Professional's Guide to Project Prowess: Keyboard Tips

Professional’s Guide to Project Prowess: Keyboard Tips

Microsoft Project is a powerful project management program that helps you plan and manage your projects. It provides you with the ability to create detailed timelines, assign tasks, manage resources, and share project status updates with stakeholders.

To help you make the most of this tool, Microsoft Project offers a variety of keyboard shortcuts you can use to speed up processes and reduce mundane work. This guide lists the most useful Microsoft Project keyboard shortcuts and explains how to use them for maximum efficiency.

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Microsoft Project Keyboard Shortcuts

Here are some shortcuts that you may need frequently to use in Microsoft Project:

1. Open a Project File

Ctrl + O: It is important to keep track of all projects that are being worked.

2. Save a Project File

Ctrl + S: It is essential to save all changes made to a project often as it helps to keep track of and prevent data loss.

3. Create a Task

Ctrl + T: This will open up a new task window and allow you to enter the necessary information for their project.

4. Close the Program Window

Alt + F4: This will instantly close the Microsoft Project window and end the current session.

5. Open a New Window

Shift + F11: This will open up a blank window that can be used for any tasks or projects that need to be created.

Alt + Spacebar: This will open up the project control menu, which can be used to manage the various aspects of a project.

7. Show Task Information

Shift + F2: This will open up a window with detailed information about any selected tasks.

9. Turn On or off Auto Calculate

Ctrl + F : This will enable or disable the auto-calculate feature, which automatically updates any changes made to a project.

10. Clear or Reset the Selected Field

Ctrl + Del: This will clear any data that is currently entered in the selected field and reset it to its default value.

11. Copy the Selected Data

Ctrl + C: This will automatically copy the data that is currently selected and allow it to be pasted into any other location.

12. Cut the Selected Data

Ctrl + X: This will remove the data from its current location.

13. Set the Task to Auto Schedule

Ctrl + Shift + Alt: This will enable the auto-schedule feature for any selected tasks, which automatically updates the schedule based on any changes that are made.

14. Set the Task To Manually Schedule

Ctrl + Alt + M: This will enable the manual schedule feature for any selected tasks, which requires users to manually update the schedule.

If you like using your keyboard to get around your productivity suite, check outwhat KeyTips in Microsoft Office are and what they do .

Overview of All the Microsoft Project Shortcuts

Here is a quick cheat sheet of all the essential shortcuts for Microsoft Project:

Shortcut Key	Action
General Commands
Open a project file	Ctrl + O
Save a project file	Ctrl + S
Create a new project	Ctrl + N
Navigate views and windows
Activate the entry bar	F2

Activate the menu bar	F10 or Alt
Activate the project control menu	Alt + Spacebar
Activate the split bar	Shift + F6
Close the program window	Alt + F4
Display all filtered tasks or all filtered resources	F3
Display the Field Settings dialog box	Alt + F3
Open a new window	Shift + F11

Reduce a selection to a single field	Shift + Backspace
Reset sort order to ID order and turn off grouping	Shift + F3
Select a drawing object	F6
Display task information	Shift + F2
Display resource information	Shift + F2
Display assignment information	Shift + F2
Turn on or off the Add To Selection mode	Shift + F8

Turn on or off Auto Calculate	Ctrl + F9
Turn on or off the Extend Selection mode	F8
Move left, right, up, or down	Alt + Arrow keys
Outline a project
Hide subtasks	Alt + Shift + Hyphen (-)
Indent the selected task	Alt + Shift + Right arrow key
Show subtasks	Alt + Shift + Equal sign (=)

Show all tasks	Alt + Shift + Asterisk (*)
Remove a task indent	Alt + Shift + Left arrow key
Edit in a Sheet View
Cancel an entry	Esc
Clear or reset the selected field	Ctrl + Delete
Copy the selected data	Ctrl + C
Cut the selected data	Ctrl + X

Delete the selected data	Delete
Fill down a column	Ctrl + D
Display the Find dialog box	Ctrl + F
Link tasks	Ctrl + F2
Paste the copied or cut data	Ctrl + V
Reduce the selection to one field	Shift + Backspace
Undo the last action	Ctrl + Z

Unlink tasks	Ctrl + Shift + F2
Set the task to manually schedule	Ctrl + Shift + M
Set the task to auto schedule	Ctrl + Shift + A
Move in a Sheet View
Timescale left	Alt + Left arrow key
Timescale right	Alt + Right arrow key
Beginning of a project	Alt + Home

End of a project	Alt + End
First field in a row	Ctrl + Left arrow key
To the first row	Ctrl + Up arrow key
First field of the first row	Ctrl + Home
Last field in a row	Ctrl + Right arrow key
Last field of the last row	Ctrl + End
To the last row	Ctrl + Down arrow key

Extend the selection in a Sheet View
Down one page	Shift + Page down
Up one page	Shift + Page up
Down one row	Shift + Down arrow key
Up one row	Shift + Up arrow key
First field in a row	Shift + Home
Last field in a row	Shift + End

Start of the information	Ctrl + Shift + Home
End of the information	Ctrl + Shift + End
To the first row	Ctrl + Shift + Up arrow key
To the last row	Ctrl + Shift + Down arrow key
To the first field of the first row	Ctrl + Shift + Home
To the last field of the last row	Ctrl + Shift + End
Select all rows and columns	Ctrl + Shift + Spacebar

Select a column	Ctrl + Spacebar
Select a row	Shift + Spacebar
Move within a selection down one field	Enter
Move within a selection up one field	Shift + Enter
Move within a selection right one field	Tab key
Move within a selection left one field	Shift + Tab
Select and edit in the entry bar

Accept an entry	Enter
Cancel an entry	Esc
Delete one character to the left	Backspace
Delete one character to the right	Delete
Delete one word to the right	Ctrl + Delete
Extend the selection to the end of the text	Shift + End
Extend the selection to the start of the text	Shift + Home
Turn on or off Overtype mode	Insert

Get the Most Out of Microsoft Project

Here you will find a comprehensive overview of the most common Project keyboard shortcuts to help you get more done. These shortcuts can help you save time while using Microsoft Project and focus on the relevant tasks at hand.

Win11