Keyboard Shortcuts for WordPress
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.
Windows | Function | MAC |
---|---|---|
Ctrl + a | Select all | Command (⌘) + a |
Ctrl + b | Bold | Command (⌘) + b |
Ctrl + c | Italic | Command (⌘) + l |
Ctrl + k | Insert or edit | Command(⌘) + k |
Ctrl + u | Underline | Command (⌘) + u |
Ctrl + v | Paste | Command (⌘) + v |
Ctrl + x | Cut | Command (⌘) + x |
Ctrl + y | Redo | Command (⌘) + y |
Ctrl + k | Hyperlink | Command (⌘) + k |
Ctrl + arrows | Highlight Text | Command (⌘) + arrows |
Ctrl + s | Save | Command (⌘) + s |
Ctrl + 8 | Format | Command (⌘) + 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.
Windows | Function | MAC |
---|---|---|
Alt + plus | Enlarge screen | Ctrl + plus |
Alt + Shift + N | Check Spelling | Ctrl + Action + N |
Alt + Shift + J | Justify Text | Ctrl + Action + J |
Alt + Shift + D | Strikethrough | Ctrl + Action + D |
Alt + Shift + U | Bullet list | Ctrl + Action + U |
Alt + Shift + A | Insert Link | Ctrl + Action +A |
Alt + Shift + M | Insert Image | Ctrl + Action +M |
Alt + Shift + T | Insert read/more tag | Ctrl + Action +T |
Alt + Shift + X | Add code tag | Ctrl + Action +X |
Alt + Shift + 1 | Heading 1 | Ctrl + Action +1 |
Alt + Shift + 2 | Heading 2 | Ctrl + Action +2 |
Alt + Shift + 3 | Heading 3 | Ctrl + Action +3 |
Alt + Shift + 4 | Heading 4 | Ctrl + Action +4 |
Alt + Shift + 5 | Heading 5 | Ctrl + Action +5 |
Alt + Shift + 6 | Heading 6 | Ctrl + Action +6 |
Alt + Shift + 9 | Address | Ctrl + Action +9 |
Alt + Shift + W | Distraction free writing | Ctrl + Action + W |
Alt + Shift +U | Unordered List | Ctrl + Action + U |
Alt + Shift +L | Align Left | Ctrl + Action + L |
Alt + Shift +C | Align Center | Ctrl + Action + C |
Alt + Shift +R | Align Right | Ctrl + Action + R |
Alt + Shift +P | Page Break | Ctrl + Action + P |
Alt + Shift +H | Help | Ctrl + Action + H |
Alt + - | Narrow | Ctrl + - |
Alt + 0 | Default Width | Ctrl + 0 |
Alt + Shift + Z | Advance Editor | Ctrl + Action + Z |
Alt + Shift + E | HTML Editor | Ctrl + Action + E |
Alt + Shift + Q | Block Quote | Ctrl + 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 Cut | Function |
---|---|
A | Approve comment |
S | Mark the Comment as Spam |
D | Delete Comment |
E | Move / Navigate to the edit Screen |
U | Unapprove the comment |
Z | Restore or Undo a Comment |
Q | Enable Editing |
R | Reply |
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 Cut | Function |
---|---|
Shift + X | Select all comments |
Shift + S | Mark the Comment as Spam |
Shift + D | Delete Comments Permanently |
Shift +A | Approve all selected comments |
Shift + U | Unapprove all comment |
Shift + Z | Restore or Undo all Comment |
Shift + T | Move 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.
Enter | If you want to select or take an action use enter |
---|---|
Tab | If you want to move from one selection to another one press tab |
Backspace | Use backspace to go back to the previous page. You can also use backspace to move forward by clicking shift + Backspace. |
Arrows | If 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.
Windows | Function | MAC |
---|---|---|
Alt+Shift+H | Shortcut Window | Ctrl+Opt+H |
Ctrl+S | Save | Cmd+S |
Ctrl+Shift+, | Hide settings bar | Cmd+Shift+, |
Switching between code and visual editor | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+M | Cmd+Opt+Shift+M |
Move to the closet toolbar | Alt+F10 | fn+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