Pages icon

Keyboard shortcuts

You can use your keyboard (and mouse) to quickly accomplish many tasks in Pages. To find the shortcuts for common commands, look in the menus (or see the menu shortcuts below). To complete an action, press the shortcut keys indicated below.

When you click View in the toolbar and choose Show Invisibles, and then press or choose

This formatting character appears

The Space bar

Option-Space (creates a non-breaking space)

Tab

Return (paragraph break)

Shift-Return (creates a line break in the middle of a paragraph)

Insert > Page Break

Insert > Column Break

Insert > Layout Break

Insert > Section Break

Wherever you insert an object that moves with text as you type

Action

Shortcut

Moving around within a document

Move one character to the left

Left Arrow

Move one character to the right

Right Arrow

Move to the line above

Up Arrow

Move to the line below

Down Arrow

Move to the beginning of current or previous word

Option-Left Arrow

Move to the end of current or next word

Option-Right Arrow

Move to the beginning of the current line

Command-Left Arrow

Move to the end of the current line

Command-Right Arrow

Move to the beginning of the current paragraph

Option-Up Arrow

Move to the end of the current paragraph

Option-Down Arrow

Scroll to the beginning of the document

Home

Move to the beginning of the document

Command-Up Arrow

Scroll to the end of the document

End

Move to the end of the document

Command-Down Arrow

Selecting text

Select one or more characters

Click in front of the first character and drag across the characters you want to select

Select a word

Double-click the word

Select a paragraph

Triple-click in the paragraph

Select all inline text and objects

Command-A

Deselect all inline text and objects

Shift-Command-A

Extend text selection

Click in the text, then Shift-click in another location in the text

Extend selection one character to the right

Shift-Right Arrow

Extend selection one character to the left

Shift-Left Arrow

Extend selection to end of current word

Shift-Option-Right Arrow

Extend selection to beginning of current word

Shift-Option-Left Arrow

Extend selection to end of current line

Shift-Command-Right Arrow

Extend selection to beginning of current line

Shift-Command-Left Arrow

Extend selection to the line above

Shift-Up Arrow

Extend selection to the line below

Shift-Down Arrow

Extend selection to beginning of the current paragraph

Shift-Option-Up Arrow

Extend selection to end of the current paragraph

Shift-Option-Down Arrow

Extend selection to beginning of text

Shift-Command-Up Arrow or
Shift-Home

Extend selection to end of text

Shift-Command-Down Arrow or
Shift-End

Select multiple words or blocks of text that are not next to each other

Select the first text you want, and then select additional text while holding down the Command key

Formatting text

Show fonts window

Command-T

Show styles drawer

Shift-Command-T

Bold

Command-B

Italic

Command-I

Underline

Command-U

Delete previous character or selection

Delete

Delete the next character or selection

Del (not available on all keyboards)

Make font size bigger

Command-plus sign (+), command-equal sign (=)

Make font size smaller

Command-minus sign (-)

Make text superscript

Control-Command-plus sign (+)

Make text subscript

Control-Command-minus sign (-)

Align text flush left

Command-{

Center text

Command-|

Align text flush right

Command-}

Align text flush left and flush right (justify)

Option-Command-|

Decrease list indent level

Command-[

Increase list indent level

Command-]

Edit hyperlink text without disabling hyperlinks

Arrow keys into hyperlink text

Cut

Command-X

Copy

Command-C

Copy paragraph style

Option-Command-C

Copy character style

Option-Shift-Command-C

Paste

Command-V

Paste character or paragraph style

Option-Command-V

Paste and match style of destination text

Option-Shift-Command-V

Insert non-breaking space

Option-Space bar

Insert line break (soft return)

Shift-Return

Insert page break

Command-Enter

Insert paragraph break

Return

Manipulating fixed objects

"Draw" a fixed shape, table, or chart

Option-click the Objects toolbar button; choose Shapes, Table, or Chart; then drag to size

Select all fixed objects

Select one fixed object and press Command-A

Deselect all fixed objects

Select one fixed object and press Command-Shift-A

Select or deselect additional objects

Command-click, Shift-click

Add range to (or remove it from) selection

Shift-drag, Command-drag

Move selected object one point

Arrow key

Move selected object ten points

Shift-Arrow key

Send object to the back

Shift-Command-B

Send object one layer back

Option-Shift-Command-B

Bring object to the front

Shift-Command-F

Bring object one layer forward

Option-Shift-Command-F

Group objects

Option-Command-G

Ungroup objects

Option-Shift-Command-G

Lock objects

Command-L

Unlock objects

Option-Command-L

Duplicate object

Command-D, Option-drag

Constrain movement of object to 45º

Shift-drag

Resize object

Drag handle

Resize object from center

Option-drag handle

Constrain aspect ratio when resizing object

Shift-drag handle

Constrain aspect ratio when resizing object from center

Option-Shift-drag handle

Rotate object

Command-drag handle

Rotate object 45º

Shift-Command-drag handle

Rotate object around opposite handle (instead of center)

Command-Option-drag handle

Rotate object 45º around opposite handle (instead of center)

Shift-Command-Option-drag handle

Turn off alignment guides

Command-drag

Mask or unmask object

Shift-Command-M

Exit mask mode

Return, Command-Return, Enter, double-click

Reenter mask mode

Double-click the masked image

Open shortcut menu for selected item

Control-click

Exit text edit mode and select object

Command-Return

Working with tables

Select all table borders or cell content, depending on initial selection

Command-A

Delete selected table, border or border segment, or contents of selected cells

Delete

Constrain the movement of the table and snap to guides

Shift-drag table

Switch contents of selected cell with contents of destination cell

Drag selected cell to another cell

Copy contents of selected cell into destination cell

Option-drag selected cell to another cell

Extend selection from selected cell to destination cell

Shift-click in destination cell

Select cell

Click cell of selected table or double-click cell of unselected table

Add cell to (or remove it from) selection

Command-click selected or unselected cell

Enter text edit mode

Return or enter (in cell selection mode)

Stop editing text and select cell

Command-Return or Command-click the cell (in text edit mode)

Select border

Click border of selected table or double-click border of unselected table

Add border to (or remove it from) selection

Command-click or Shift-click border

Select border segment

Option-click, Option-double-click if table isn't selected

Add border segment to (or remove it from) selection

Shift-Option-click border segment, Command-Option-click border segment

Move border or border segment to new position

Drag border or border segment

Move selected table, border, or border segment one point

Arrow keys

Move selected table, border, or border segment ten points

Shift-Arrow keys

Select next cell to the left, right, up, or down

Arrow keys (in cell selection mode)

Extend cell selection by one cell

Shift-Arrow keys (in cell selection mode)

Select text in next cell or if last cell is selected add a new row

Tab

Select text in previous cell

Shift-Tab

Stop editing cell and select the table

Command-Return (in cell selection mode)

Insert a tab

Option-Tab (in text edit mode)

Open table formatting menu for selected table or cells

Control-click table

Create a table by dragging

Option-click Objects in toolbar, choose Table, then drag to size

Open Formula Editor for selected non-formula cell

=

Open Formula Editor for cell containing formula or formatted number

=, Return, Enter, or double-click

In Formula Editor, save changes

Return, Enter, Accept button

In Formula Editor, discard changes

Escape, Cancel button

Editing chart data

Show or hide Chart Data Editor

Shift-Command-D

Complete a cell entry and move the selection down

Return

Complete a cell entry and move the selection up

Shift-Return

Complete a cell entry and move the selection to the right

Tab

Complete a cell entry and move the selection to the left

Shift-Tab

Move one character left, right, to the beginning of text (up), or to the end of text (down)

Arrows keys (in text edit mode)

Complete a cell entry and select the cell

Enter

Move one cell in a given direction

Arrows keys (in cell selection mode)

Move to the beginning of the row

Home

Move to the last nonblank cell at the end of the row

End

Extend the selection by one cell

Shift-Arrow keys

Extend the selection to the beginning of the row

Shift-Home

Extend the selection to the end of the row

Shift-End

Working with editable shapes

Make a custom shape editable

Click the shape, then click again

Move a point of an editable shape

Click point and drag to another location

Delete a point of an editable shape

Click point and press Delete

Add a point to an editable shape

Option-click the shape border where you want to add a point

Change a corner point of an editable shape into a curved point

Double-click the corner point

Change a curved point of an editable shape into a corner point

Double-click the curved point

Reshape the curve of an editable shape

Click a point on the curve and move the control handles

Thumbnail View

Show page thumbnails

Option-Command-P

Select section above current section

Up Arrow

Select section below current section

Down Arrow

Extend selection from current section to section above

Shift-Up Arrow

Extend selection from current section to section below

Shift-Down Arrow

Move between pages

Page Up and Page Down

Select first section

Home

Select last section

End

Select all sections

Command-A

General

Open new document (You can choose the type of document you want to open in Pages Preferences.)

Command-N

Open existing document

Command-O

Save

Command-S

Save as

Shift-Command-S

Print

Command-P

Page setup

Shift-Command-P

Pages help

Command-?

Find

Command-F

Find next

Command-G

Find previous

Shift-Command-G

Use selection for find

Command-E

Scroll to found selection

Command-J

Show search sidebar

Option-Command-F

Check spelling

Command-semicolon (;)

Show spelling window

Command-colon (:)

Zoom in

Command->

Zoom out

Command-<

Close window

Command-W

Minimize window

Command-M

Show preferences

Command-comma (,)

Show Inspector window

Option-Command-I

Show document rulers

Command-R

Show layout

Shift-Command-L

Show formatting characters (invisibles)

Shift-Command-I

Show colors window

Shift-Command-C

Hide Pages

Command-H

Hide other windows

Option-Command-H

Quit Pages

Command-Q