Word Shortcuts Cheat Sheet: Windows vs Mac

The general rule for converting Word shortcuts between platforms is simple: swap Ctrl for Cmd. That covers the vast majority of Word — but a handful of shortcuts break the pattern in specific, memorable ways, usually because macOS itself has already claimed the “obvious” key combination. This page is about those exceptions, not another full copy of the shortcut list (see the complete side-by-side table on the full Word shortcuts page).

The rule: Ctrl becomes Cmd

Exception: when macOS already owns the shortcut

A few Word shortcuts don’t follow the simple swap because the “expected” Mac combination is already reserved by the operating system itself — Word has to use something else.

The Indent one is worth remembering specifically: if you’ve ever tried Cmd+M in Word on a Mac and had the whole window vanish instead of the paragraph indenting, that’s macOS intercepting the shortcut before Word ever sees it.

Everything at once

Want to practice both layouts side by side instead of memorizing exceptions? The trainer below shows Windows and Mac for every question, so you build the right one for whichever machine you’re on:

For the full categorized reference, see the complete Word keyboard shortcuts list.