We love shortcuts. It may seem trivial, but when you move your hand from your keyboard to use your mouse and then return again, it wastes time.

Repeat it dozens of times every day for a year or more, and you will find that there are a lot more things that you could invest your time instead.

If you are using WordPress and want to save time and be more productive, you are in the right place.

There are WordPress keyboard shortcuts to use in the post editor to speed up your writing workflow, shortcuts for the new Gutenberg editor to get your post done there faster, and shortcuts for the comments section to be able to manage them faster.

The best part is that many of these shortcuts are the same as the shortcuts in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, so you don’t have to worry about learning new shortcuts and mess them with other keyboard shortcuts. :)

Now let’s see the WordPress shortcuts that you can use to speed up your process.

WordPress Keyboard Shortcuts for Post Editor

These shortcuts can save you a lot of time when you are creating new content in your WordPress editor.

As I said, you will find that most of them are familiar as they are the same as other writing programs. And if you love the idea of using shortcuts, just like I do, then this is for you.

There will be some specific WordPress shortcuts, but you are going to love them.

Windows Keyboard Shortcuts to Select Text

If you want to select text without using your mouse, here are the shortcuts to use if you are using a Windows PC.

• CTRL + A: use it to select all text in your post.
• Shift + Left/Right: If you want to select one letter to the right/left; keep clicking to continue selecting.
• CTRL + Shift + Right/Left: select one word to the right/left, keep clicking to continue selecting.
• CTRL + Shift + Up/Down: if you want to select one line above/below, without selecting word by word.
• Shift + Home: use it to select all text till the beginning of the current line you are writing at.
• Shift + End: use it to select all text till the end of the current line you are writing at.

Mac Keyboard Shortcuts to Select Text

Here are the shortcuts to select text if you are using a Mac keyboard.

• Cmd + A: use it to select all text in your post.
• Shift + Left/Right: If you want to select one letter to the right/left, keep clicking to continue selecting.
• Cmd + Shift + Right/Left: select one word to the right/left, keep clicking to continue selecting.
• Cmd + Shift + Up/Down: for selecting one line above/below, without selecting a word for word.
• Shift + Home: use it to select all text till the beginning of the current line you are writing at.
• Shift + End : use it to select all text till the end of the current line you are writing at.

Windows Shortcuts to Use Selected Text

After you select a text, here are shortcuts to use on your selected text to apply formating to it or edit it.

• CTRL + B: Bold.
• CTRL + I: Italicize.
• CTRL + U: Underline.
• CTRL + K: Insert a link.

• CTRL + C: Copy the selected text.
• CTRL + X: Cut the selected text.
• CTRL + V: Paste the selected text.
• CTRL + Shift + V: Paste the selected text without any formatting.

• ALT + Shift + L: Align left.
• ALT + Shift + R: Align right.
• ALT + Shift + C: Align center.
• ALT + Shift + J: Justify.
• ALT + Shift + D: Strikethrough.
• ALT + Shift + A: Insert a link.
• ALT + Shift + O: Starts an ordered list.
• ALT + Shift + U: Starts an unordered list.
• ALT + Shift + S: Removes a link.
• ALT + Shift + Q: Helps you create a quote from selected text.
• ALT + Shift + 2/3/4/5/6: to apply a heading tag without selecting it from the buttons above. 2 for heading 2 and so on.
• ALT + Shift + X: creates a code tag.

Most of these sound familiar, right?

Mac Shortcuts to Use Selected Text

Here are the shortcuts for your Mac:

• Cmd + B: Bold.
• Cmd + I: Italicize.
• Cmd + U: Underline.
• Cmd + K: Insert a link.

• Cmd + C: Copy the selected text.
• Cmd + X: Cut the selected text.
• Cmd + V: Paste the selected text.
• Cmd + Shift + V: Paste the selected text without any formatting.

• Option + CTRL + L: Align left.
• Option + CTRL + R: Align right.
• Option + CTRL + C: Align center.
• Option + CTRL + J: Justify.
• Option + CTRL + D: Strikethrough.
• Option + CTRL + A: Insert a link.
• Option + CTRL + O: Starts an ordered list.
• Option + CTRL + U: Starts an unordered list.
• Option + CTRL + S: Removes a link.
• Option + CTRL + Q: Helps you create a quote from selected text.
• Option + CTRL + 2/3/4/5/6: to apply a heading tag without selecting it from the buttons above. 2 for heading 2 and so on.
• Option + CTRL + X: Creates a code tag.

Other Formatting Shortcuts

These are not your typical keyboard shortcuts, but since it saves time, I added it here.

These make you format the text before writing it and then later selecting it to format it. This is way cooler, right?

These are the ones that I use most of the time.

Here are the formatting shortcuts already available:

• ## : applies H2 formatting for the text after that… write the text then click enter and it’ll be applied.
• ### : applies H3 formatting… add another # for H4 and so on.
• * : starts an unordered list; make sure to hit the space button.
• 1. : starts an ordered list; make sure to hit the space button.
• > : creates a blockquote of the text after it.
• — : creates a horizontal line.

Other Windows WordPress Shortcuts

These are other shortcuts that come in handy but not related to the above 2 categories.

• CTRL + Z: Undo your action.
• CTRL + Y: Redo your action.
• Shift + Enter: Move down in the editor one line without inserting a full line break.
• ALT + Shift + M: Use it to Add Media.
• ALT + Shift + W: Distraction Free Writing mode is enabled.
• ALT + Shift + T: Inserts a More tag.
• ALT + Shift + P: Inserts a page break.
• ALT + Shift + H: Opens the help screen.
• ALT + Shift + Z: Expands the WordPress Editor formatting bar.

Other Mac WordPress Shortcuts

These are the Mac shortcuts…

• Cmd + Z: Undo your action.
• Cmd + Y: Redo your action.
• Shift + Enter: Move down in the editor one line without inserting a full line break.
• Option + CTRL + M: Use it to Add Media.
• Option + CTRL + W: Distraction Free Writing mode is enabled.
• Option + CTRL + T: Inserts a More tag.
• Option + CTRL + P: Inserts a page break.
• Option + CTRL+ H: Opens the help screen.
• Option + CTRL + Z: Expands the WordPress Editor formatting bar.

And if you want to see the shortcuts list, just make sure to use the Alt + Shift + h command (Option + Control + h for Mac). No one expects you to remember them all in one sitting. I recommend you to integrate one shortcut after the other until they are ingrained in your brain. I don’t use them all yet.

Also Check: Best Productivity Tips for Bloggers

WordPress Keyboard Shortcuts for Gutenberg

Gutenberg is the new editor in WordPress after the 5.0 release. It enables you to add blocks whether it’s a text, an image or anything, to give you more customization options and more flexibility on how your post will look at the end.

And since it is gaining popularity really fast, here are some of the shortcuts for the Gutenberg editor.

Note that most of the text selection and text formatting shortcuts are the same in this editor, SO I won’t repeat them here. 

First of all, if you want to switch between the code editor and the block editor, just use this shortcut.

• For Windows: CTRL + Shift + ALT + M
• For Mac: Cmd + Shift + ALT + M

Once you are in the block editor, you can now use these commands:

• / : These help you insert a block quickly; start typing the name of the block and then select it once you see it
• Enter: After you create a block, click enter, and you will then be able to add another block right away. Start typing the name, then select the block once you see it.

Shortcuts for Windows

• Ctrl + Shift + D : instantly duplicate the selected block(s).
• Ctrl + Alt + T : insert a new block before the selected block(s).
• Ctrl + Alt + Y : insert a new block after the selected block(s).
• Alt + Shift + Z : remove the selected block(s).

• Ctrl + Shift + , : show or hide the settings bar.
• Ctrl + Shift + Z : redo your last undo.
• Alt + Shift + N : navigate to the next part of the editor.
• Alt + Shift + P : navigate to the previous part of the editor.
• Alt + Shift + O : open the block navigation menu.
• Alt + F10 : navigate to the nearest toolbar.

Shortcuts for Mac

• Cmd + Shift + D : instantly Duplicate the selected block(s).
• Cmd + Option + T : insert a new block before the selected block(s).
• Cmd + Option + Y : insert a new block after the selected block(s).
• CTRL + Option + Z : remove the selected block(s).

• Cmd + Shift + , : show or hide the settings bar.
• Cmd + Shift + Z : redo your last undo.
• Option + CTRL + N : navigate to the next part of the editor.
• Option + CTRL+ P : navigate to the previous part of the editor.
• Option + CTRL + O : open the block navigation menu.
• Fn + Option + F10 : navigate to the nearest toolbar.

WordPress Keyboard Shortcuts for Comment Section

No one can disagree that managing comments is one of the more tedious jobs a blogger needs to do, especially when your blog starts to gain traction. Anything to make it less painful and time-consuming would be appreciated, right?

Luckily for you, there are shortcuts to use when managing your comments. The thing is that, by default, they are disabled. Here is how to enable them first:

• In your dashboard, go to Users -> Your Profile.
• Make sure that the box next to Keyboard Shortcuts asking you to Enable it is checked.
• Save and you are good to go.

The shortcuts available for you to manage comments faster are:

• J : Move to next comment.
• K : Move to the previous comment.
• D : Delete the comment.
• A : Approve the comment & publish it.
• U : Unapprove the comment.
• R : Reply to the comment.
• Q : Quick edit a comment with ease.
• Z : Undo your action for deleting a comment or restore a comment from Trash if you changed your mind.

These are the basic commands. What if you want to do the same action for multiple comments?

The first step is to select the comments you want to do that action for. Just Press X to check a comment, then press J or K to move to next or previous comment as mentioned above.

Once you have multiple comments selected, hit shift before the letter to perform multiple actions at once. So in brief, here are the shortcuts to perform bulk actions:

• Shift + A : approve selected comments & publish them.
• Shift + D : delete selected comments.
• Shift + U : Unapprove selected comments.
• Shift + T : Move checked comments to trash.
• Shift + Z : Restore the selected comments from trash again.

Last Words

Blogging is a marathon, not a sprint. Anything you can learn now to save you time will be beneficial over the long term. It may sound like nothing now, but your workflow will be much more convenient over the long term.

Yes, it will take time to remember these shortcuts and actually remember to use them instead of your old habit of using your mouse and doing the action. That is why you start with a few simple shortcuts and then every other post, add more shortcuts. The most important part is to remember to use them.

Which are your favorite shortcuts? Which do you think are most useful? Share them below in the comments.