35 Useful Keyboard Shortcuts for Microsoft Outlook
Outlook keyboard shortcuts can save a surprising amount of time when the app sits open all day, especially for anyone who already leans on Windows keyboard shortcuts to move faster.
The fastest wins usually come from repetitive actions: creating a new message, replying, forwarding, switching between Mail and Calendar, marking messages read, and moving through a busy inbox without touching the mouse. The same habit carries well into the rest of Office, especially if you have already set up custom keyboard shortcuts for Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.
This refreshed list focuses on shortcuts that are still broadly useful today, based mainly on Microsoft’s current support page for new Outlook for Windows. Older classic-Outlook-only shortcuts were removed instead of pretending they still apply everywhere.
Frequently Used Outlook Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + N | Create a new message or calendar event |
| Shift + Enter | Open the selected message in a new window |
| Delete | Delete the selected message or item |
| Ctrl + F | Forward a message |
| Ctrl + 2 | Go to Calendar |
| Ctrl + Shift + R | Reply all |
| Ctrl + R | Reply |
| Ctrl + Enter | Send a message |
| Alt | Open key tips |
| ? | Open keyboard shortcuts help |
Mail and Message Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + Y | Go to the Folder pane |
| Ctrl + Q | Mark the selected conversation or message as read |
| Ctrl + U | Mark the selected conversation or message as unread |
| Shift + Delete | Permanently delete the selected message or item |
| Insert | Flag a message or mark a flagged message as complete |
| Esc | Cancel a search |
| Ctrl + > | Go to the next message |
| Ctrl + < | Go to the previous message |
| Home or Ctrl + Home | Select the first message in the folder |
| End | Go to the bottom of a conversation or message |
| Home | Go to the top of a conversation or message |
| Page Down | Move down one page in a long conversation or message |
| Page Up | Move up one page in a long conversation or message |
Editing and Formatting Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + C | Copy |
| Ctrl + X | Cut |
| Ctrl + V | Paste |
| Ctrl + Z | Undo |
| Ctrl + Y | Redo the most recent action |
| Ctrl + Backspace | Delete the word to the left of the cursor |
| Ctrl + K | Insert a hyperlink |
| Ctrl + B | Bold text |
| Ctrl + I | Italic text |
| Ctrl + U | Underline text |
Calendar and People Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + 1 | Go to Mail |
| Ctrl + 2 | Go to Calendar |
| Ctrl + 4 | Go to People |
| Ctrl + N | Create a new calendar item or contact, depending on the current view |
| Alt + Shift + Y or Home | Go to today in Calendar |
| Ctrl + Alt + 1 | Switch to Day view |
| Ctrl + Alt + 2 | Switch to Work Week view |
| Ctrl + Alt + 4 | Switch to Month view |
| Ctrl + E | Search for a contact |
| Shift + E | Edit a contact or contact list |
Thoughts
Outlook still feels much faster once the core shortcuts become muscle memory.
Do not try to memorize everything at once. Start with the small set you use every day, then build from there. Another practical Outlook tweak is Outlook’s Undo Send feature.