the arrow keys)
Move the focus to commands on the ribbon	The Tab key or Shift+Tab
Move down, up, left, or right, respectively, among the items on the ribbon	The Down, Up, Left, or Right arrow key
Expand or collapse the ribbon	Ctrl+F1
Display the shortcut menu for the selected item	Shift+F10
Move the focus to a different pane of the window	F6
Move to the next or previous command on the ribbon	The Tab key or Shift+Tab
Activate the selected command or control on the ribbon	Spacebar or Enter
Open the selected menu or gallery on the ribbon	Spacebar or Enter
Open the selected list on the ribbon, such as the Font list	The Down arrow key
Move between items in an open menu or gallery	The Tab key
Finish modifying a value in a control on the ribbon, and move the focus back to the document	Enter

Use KeyTips

You can display KeyTips, which are the letters used to give commands with the keyboard, and then use them to navigate in the ribbon.

1. Press Alt. KeyTips appear in small squares by each ribbon command.

2. To select a command, press the letter shown in the square KeyTip that appears by it.

Depending on which letter you press, you may be shown additional KeyTips. For example, if you press Alt+F, Backstage view opens on the Info page, which has a different set of KeyTips. If you then press Alt again, KeyTips appear for navigating on the current page.

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
Move forward through options	Tab
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

Print database information

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 Backstage, return to your database	Esc

Navigate in the Access workspace

By default, Access databases display as tabbed documents. To switch to windowed documents instead, on the File tab, select Options. In the Access Options dialog box, select Current Database and, under Document Window Options, select Overlapping Windows.

Note: You need to close and reopen the current database for the option to take effect.

To do this	Press
Show or hide the Navigation Pane	F11
Go to Search box in the Navigation Pane (if the focus is already on the Navigation Pane)	Ctrl+F
Switch to the next or previous pane in the workspace Note: You might need to press F6 more than once; if pressing F6 doesn't display the task pane you want, press Alt to move the focus on the ribbon and then press Ctrl+Tab to move to the task pane.	F6 or Shift+F6
Switch to the next or previous database window	Ctrl+F6 or Ctrl+Shift+F6
Restore the selected minimized window when all windows are minimized	Enter
Turn on Resize mode for the active window when it is not maximized	Ctrl+F8 (press the arrow keys to resize the window, and then, to apply the new size, press Enter)
Close the active database window	Ctrl+W or Ctrl+F4
Switch between the Visual Basic Editor and the previous active window	Alt+F11
Maximize or restore a selected window.	Ctrl+F10

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	The 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	The 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 drop-down menu for the selected gallery item	Shift+F10
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

To do this	Press
Switch to the next or previous tab in a dialog box	Ctrl+Tab or Ctrl+Shift+Tab
Switch to the previous tab in a dialog box	Ctrl+Shift+Tab
Move to the next or previous option or option group	The Tab key or Shift+Tab
Move between options in the selected drop-down list box, or move between options in a group of options	Arrow keys
Perform the action assigned to the selected button; select or clear the check box	Spacebar
Open the list if it is closed and move to an option in the list	First letter of an option in a drop-down list
Select the option, or select or clear the check box by the letter underlined in the option name	Alt+letter key
Open the selected drop-down list box	Alt+Down arrow
Close the selected drop-down 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	The Tab key
Toggle the focus between sections (header, body, footer) of the wizard	F6
Move to the next page of the wizard	Alt+N
Move to the previous page of the wizard	Alt+B
Complete the wizard	Alt+F

Use property sheets

These keyboard shortcuts apply to property sheets for tables, queries, forms, and reports in Design view and forms and reports in Layout view.

To do this	Press
Show or hide the property sheet	F4
Display a property sheet in Design view	Alt+Enter
Move among choices in the control selection drop-down list one item at a time	The Down or Up arrow key
Move among choices in the control selection drop-down list one page at a time	Page Down or Page Up
Move to the property sheet tabs from the control selection drop-down list	The Tab key
Move among the property sheet tabs with a tab selected, but no property selected	The Left or Right arrow key
With a property already selected, move down one property on a tab	The 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 in a text box

An edit box is a blank in which you type or paste an entry, such as your user name or the path of a folder.

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	The Left or Right arrow key
Move one word to the left or right	Ctrl+Left arrow or Ctrl+Right arrow
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
Change the selection by one character to the right	Shift+Right arrow
Change the selection by one word to the left	Ctrl+Shift+Left arrow
Change the selection by one word to the right	Ctrl+Shift+Right arrow

Use a combo or list box

A list box displays a range of unchangeable values or choices, which are automatically listed. A combo box also displays values or choices, but it does not display them until you click a drop-down arrow. With a combo box, sometimes you can enter a value that's not on the list, as you can with a text box.

To do this	Press
Open a combo box	F4 or Alt+Down arrow
Refresh the contents of the Lookup field list box or a combo box	F9
Move down one line	The Down arrow key
Move down one page	Page Down
Move up one line	The Up arrow key
Move up one page	Page Up
Exit the combo box or list box	The Tab key
Open the Edit List Items dialog box Note: In order to use the Ctrl+E keyboard shortcut for opening the Edit List Items dialog box, you must have a Microsoft 365 subscription.	Ctrl+E

Work with objects

Edit and navigate the Object list

To do this	Press
Rename a selected object Note: You can only rename an object when it is closed.	F2
Move down one line	The Down arrow key
Move down one window	Page Down
Move to the last object	End
Move up one line	The Up arrow key
Move up one window	Page Up

Navigate and open objects

To do this	Press
Open the selected table or query in 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

Work in a Design, Layout, or Datasheet view

To do this	Press
Switch between Edit mode (with insertion point displayed) and Navigation mode in a datasheet	F2
Exit Navigation mode and return to Edit mode in a form or report	Esc
Switch to the property sheet (in the Design view and Layout view in forms and reports)	F4 or Alt+Enter
Switch to the Form view from the form Design view	F5
Switch between the upper and lower portions of a window (in the Design view of queries, macros, and the Advanced Filter/Sort window)	F6
Cycle through the field grid, property sheet, field properties, the Navigation Pane, Quick Access Toolbar, and KeyTips on the ribbon (in the Design view of tables)	F6
Open the Choose Builder dialog box from a selected control on a form or report (in the Design view only)	F7
Open the Visual Basic Editor from a selected property in the property sheet for a form or report	F7
Switch from the Visual Basic Editor back to the form or report Design view	Alt+F11
Toggle forward between views when in a table, query, form, or report Note: If additional views are available, successive keystrokes move the focus to the next available view.	Ctrl+Right arrow or Ctrl+Comma (,)
Toggle backward between views when in a table, query, form, or report Note: If additional views are available, successive keystrokes move the focus to the previous view.	Ctrl+Left arrow or Ctrl+Period (.) Note: This shortcut does not work under all conditions with all objects.

Work in a Datasheet view

Use a Datasheet view when you work with tables and queries.

Navigate between fields and records

These keyboard shortcuts work in Navigation mode in a Datasheet view.

To do this	Press
Move to the next field	The Tab key or the Right arrow key
Move to the last field in the current record	End
Move to the previous field	Shift+Tab or the Left arrow key
Move to the first field in the current record	Home
Move to the current field in the next record	The 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	The Up arrow key
Move to the current field in the first record	Ctrl+Up arrow
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 press Enter)

Navigate to another screen of data

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

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
Turn on Move mode	Ctrl+Shift+F8 (then press the Right or Left arrow key to move the selected column(s) to the right or left)

Work with subdatasheets

To do this	Press
Enter the subdatasheet from the last field of the previous record in the datasheet	The Tab key
Enter the subdatasheet from the first field of the following record in the datasheet	Shift+Tab
Exit the subdatasheet and move to the first field of the next record in the datasheet	Ctrl+Tab
Exit the subdatasheet and move to the last field of the previous record in the datasheet	Ctrl+Shift+Tab
From the last field in the subdatasheet enter the next field in the datasheet	The Tab key
From the datasheet, bypass the subdatasheet and move to the next record in the datasheet	The Down arrow key
From the datasheet, bypass the subdatasheet and move to the previous record in the datasheet	The Up arrow key
Go to a specific record in a subdatasheet Note: This moves the focus from the subdatasheet to the record number box.	Alt+F5 (then, in the record number box, type the record number and press Enter)
Move from the datasheet to the record's subdatasheet	Ctrl+Shift+Down arrow key
Collapse the subdatasheet	Ctrl+Shift+Up arrow key

Note: To navigate between fields and records in a subdatasheet, use the same keyboard shortcuts you use in Datasheet view.

Work in a Design view

You work in a Design view when you design tables, queries, forms, reports, and macros.

Navigate in a Design view

To do this	Press
Switch between Edit mode (with insertion point displayed) and Navigation mode	F2
Open or close the property sheet	F4 or Alt+Enter
Switch to Form view from form Design view	F5
Switch between the upper and lower portions of a window (in the Design view of queries, macros, and the Advanced Filter/Sort window) Note: Use F6 when the Tab key does not take you to the section of the screen you want.	F6
Toggle forward between the design pane, properties, Navigation Pane, ribbon, and Zoom controls (in the Design view of tables, forms, and reports)	F6
Open the Visual Basic Editor from a selected property in the property sheet for a form or report	F7
Show or hide the Field List pane	Alt+F8
When you have a code module open, switch from the Visual Basic Editor to the form or report Design view	Shift+F7
Switch from a control's property sheet in form or report Design view to the design surface without changing the control focus	Shift+F7
Copy the selected control to the Clipboard	Ctrl+C
Cut the selected control and copy it to the Clipboard	Ctrl+X
Paste the contents of the Clipboard in the upper-left corner of the selected section	Ctrl+V
Move the selected control to the right by a pixel along the page's grid	The Right arrow key
Move the selected control to the left by a pixel along the page's grid	The Left arrow key
Move the selected control up by a pixel along the page's grid Note: For controls in a stacked layout, this switches the position of the selected control with the control directly above it, unless it is already the uppermost control in the layout.	The Up arrow key
Move the selected control down by a pixel along the page's grid Note: For controls in a stacked layout, this switches the position of the selected control with the control directly below it, unless it is already the lowermost control in the layout.	The Down arrow key
Move the selected control to the right by a pixel (irrespective of the page's grid)	Ctrl+Right arrow key
Move the selected control to the left by a pixel (irrespective of the page's grid)	Ctrl+Left arrow key
Move the selected control up by a pixel (irrespective of the page's grid) Note: For controls in a stacked layout, this switches the position of the selected control with the control directly above it, unless it is already the uppermost control in the layout.	Ctrl+Up arrow key
Move the selected control down by a pixel (irrespective of the page's grid) Note: For controls in a stacked layout, this switches the position of the selected control with the control directly below it, unless it is already the lowermost control in the layout.	Ctrl+Down arrow key
Increase the width of the selected control (to the right) by a pixel Note: For controls in a stacked layout, this increases the width of the whole layout.	Shift+Right arrow key
Decrease the width of the selected control (to the left) by a pixel Note: For controls in a stacked layout, this decreases the width of the whole layout.	Shift+Left arrow key
Decrease the height of the selected control (from the bottom) by a pixel	Shift+Up arrow key
Increase the height of the selected control (from the bottom) by a pixel	Shift+Down arrow key

Edit using controls in the form and report Design view

To do this	Press
Copy the selected control to the Clipboard	Ctrl+C
Cut the selected control and copy it to the Clipboard	Ctrl+X
Paste the contents of the Clipboard in the upper-left corner of the selected section	Ctrl+V
Move the selected control to the right (except a control that is part of a layout)	The Right arrow key or Ctrl+Right arrow key to move in smaller increments
Move the selected control to the left (except a control that is part of a layout)	The Left arrow key or Ctrl+Left arrow key to move in smaller increments
Move the selected control up (except a control that is part of a layout)	The Up arrow key or Ctrl+Up arrow key to move in smaller increments
Move the selected control down (except a control that is part of a layout)	The Down arrow key or Ctrl+Down arrow key to move in smaller increments
Increase the height of the selected control Note: If used with a control that is in a layout, the entire row of the layout is resized.	Shift+Down arrow key
Increase the width of the selected control Note: If used with a control that is in a layout, the entire column of the layout is resized.	Shift+Right arrow key
Reduce the height of the selected control Note: If used with a control that is in a layout, the entire row of the layout is resized.	Shift+Up arrow key
Reduce the width of the selected control Note: If used with a control that is in a layout, the entire column of the layout is resized.	Shift+Left arrow key

Navigate in a Form view

You work in a Form view when entering data in a form.

Navigate between fields and records

These keyboard shortcuts work in Navigation mode in a Form view.

To do this	Press
Move to the next field	The 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; at the end of the record, moves to the equivalent page on the next record	Page Down
Move up one page; at the end of the record, moves to the equivalent page on the previous record	Page Up

Navigate between a main form and a subform

To do this	Press
Enter the subform from the preceding field in the main form	The 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

Navigate in Print Preview and Layout Preview

To do this	Press
Open the Print dialog box from Print (for datasheets, forms, and reports)	Ctrl+P
Open the Page Setup dialog box (for forms and reports)	S
Zoom in or out on a part of the page	Z
Cancel Print Preview or Layout Preview	C or Esc
Scroll down in small increments	The 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	The 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	The 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	The 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)	The Tab key or Shift+Tab
Move between columns in a table, view, or function	The 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

Note: If multiple items are selected, pressing Spacebar affects all selected items. Select multiple items by holding down Shift while selecting them. Toggle the selected state of a single item by holding down Ctrl while selecting it.

Use a grid pane

To do this	Press
Move among cells	The arrow keys, the Tab key, or Shift+Tab
Move to the last row in the current column	Ctrl+Down arrow key
Move to the first row in the current column	Ctrl+Up arrow key
Move to the upper-left cell in the visible portion of grid	Ctrl+Home
Move to the bottom right cell	Ctrl+End
Move in a drop-down list	The Up or Down arrow key
Select an entire grid column	Ctrl+Spacebar
Toggle between Edit mode and cell selection mode	F2
Copy selected text in cell to the Clipboard (in Edit mode)	Ctrl+C
Cut selected text in cell and place it on the Clipboard (in Edit mode)	Ctrl+X
Paste text from the Clipboard (in Edit mode)	Ctrl+V
Toggle between insert and overtype mode while editing in a cell	The Insert key
Toggle the check box in the Output column Note: If multiple items are selected, pressing this key affects all selected items.	Spacebar
Clear the selected contents of a cell	Delete
Clear all values for a selected grid column	Delete

Use an SQL pane

You can use the standard Windows editing keys when working in the SQL pane. For example, you can use Ctrl+ Arrow keys to move between words, and the Cut, Copy, and Paste commands on the Home tab work as they normally do. You can only insert text; there is no overtype mode.

Note    In SQL view, CTRL+A (used to select all text) is only supported in Microsoft 365, Access 2016 Click-to-Run, and Access 2019. As an alternative, press F2.

Use the Field List pane with a form or report in 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	The Up arrow key or the Down arrow key
Move between the upper and lower panes of the Field List	The Tab key

Select text or data

Select a field or record

Note: To cancel a selection, use the opposite arrow key.

To do this	Press
Select the next field	The 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
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

To do this	Press
Turn on Extend mode Note: In Datasheet view, Extended Selection appears in the lower-right corner of the window	F8 (repeatedly pressing F8 extends the selection to the word, the field, the record, and all records)
Extend a selection to adjacent fields in the same row in Datasheet view	The Left or Right arrow key
Extend a selection to adjacent rows in Datasheet view	The Up or Down arrow key
Undo the previous extension	Shift+F8
Cancel Extend mode	Esc

Find and replace text or data

To do this	Press
Open the Find tab in the Find and Replace dialog box (in the Datasheet view and Form view only)	Ctrl+F
Open the Replace tab in the Find and Replace dialog box (in the Datasheet view and Form view only)	Ctrl+H
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

Note: If the insertion point is not visible, press F2 to display it.

To do this	Press
Move the insertion point one character to the right	The Right arrow key
Move the insertion point one word to the right	Ctrl+Right arrow
Move the insertion point one character to the left	The 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 multi-line fields	End
Move the insertion point to the end of the field, in multi-line 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 multi-line fields	Home
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the field, in multi-line 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

To do this	Press
Undo typing	Ctrl+Z or Alt+Backspace
Undo changes in the current field or current record	Esc (if both the current field and current record have been changed, press Esc twice to undo changes, first in the current field and then in the current record)

Enter data in a Datasheet 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 check box 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
Recalculate the fields in the window	F9
Requery the underlying tables; in a subform, this requeries the underlying table only for the subform	Shift+F9 Or F5
Refresh the contents of a Lookup field list box or combo box	F9

Navigate in tables and cells

Work and move around in tables

To do this	Press
Move to the next cell	The Tab key
Move to the preceding cell	Shift+Tab
Move to the next row	The Down arrow key
Move to the preceding row	The 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	The 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	The Left arrow key
Move one character to the right	The Right arrow key
Move up one line	The Up arrow key
Move down one line	The 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

The Help window provides makes all Access Help content available.

To do this	Press
Open the Help window	F1
Go back to Access Help Home	Alt+Home
Select the next item in the Help window	The Tab key
Select the previous item in the Help window	Shift+Tab
Perform the action for the selected item	Enter
In the AccessHelp topics list, expand or collapse the selected item	Enter
Select the next hidden text or hyperlink, including Show All or Hide All at the top of a topic	The Tab key
Select the previous hidden text or hyperlink	Shift+Tab
Perform the action for the selected Show All, Hide All, hidden text, or hyperlink	Enter
Move back to the previous Help topic (Back button)	Alt+Left arrow key or Backspace
Move forward to the next Help topic (Forward button)	Alt+Right arrow key
Scroll small amounts up or down within the currently displayed Help topic	The Up or Down arrow key
Scroll larger amounts up or down, respectively, within the currently displayed Help topic	Page Up or Page Down
Stop the last action (Stop button)	Esc
Refresh the window (Refresh button)	F5
Print the current Help topic	Ctrl+P (if the cursor is not in the current Help topic, press F6, and then press Ctrl+P)
Change the connection state	F6, and then press Enter to open the list of choices
Switch among areas in the Help window, such as the toolbar and the Search list	F6
In a Table of Contents in tree view, select the next or previous item, respectively	The Up or Down arrow key
In a Table of Contents in tree view, expand or collapse the selected item	Enter

Miscellaneous keyboard shortcuts

To do this	Press
Display the complete hyperlink address (URL) for a selected hyperlink	F2
Check spelling	F7
Open the Zoom box to conveniently enter expressions and other text in small input areas	Shift+F2
Invoke a Builder	Ctrl+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