Sway keyboard shortcuts

Many users find that using an external keyboard with keyboard shortcuts for Sway helps them work more efficiently. For users with mobility or vision disabilities, keyboard shortcuts can be easier than using the touchscreen, and are an essential alternative to using a mouse.

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.

• A plus sign (+) in a shortcut means that you need to press multiple keys at the same time.

• A comma sign (,) in a shortcut means that you need to press multiple keys in order.

WindowsmacOSWeb

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This article describes the keyboard shortcuts in Sway on Windows.

Notes: 

• To quickly find a shortcut in this article, you can use the Search. Press Ctrl+F, and then type your search words.

In this topic

• Frequently used shortcuts

• Navigate in Sway with only the keyboard

• Format text and cards

• Select and navigate in text

• Interact with cards

• Play a Sway

• View a comparison

Frequently used shortcuts

This table lists the most frequently used shortcuts in Sway.

To do this	Press
Move from the top navigation bar to the secondary navigation bar to Storyline or Design to the task pane.	Ctrl+F6
Cancel the current action, remove the current selection, or exit the Play mode.	Esc
Copy text.	Ctrl+C
Cut text.	Ctrl+X
Paste text.	Ctrl+V
Delete the selected Card and all of its contents.	Del
Undo the last action.	Ctrl+Z
Redo the last action.	Ctrl+Y
Switch to the Accessibility view.	Alt+Shift+V
Turn on Play mode.	Alt+Shift+P
Share the current Sway.	Alt+Shift+S
Zoom in or out.	Ctrl+Plus sign (+) or Minus sign (-)

Navigate in Sway with only the keyboard

To do this	Press
Move from the top navigation bar to the secondary navigation bar to Storyline or Design to the task pane.	Ctrl+F6
Move from the task pane to Storyline or Design to the secondary navigation bar to the top navigation bar.	Shift+Ctrl+F6
Open the Insert pane.	Alt+Shift+I
Open the Styles pane.	Alt+Shift+G

Format text and cards

To do this	Press
Apply bold to text.	Ctrl+B
Apply italics to text.	Ctrl+I
Apply a heading style to text.	Ctrl+Alt+1
Start or continue a bulleted list.	Ctrl+Period (.)
Start or continue a numbered list.	Ctrl+Forward slash (/)
Add or edit a hyperlink.	Ctrl+K
Follow a hyperlink.	Ctrl+click the link
Group all cards in a Card selection.	Ctrl+G
Ungroup all cards in a Card selection.	Ctrl+Shift+G
Copy all cards in a Card selection.	Ctrl+C
Cut all cards in a Card selection.	Ctrl+X
Paste all cards in a Card selection.	Ctrl+V

Select and navigate in text

To do this	Press
Select a character to the left.	Shift+Left arrow key
Select a character to the right.	Shift+Right arrow key
Select left, one word at a time.	Ctrl+Shift+Left arrow key
Select right, one word at a time.	Ctrl+Shift+Right arrow key
Select up, one line at a time.	Shift+Up arrow key
Select down, one line at a time.	Shift+Down arrow key
Select up, one paragraph at a time.	Ctrl+Shift+Up arrow key
Select down, one paragraph at a time.	Ctrl+Shift+Down arrow key
Go to the previous word.	Ctrl+Left arrow key
Go to the next word.	Ctrl+Right arrow key
Go to the start of the paragraph.	Ctrl+Up arrow key
Go to the start of the next paragraph.	Ctrl+Down arrow key

Interact with Cards

To do this	Press
Select the current Card.	Spacebar
Move focus to the next Card.	Down arrow key
Move focus to the previous Card.	Up arrow key
Expand the selected Group or Section.	Right arrow key
Collapse the selected Group or Section.	Left arrow key
Move the current Card up in the Storyline.	Alt+Shift+Up arrow key
Move the current Card down in the Storyline.	Alt+Shift+Down arrow key

Play a Sway

When you preview or play your Sway, use these keyboard shortcuts to navigate.

To do this	Press
Go to the previous image.	Left arrow key
Go to the next image.	Right arrow key
Exit the slideshow.	Esc or Alt+Left arrow key

View a comparison

When you play a Sway that includes a comparison, use these keyboard shortcuts to control the divider line.

To do this	Press
Move the focus to the divider line.	Tab key
Slide left by chunks.	Left arrow key
Slide right by chunks.	Right arrow key
Slide left by pixels.	Alt+Left arrow key
Slide right by pixels.	Alt+Right arrow key
Snap left.	Ctrl+Left arrow key
Snap right.	Ctrl+Right arrow key

See also

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Sway

Use a screen reader and keyboard shortcuts with Office apps

This article describes the keyboard shortcuts in Sway on the macOS web app.

Notes: 

• This topic assumes that function keys work in the standard way. If you have changed this system preference, to use the Sway shortcut, do not press the Fn key with function keys.

• To quickly find a shortcut in this article, you can use the Search. Press Command+F, and then type your search words.

In this topic

• Frequently used shortcuts

• Navigate in Sway with only the keyboard

• Format text and cards

• Select and navigate in text

• Interact with cards

• Play a Sway

• View a comparison

Frequently used shortcuts

To do this	Press
Move from the top navigation bar to the secondary navigation bar to Storyline or Design to the task pane.	Control+Fn+F6
Cancel the current action, remove the current selection, or exit the Play mode.	Esc
Copy text.	+C
Cut text.	+X
Paste text.	+V
Delete the selected Card and all of its contents.	Delete or Backspace
Undo the last action.	+Z
Redo the last action.	+Y
Switch to the Accessibility view.	Option+Shift+V
Turn on the Play mode.	Option+Shift+P
Share the current Sway.	Option+Shift+S

Navigate in Sway with only the keyboard

To do this	Press
Move from the top navigation bar to the secondary navigation bar to Storyline or Design to the task pane.	Control+Fn+F6
Move from the task pane to Storyline or Designto the secondary navigation bar to the top navigation bar.	Control+Shift+Fn+F6
Close a help tip or Sway dialog box.	Esc
Open and close the Insert pane.	Option+Shift+I
Open and close the Styles pane.	Option+Shift+G
From Play, return to the Storyline, or from Storyline, return to the Sway home page.	Alt+Left arrow key

Format text and cards

To do this	Press
Apply bold to text.	+B or Control+B
Apply italics to text.	+I or Control+I
Apply a heading style to text.	Control+Option+1
Create a bulleted list.	Control+Period (.)
Create a numbered list.	Control+Forward slash (/)
Add or edit a hyperlink.	Control+K
Follow a hyperlink.	Control+Left-click mouse
Group all cards in a Card selection.	Control+G
Ungroup all cards in a Card selection.	Control+Shift+G
Copy all cards in a Card selection.	Control+C
Cut all cards in a Card selection.	Control+X
Paste all cards in a Card selection.	Control+V

Select and navigate in text

To do this	Press
Select a character to the left.	Shift+Left arrow key
Select a character to the right.	Shift+Right arrow key
Select left, one word at a time.	Shift+Option+Left arrow key
Select right, one word at a time.	Shift+Option+Right arrow key
Select up, one line at a time.	Shift+Up arrow key
Select down, one line at a time.	Shift+Down arrow key
Select up, one paragraph at a time.	Shift+Option+Up arrow key
Select down, one paragraph at a time.	Shift+Option+Down arrow key
Go to the previous word.	Option+Left arrow key
Go to the next word.	Option+Right arrow key
Go to the start of the previous paragraph.	Option+Up arrow key
Go to the end of the next paragraph.	Option+Down arrow key

Interact with cards

To do this	Press
Select the current Card.	Spacebar
Move focus to the next Card.	Down arrow key
Move focus to the previous Card.	Up arrow key
Expand the selected Group or Section.	Right arrow key
Collapse the selected Group or Section.	Left arrow key
Move the current Card up in the Storyline.	Option+Shift+Up arrow key
Move the current Card down in the Storyline.	Option+Shift+Down arrow key

Play a Sway

When you preview or play your Sway, use these keyboard shortcuts to navigate.

To do this	Press
Go to the previous image.	Left arrow key
Go to the next image.	Right arrow key
Exit the slideshow.	Esc or Option+Left arrow key

View a comparison

When you play a Sway that includes a comparison, use these commands to control the divider line.

To do this	Press
Move the focus to the divider line.	Tab key
Slide left by chunks.	Left arrow key
Slide right by chunks.	Right arrow key
Slide left by pixels.	Option+Left arrow key
Slide right by pixels.	Option+Right arrow key
Snap left.	+Left arrow key
Snap right.	+Right arrow key

See also

Accessibility support for Sway

Use a screen reader and keyboard shortcuts with Office apps

This article describes the keyboard shortcuts in Sway on the web.

Notes: 

• To quickly find a shortcut in this article, you can use the Search. Press Ctrl+F, and then type your search words.

In this topic

• Frequently used shortcuts

• Navigate in Sway with only the keyboard

• Format text and cards

• Select and navigate in text

• Interact with cards

• Play a Sway

• View a comparison

Frequently used shortcuts

This table lists the most frequently used shortcuts in Sway.

To do this	Press
Move from the top navigation bar to the secondary navigation bar to Storyline or Design to the task pane.	Ctrl+F6
Cancel the current action, remove the current selection, or exit the Play mode.	Esc
Copy text.	Ctrl+C
Cut text.	Ctrl+X
Paste text.	Ctrl+V
Delete the selected Card and all of its contents.	Del
Undo the last action.	Ctrl+Z
Redo the last action.	Ctrl+Y
Switch to the Accessibility view.	Alt+Shift+V
Turn on Play mode.	Alt+Shift+P
Share the current Sway.	Alt+Shift+S
Zoom in or out.	Ctrl+Plus sign (+) or Minus sign (-)

Navigate in Sway with only the keyboard

To do this	Press
Move from the top navigation bar to the secondary navigation bar to Storyline or Design to the task pane.	Ctrl+F6
Move from the task pane to Storyline or Design to the secondary navigation bar to the top navigation bar.	Shift+Ctrl+F6
Open the Insert pane.	Alt+Shift+I
Open the Styles pane.	Alt+Shift+G

Format text and cards

To do this	Press
Apply bold to text.	Ctrl+B
Apply italics to text.	Ctrl+I
Apply a heading style to text.	Ctrl+Alt+1
Start or continue a bulleted list.	Ctrl+Period (.)
Start or continue a numbered list.	Ctrl+Forward slash (/)
Add or edit a hyperlink.	Ctrl+K
Follow a hyperlink.	Ctrl+click the link
Group all cards in a Card selection.	Ctrl+G
Ungroup all cards in a Card selection.	Ctrl+Shift+G
Copy all cards in a Card selection.	Ctrl+C
Cut all cards in a Card selection.	Ctrl+X
Paste all cards in a Card selection.	Ctrl+V

Select and navigate in text

To do this	Press
Select a character to the left.	Shift+Left arrow key
Select a character to the right.	Shift+Right arrow key
Select left, one word at a time.	Ctrl+Shift+Left arrow key
Select right, one word at a time.	Ctrl+Shift+Right arrow key
Select up, one line at a time.	Shift+Up arrow key
Select down, one line at a time.	Shift+Down arrow key
Select up, one paragraph at a time.	Ctrl+Shift+Up arrow key
Select down, one paragraph at a time.	Ctrl+Shift+Down arrow key
Go to the previous word.	Ctrl+Left arrow key
Go to the next word.	Ctrl+Right arrow key
Go to the start of the paragraph.	Ctrl+Up arrow key
Go to the start of the next paragraph.	Ctrl+Down arrow key

Interact with Cards

To do this	Press
Select the current Card.	Spacebar
Move focus to the next Card.	Down arrow key
Move focus to the previous Card.	Up arrow key
Expand the selected Group or Section.	Right arrow key
Collapse the selected Group or Section.	Left arrow key
Move the current Card up in the Storyline.	Alt+Shift+Up arrow key
Move the current Card down in the Storyline.	Alt+Shift+Down arrow key

Play a Sway

When you preview or play your Sway, use these keyboard shortcuts to navigate.

To do this	Press
Go to the previous image.	Left arrow key
Go to the next image.	Right arrow key
Exit the slideshow.	Esc or Alt+Left arrow key

View a comparison

When you play a Sway that includes a comparison, use these keyboard shortcuts to control the divider line.

To do this	Press
Move the focus to the divider line.	Tab key
Slide left by chunks.	Left arrow key
Slide right by chunks.	Right arrow key
Slide left by pixels.	Alt+Left arrow key
Slide right by pixels.	Alt+Right arrow key
Snap left.	Ctrl+Left arrow key
Snap right.	Ctrl+Right arrow key

See also

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Sway

Use a screen reader and keyboard shortcuts with Office apps

Technical support for customers with disabilities

Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.

If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.