Navigating the Access 2021 ribbon with key tips
If you like keyboard shortcuts when you’re working with software, Access has a Key Tips feature that can help make entering data move more quickly. The following section describes how to use it:
- Press the Alt key. When you want to switch tabs and issue commands with the keyboard in Access (rather than with the mouse), press the Alt key. As shown in the following figure, pressing Alt causes numbers and letters to appear in small squares on the Quick Access Toolbar and the Ribbon’s tabs.
- Press a Key Tip to set the focus to that item (like C in this case for the Create tab). Key Tips appear for the item, as shown in the following figure.
- Press a Key Tip (like TN to create a new table). When you press one of the characters on your keyboard, the command assigned to the Key Tip runs.
Handy Access 2021 keyboard shortcuts
The following keyboard shortcuts are especially useful in Access. Some keystrokes work anywhere in Access, whereas others work only in specific views, as noted below.
| Keystroke | Function |
| F1 | Opens the Help window |
| Alt+F | Opens the File tab |
| Ctrl+N | Creates a new blank database |
| Ctrl+O | Opens an existing database |
| Ctrl+P | Opens the Print dialog box |
| F11 | Shows/hides the Navigation pane |
| F6 | Cycles through different areas of the program window |
| Alt+H | Displays the Home tab on the Ribbon |
| Alt+C | Displays the Create tab on the Ribbon |
| Alt+X | Displays the External Data tab on the Ribbon |
| Ctrl+S | Saves the current object in Design mode |
| Ctrl+C | Copies the selection to the Clipboard |
| Ctrl+V | Pastes the selection from the Clipboard |
| F12 | Opens the Save As dialog box |
| Ctrl+F4 | Closes the active document window |
| Alt+F4 | Closes the active application window |
| Ctrl+Z | Undoes the last operation |
| Ctrl+; | Inserts the current date |
| Ctrl+: | Inserts the current time |
| Ctrl+’ | Copies the same field data from the previous record |
| F2 | Toggles selecting all data in the field or placing the cursor in edit mode |
| F9 | Recalculates fields on a form or refreshes a lookup combo or list box |
| Ctrl+Enter | Inserts a line break in Datasheet and Form view |
| Ctrl+Enter | Opens the selected object from Navigation pane in Design view |
| Ctrl+ + | Inserts a new record |
| Ctrl+- | Deletes the current record |
| Right Arrow | Moves the selected control to the right in Design or Layout view |
| Left Arrow | Moves the selected control to the left in Design or Layout view |
| Down Arrow | Moves the selected control down in Design or Layout view |
| Up Arrow | Moves the selected control up in Design or Layout view |
| Shift+Right Arrow | Increases the selected control width in Design or Layout view |
| Shift+Left Arrow | Decreases the selected control width in Design or Layout view |
| Shift+Down Arrow | Increases the selected control height in Design or Layout view |
| Shift+Up Arrow | Decreases the selected control height in Design or Layout view |
| F4 | Toggles the property sheet window in Design view |
| Shift+F2 | Zooms in on the current field in Datasheet and Form view |