Keyboard Shortcuts in WordPress
I’m a graphic designer who uses Photoshop and illustrator on a daily basis. I use as many keyboard shortcuts as I can remember to speed up my workflow and make me more productive. Whenever I don’t have to sift through menus in order to perform a task, it saves me a lot of time. Each keystroke can save me a few seconds. I’ve been working in WordPress for a few years, but never thought about using keyboard shortcuts in the browser. The other day, I was working back and forth between WordPress and Microsoft Word. Accidentally, I used a keyboard shortcut inside of the WordPress editor, and realized that it worked. That made me wonder how many people were aware that you could use keyboard shortcuts in WordPress.
If you’ve ever used Microsoft Word, and implemented its keyboard shortcuts, then you’re already well on your way with using the keyboard shortcuts in WordPress. However, if you don’t know those shortcuts, you’ll find them listed below.
List of Keyboard shortcuts in WordPress
Cmd(Ctrl)+ C is Copy.
Cmd(Ctrl)+ is Cut.
Cmd(Ctrl)+ V is Paste.
Cmd(Ctrl)+ A is Select All.
Cmd(Ctrl)+ Z is Undo.
Cmd(Ctrl)+ Y is Redo.
Cmd(Ctrl)+ B is Bold.
Cmd(Ctrl)+ I is italic.
Cmd(Ctrl)+ U is Underline.
Cmd(Ctrl)+ 1 is Heading 1.
Cmd(Ctrl)+ 2 is Heading 2.
Cmd(Ctrl)+ 3 is Heading 3.
Cmd(Ctrl)+ 4 is Heading 4.
Cmd(Ctrl)+ 5 is Heading 5.
Cmd(Ctrl)+ 6 is Heading 6.
Cmd(Ctrl)+ G is Address.
Cmd(Ctrl)+ K is Insert or Edit an Existing Link.
If you combine Alt/Option + Shift + (Letter) you can handle advanced formatting.
Alt/Option + Shift + N checks spelling.
Alt/Option + Shift + L aligns text to the left.
Alt/Option + Shift + J justifies text.
Alt/Option + Shift + C centers text.
Alt/Option + Shift + D strikes through text.
Alt/Option + Shift + R aligns text to the right.
Alt/Option + Shift + U makes text an unordered list item.
Alt/Option + Shift + A inserts a link.
Alt/Option + Shift + O makes text an ordered list.
Alt/Option + Shift + S removes a link.
Alt/Option + Shift + Q turns text into a quote.
Alt/Option + Shift + M inserts an image.
Alt/Option + Shift + W enables distraction free writing mode.
Alt/Option + Shift + T places an insert more tag.
Alt/Option + Shift + P adds an insert page break tag.
Alt/Option + Shift + H opens help
Alt/Option + Shift + X adds or removes a code tag.
Conclusion: Keyboard Shortcuts in WordPress
Using these keyboard shortcuts will only make you faster and more efficient. I love the fact that I can highlight or double-click a section of text and hit a keystroke to format it. This greatly increases productivity. If you think about it, clicking buttons, moving your mouse, and sifting through menus takes 5-10 seconds each. However, a keyboard shortcut only takes 1-2 seconds. You are saving 8 seconds per action on average. Multiply that times 20-30 actions, and you are saving 3-4 minutes per post. if it’s a long post with a lot of links and images and special text formatting, it could easily be much more. Do you know of a keyboard shortcut not listed here? If so, feel free to list it in the comments section below.