Legal technology
Top 25 Microsoft Word tips and shortcuts for lawyers
Twenty-five Microsoft Word shortcuts and functions that make a real difference to how fast and cleanly lawyers work.
The short version
Beyond copy-paste and undo, a handful of Word functions save lawyers hours: Split view and Alt+← / Alt+→ to navigate cross-references, Shift+F3 to toggle capitalisation, Shift+F5 to jump to your last edit, Ctrl+Shift+8 to show formatting marks, Ctrl+Shift+C/V to copy formatting, Ctrl+A then F9 to update all cross-references, and Review → Compare to see what changed between versions.
As a projects lawyer, I've spent a ridiculous amount of time using Microsoft Word. In case it helps any other lawyers or professionals that work with legal documents and want to save a bunch of hours, here are my fave functions and shortcuts (beyond the basics like copy + paste and undo — I'll add those at the end just in case).
I've set out these tips and shortcuts according to my most frequent uses of them in my work with contracts, but I think they can be applied to Microsoft Word work in any practice area.
My most-used functions are marked ⭐.
Reviewing / reading contracts
| No. | Function | How-to (Windows) | How-to (Mac) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ⭐ Split view to see different parts of the contract at the same time | Click on the “View” tab and choose either the “New Window” or “Split” option (depending on your personal preference). | Click on the “View” tab, click “Arrange” then choose either “New Window” or “Split” option (depending on your personal preference). |
| 2 | ⭐ Jump back-and-forth between automatic cross-references | Use “Alt + left key” after you’ve clicked the cross-reference. “Alt + right key” if you want to go back to the clicked cross-reference. | Use “Command + [“ after you’ve clicked the cross-reference. “Command + ]” if you want to go back to the clicked cross-reference. |
| 3 | Side-by-side scrolling for different documents | Click on the “View” tab, choose “View Side by Side”, select your other document and then click “Synchronous Scrolling”. | Click on the “Window” tab, select “Arrange”, then select “Tile Vertically” or “Tile Horizontally”. |
| 4 | Insert comment bubble | Ctrl + Alt + M | Command + Option+ A |
Drafting / amending contracts
| No. | Function | How-to (Windows) | How-to (Mac) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | ⭐ Toggle between capitalisations (e.g. “contract”, “Contract”, “CONTRACT”) | Shift + F3 | Shift + F3 |
| 6 | ⭐ Move cursor to most recent edit | Shift + F5 NB: You can also use this when you open a document to go to the last edit before it was closed. | Shift + Command + Z NB: You can also use this when you open a document to go to the last edit before it was closed. |
| 7 | Correct the autocorrect (no more “ACN” -> “CAN” or (c) -> ©) | “File” -> “Options” -> “Proofing” -> “Autocorrect Options” Edit the Autocorrect list with your own preferences | “Word” -> “Preferences” -> “Autocorrect” Edit the Autocorrect list with your own preferences |
| 8 | Highlight | Ctrl + Alt + H | Control + Option + H |
| 9 | Find and replace text | Ctrl + H | Control + H |
| 10 | Update all automatic x-refs | Select all (“Ctrl + A”) then press “F9” NB: You can then search “error” and “clause 0” to check for any broken cross references. | Select all (“Command + A”) then press “F9” NB: You can then search “error” and “clause 0” to check for any broken cross references. |
Proofreading / formatting contracts
| No. | Function | How-to (Windows) | How-to (Mac) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | ⭐ See the formatting icons (e.g. page break, double spaces etc.) | Ctrl + Shift + 8 | Command + 8 |
| 12 | ⭐ Copy formatting from another document (or part of the same document) | “Ctrl + Shift + C” to copy the style “Ctrl + Shift + V” to paste the style | “Command + Shift + C” to copy the style “Command + Shift + V” to paste the style |
| 13 | Different paste options | Right click when choosing to paste content. There are options to: · keep source formatting; · merge formatting; · paste as picture; and · paste the text only (unformatted paste). | Command + Control + V Select the paste option you’d like to use |
| 14 | ⭐ Clear all formatting | Select text then “Ctrl + Space” | Select text then “Control + Space” |
| 15 | Turn tracking on / off | Ctrl + Shift + E | Command + Shift + E |
| 16 | Increase / decrease font size | “Ctrl + ]” or “Ctrl + [“ | Command +Shift + Right angle bracket (>) Command + Shift + Left angle bracket (<) |
| 17 | Create a page break | Ctrl + Enter | Command + Return |
| 18 | Keep certain parts of text on the same page (e.g. headings not split from the body text) | Select the text you’d like to keep together Right click and select “paragraph” Click the “line and page breaks” tab Select the “keep lines together” box | Select the text you’d like to keep together On the top menu, select “Format” Click “Paragraph” Under the “Pagination” section, select “keep lines together” |
| 19 | Read aloud | Select the text you’re reviewing Right click and choose the “read aloud” option | Select the text you’re reviewing On the top menu, select “Edit” -> “Speech” -> Start Speaking” |
| 20 | Autoformat | Ctrl + Alt + K NB: It’s worth giving this a go for simpler documents, but probably not ideal for larger / complex documents. | Command + Option + K |
Other useful tips
| No. | Function | How-to (Windows) | How-to (Mac) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | ⭐ Screenshot snip | Windows + Shift + S | Shift + Command + 5 |
| 22 | ⭐ See changes between versions of documents (compare) | “Review” -> “Compare” -> “Compare two version” Select the two document you would like to compare. | Tools -> Track Changes -> Compare Documents |
| 23 | Remove metadata (identifying information e.g. author, editing times, date created) | “File” -> “Info” -> “Check for Issues” -> “Inspect Document” Click “Document Properties and Personal Information” Click “Inspect” Click “Remove All” next to “Document Properties and Personal Information” | “File” -> “Properties” -> “Show Properties” Click “Check Document” or “Inspect Document” In the “Document Inspector” dialog box, select “Document Properties and Personal Information” Click “Inspect” To remove the identified properties and information, follow the provided instructions in the report. |
| 24 | Quick parts (for commonly used text, short emails etc) | Select text you’d like to save as a “Quick Part” Click “Insert” -> “Quick Parts” -> “Autotext” -> “Save selection to Autotext gallery” “Insert” -> “Quick Parts” -> “Autotext” to use the saved text | Select text you’d like to save as a “Quick Part” Click “Insert” -> “Text” -> “Save selection to Quick Part Gallery” and follow the prompts “Insert” -> “Text” -> “Quick Parts” to use the saved text |
| 25 | Create shortcuts | “File” -> “Options” -> “Customise Ribbon” Click the “Customise” button next to “Keyboard shortcuts” Follow the prompts to create your own. NB: a handy one is “Alt + C” to insert automatic cross references | “Tools” -> “Customise Keyboard” In the Categories list, select a tab name In the Commands list, select the command you want to assign a keyboard shortcut to “Press new keyboard shortcut” -> “Add” |
Bonus — basic shortcuts
| No. | Function | How-to (Windows) | How-to (Mac) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Copy | Ctrl + C | Command + C or F3 |
| 2 | Cut | Ctrl + X | Command + X or F2 |
| 3 | Paste | Ctrl + V | Command + V or F4 |
| 4 | Bold | Ctrl + B | Command + B |
| 5 | Italics | Ctrl + I | Command + I |
| 6 | Underline | Ctrl + U | Command + U |
| 7 | Undo | Ctrl + Z | Command + Z or F1 |
| 8 | Redo | Ctrl + Y | Command + Y |
| 9 | Open document | Ctrl + O | Command + O |
| 10 | New document | Ctrl + N | Command + N |
| 11 | Save document | Ctrl + S | Command + S |
| 12 | Select all | Ctrl + A | Command + A |
| 13 | Find | Ctrl + F | Command + I |
| 14 | Ctrl + P | Command + P |
Frequently asked questions
What are the most useful Word shortcuts for lawyers?
Shift+F3 (toggle capitalisation), Shift+F5 (jump to your last edit), Ctrl+Shift+8 (show formatting marks), Ctrl+Shift+C / Ctrl+Shift+V (copy and paste formatting), Ctrl+Space (clear formatting), and Ctrl+A then F9 (update all cross-references).
How do I quickly move between cross-references in a contract?
After clicking a cross-reference, press Alt+← to jump back to where you were and Alt+→ to return to the reference (Cmd+[ and Cmd+] on Mac) — no scrolling required.
How do I remove hidden metadata from a Word document before sending it?
File → Info → Check for Issues → Inspect Document, then under 'Document Properties and Personal Information' click Inspect and Remove All. This strips author names, editing times and other identifying data.
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