Microsoft Word Shortcuts for Note-Taking

My laptop and word processor have saved me from the horrors of my awful handwriting. Below are some Microsoft Word 2002/2003 keyboard shortcuts and my particular use of formatting in my lecture notes.

Heading 1/2/3: Ctrl+Alt+1/2/3
To identify key concepts.

Bulleted List: Ctrl+Shift+L
Numbered List: Ctrl+Alt+L
Self-explanatory =)

Bold: Ctrl+B
For emphasizing key terms (followed by a definition in plain text).

Italics: Ctrl+I
For noting exceptions (beginning with “HOWEVER:”).

BLABLA

Underline: Ctrl+U
For key phrases.

Double Underline: Ctrl+Shift+D
For conclusions to questions presented by the professor.

Subscript: Ctrl+=
Superscript: Ctrl+Shift+=
Useful for math courses with exponents and bases. Also handy for making footnotes in essays.

For a complete list see Microsoft’s list of keyboard shortcuts for Word 2002 and 2003.

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3 Responses to “Microsoft Word Shortcuts for Note-Taking”

1. Jwalant Natvarlal Soneji says:

   December 2, 2007 at 1:31 am

   Hi,
   I like this shortcuts and almost half of them I was using with mouse clicks and would start using with keys now.
   Thanks.
2. Chris Y. says:

   December 2, 2007 at 2:18 am

   I’m glad I could help.
3. Learn MS Word says:

   September 5, 2008 at 6:17 pm

   You wouldn’t think it would make that big of a difference using keyboard shortcuts rather than right clicking….but it does.

   Thanks for posting these keyboard Microsoft Word shortcuts for note-taking.