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WordPress keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard Shortcuts for WordPress

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Last updated on October 13th, 2021 at 11:29 am

Being proficient in keyboard shortcuts not only makes you geek but also makes you more productive and efficient. The term “shortcuts” might not excite you but if you are a pro computer user then these shortcuts become handy and it is important to consider the benefits.

When you stop using a mouse and start using keyboard shortcuts, you’ll gradually start noticing the boost in productivity. For example, using Ctrl+A to select the whole text instead of using a mouse to select. Reducing the usage of the mouse also reduces the risk of Repetitive Syndrome Injury (RSI). Apart from these, there are many other benefits of using keyboard shortcuts.

As a webmaster, using keyboard shortcuts maximize your efficiency and as most of the websites are developed using WordPress, this article provides you with details of keyboard shortcuts that can be used. Whether you work for a single website or multiple sites, time is precious. Accomplishing more in less time makes you the master.

There are hundreds of shortcuts, some for editing, some for navigating, and certain keys for taking particular actions across WordPress websites. Here is the curated list of WordPress keyboard shortcuts.

Basic Visual Editor Shortcuts

These are some of the shortcuts that can be used not only for WordPress but can be used for other text editors like notepads, Microsoft word, etc. The shortcuts are common among all the operating systems.

WindowsFunctionMAC
Ctrl + a Select allCommand (⌘) + a
Ctrl + b BoldCommand (⌘) + b
Ctrl + cItalic Command (⌘) + l
Ctrl + k Insert or editCommand(⌘) + k
Ctrl + u UnderlineCommand (⌘) + u
Ctrl + v PasteCommand (⌘) + v
Ctrl + xCutCommand (⌘) + x
Ctrl + y RedoCommand (⌘) + y
Ctrl + kHyperlinkCommand (⌘) + k
Ctrl + arrowsHighlight TextCommand (⌘) + arrows
Ctrl + sSaveCommand (⌘) + s
Ctrl + 8FormatCommand (⌘) + 8

We have seen some of the generic commands that could be used in any editing software. Now let’s look at some keyboard shortcuts that are specific to the WordPress visual editor.

WindowsFunctionMAC
Alt + plusEnlarge screenCtrl + plus
Alt + Shift + NCheck SpellingCtrl + Action + N
Alt + Shift + JJustify TextCtrl + Action + J
Alt + Shift + DStrikethroughCtrl + Action + D
Alt + Shift + UBullet listCtrl + Action + U
Alt + Shift + AInsert LinkCtrl + Action +A
Alt + Shift + MInsert ImageCtrl + Action +M
Alt + Shift + TInsert read/more tagCtrl + Action +T
Alt + Shift + XAdd code tagCtrl + Action +X
Alt + Shift + 1Heading 1Ctrl + Action +1
Alt + Shift + 2Heading 2Ctrl + Action +2
Alt + Shift + 3Heading 3Ctrl + Action +3
Alt + Shift + 4Heading 4Ctrl + Action +4
Alt + Shift + 5Heading 5Ctrl + Action +5
Alt + Shift + 6Heading 6Ctrl + Action +6
Alt + Shift + 9AddressCtrl + Action +9
Alt + Shift + WDistraction free writingCtrl + Action + W
Alt + Shift +UUnordered ListCtrl + Action + U
Alt + Shift +LAlign LeftCtrl + Action + L
Alt + Shift +CAlign CenterCtrl + Action + C
Alt + Shift +RAlign RightCtrl + Action + R
Alt + Shift +PPage BreakCtrl + Action + P
Alt + Shift +HHelpCtrl + Action + H
Alt + -NarrowCtrl + -
Alt + 0Default WidthCtrl + 0
Alt + Shift + ZAdvance EditorCtrl + Action + Z
Alt + Shift + EHTML EditorCtrl + Action + E
Alt + Shift + QBlock QuoteCtrl + Action +Q

Shortcuts for manipulating the comments in WordPress

You can also use keyboard shortcuts when working on comment sections of WordPress. Use the keys K and J to navigate between the comments. Before you start using keyboard shortcuts, you should tick “Enable Keyboard shortcuts for comment moderation” in Users >> Your Profile, or else it won’t work.

As mentioned earlier j and k are the keys used to navigate along the comment section. These keys are common for both, Windows and Mac. Both j and k can be used to select the first comment. J can be used to navigate down to the next comment and also takes you to the next page when you are at the bottom of the page. K can be used to navigate upwards and also to the previous page when you are at the top of the page.

Here are some of the keyboard shortcuts that can be used to manipulate the comments. After you select a comment in the comment section:

Short CutFunction
AApprove comment
SMark the Comment as Spam
DDelete Comment
EMove / Navigate to the edit Screen
UUnapprove the comment
ZRestore or Undo a Comment
QEnable Editing
RReply

All these shortcuts seem daunting at the start, but once you start using keyboard shortcuts they can become your best friends.

Here are some of the keyboard shortcuts that can be used if you are looking to work on comments in bulk:

Short CutFunction
Shift + XSelect all comments
Shift + SMark the Comment as Spam
Shift + DDelete Comments Permanently
Shift +AApprove all selected comments
Shift + UUnapprove all comment
Shift + ZRestore or Undo all Comment
Shift + TMove everything to trash

Once you master all the keyboard shortcuts mentioned above, here are some more shortcuts that can make your life easier. These shortcuts are same for both windows and MAC

*Use for starting unordered list
Use for starting unordered list
1.Use for starting an ordered list
1)Use for starting an ordered list
##Use for Heading 2
###Use for heading 3
####Use for heading 4
#####Use for heading 5
######Use for heading 6
‘--’Use for transforming text into code
>Use for transforming text into block quote
-Horizontal line

Navigation

WordPress keyboard shortcuts become handy when you are trying to navigate the websites developed using WordPress. Enter, Tab, Backspace and arrows can be used for navigation around the WordPress page. These keys are not only specific to WordPress but also can be used for other pages as well.

EnterIf you want to select or take an action use enter
TabIf you want to move from one selection to another one press tab
BackspaceUse backspace to go back to the previous page. You can also use backspace to move forward by clicking shift + Backspace.
ArrowsIf you want to move across your content then you can use arrow keys to move left, right, up and down.

Gutenberg keyboard shortcuts

With wordpress 5.0, you can use Gutenberg keyboard shortcuts to create and manage content.
Here are a few keyboard shortcuts.

WindowsFunctionMAC
Alt+Shift+HShortcut WindowCtrl+Opt+H
Ctrl+SSaveCmd+S
Ctrl+Shift+,Hide settings barCmd+Shift+,
Switching between code and visual editorCtrl+Alt+Shift+MCmd+Opt+Shift+M
Move to the closet toolbarAlt+F10fn+Opt+F10

Summary

The above-mentioned were the WordPress keyboard shortcuts that you can use to enhance your productivity and efficiency while working on WordPress websites. Using these shortcuts can save countless hours over a period of time. The interesting feature is you can create your own WordPress shortcuts using programs like AutoHotKey Live Chat

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