WordPress has some handy keyboard shortcuts that you can use to speed up your writing and managing your comment section more easily without using your mouse. They are such a huge time saver! If you take the time to learn all these shortcuts, you will save yourself a lot of time and effort in the long run.
Without any further ado, here they are.
Note: You can also see the full list of WordPress shortcuts available for your laptop/PC by clicking on the question mark icon from the editor menu, or by using the shortcut Shift+Alt+h (for windows) / Ctrl+ Alt+h (for mac).
1) Basic Shortcuts (ctrl + letter)
| Action | Windows Shortcut | Mac Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Cut | Ctrl + x | cmd + x |
| Copy | Ctrl + c | cmd + c |
| Paste | Ctrl + v | cmd + v |
| Select All | Ctrl + a | cmd + a |
| Bold | Ctrl + b | cmd +b |
| Italic | Ctrl + i | cmd + i |
| Undo | Ctrl + z | cmd + z |
| Redo | Ctrl + y | cmd + y |
| Underline | Ctrl + u | cmd + u |
| Inset/edit link | Ctrl + k | cmd + k |
| Save draft | Ctrl + s | cmd + s |
2) Keyboard shortcuts for Headings
| Action | Windows Shortcut | Mac Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Heading1 | Shift + Alt + 1 | Ctrl + Alt + 1 |
| Heading2 | Shift + Alt + 2 | Ctrl + Alt + 2 |
| Heading3 | Shift + Alt + 3 | Ctrl + Alt + 3 |
| Heading4 | Shift + Alt + 4 | Ctrl + Alt + 4 |
| Heading5 | Shift + Alt + 5 | Ctrl + Alt + 5 |
| Heading6 | Shift + Alt + 6 | Ctrl + Alt + 6 |
3) Additional shortcuts
| Action | Windows Shortcut | Mac Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Check Spelling (if spelling check is activated) | Shift + Alt + n | Ctrl + Alt + n |
| Align Left | Shift + Alt + l | Ctrl + Alt + l |
| Justify Text | Shift + Alt + j | Ctrl + Alt + j |
| Align Center | Shift + Alt +c | Ctrl + Alt + c |
| Strikethrough | Shift + Alt + d | Ctrl + Alt + d |
| Align Right | Shift + Alt + r | Ctrl + Alt + r |
| Unordered List | Shift + Alt + u | Ctrl + Alt + u |
| Insert link | Shift + Alt + a | Ctrl + Alt + a |
| Numeric List | Shift + Alt + o | Ctrl + Alt + o |
| Remove link | Shift + Alt + s | Ctrl + Alt + s |
| Quote | Shift + Alt + q | Ctrl + Alt + q |
| Insert Image | Shift + Alt + m | Ctrl + Alt + m |
| Full screen distraction free writing mode | Shift + Alt + w | Ctrl + Alt + w |
| Insert More Tag | Shift + Alt + t | Ctrl + Alt + t |
| Add or remove code tag | Shift + Alt + x | Alt + Shift + x |
| Insert Page Break tag | Shift + Alt + p | Ctrl + Alt + p |
| Rich text editor help | Shift + Alt + h | Ctrl + Alt + h |
| Switch to text editor | Shift + Alt + e | Ctrl + Alt + e |
| Show/Hide Kitchen Sink toolbar options | Shift + Alt + z | Ctrl + Alt + z |
| Publish the post | Shift + Alt + p | Ctrl + Alt + p |
4) Keyboard shortcuts for Comments section
Keyboard shortcuts for comment section are disabled by default. To enable these keyboard shortcuts you need to go to Users » Your Profile and check Keyboard Shortcuts check box.
- a approves the currently selected comment.
- s marks the current comment as spam.
- d moves the comment to the trash (WordPress 2.9) or deletes the current comment.
- z restores the current comment from the trash or activates the Undo when that row is selected.
- u unapproves the currently selected comment, placing it back into moderation.
- r initiates an inline reply to the current comment (you can press Esc to cancel the reply).
- q activates “Quick Edit” which allows for rapid inline editing of the current comment.
- x marks/unmarks the checkbox of the selected comment.
Comment navigation shotcuts
- j move to next comment
- k move to previous comment
- e navigates to the edit screen for the current comment
Shortcuts to perform bulk action on comments
- Shift + X = (Bulk Select) checks all boxes
- Shift + A = (Bulk Approval) Approves the selected comments
- Shift + D = (Bulk Delete) Deletes the selected comments
- Shift + U = (Bulk Reject) Unapprove the selected comments and put them back into moderation.
- Shift + T = (Bulk Trash) Move selected comments to trash
- Shift + Z = (Bulk Undo) Restore selected comments from trash
- Shift + S = (Bulk Spam)
If you know of any other shortcuts, let us know in the comments.