Changing Font Size Using a Shortcut Key

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 10, 2019)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


11

One of the interesting shortcut keys in Word is the one that allows you to change the point size of a text selection. The shortcut key is Ctrl+Shift+P, but exactly how the shortcut functions depends on what you have displayed on the screen.

This may sound odd, but you can try it out. If you have the Formatting toolbar displayed (as most people do), then pressing Ctrl+Shift+P selects the Font Size control on the toolbar. You can then type the font size you want to use and press Enter. (Pretty handy if you don't want to take your hands off the keyboard.)

If you don't have the Formatting toolbar displayed for some reason, then it seems obvious that the Font Size control can't be selected—it isn't even visible. Instead, pressing Ctrl+Shift+P results in the Font dialog box being displayed, and the Size control being selected. Again, you can type the desired font size and simply press Enter.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1451) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Displaying Shortcut Keys in ScreenTips

ScreenTips can appear with or without shortcut keys displayed in them. Here's how to control whether they appear or not.

Discover More

Preventing the Left Margin of a Footer from Moving

When you print a document, does the position of the page footer seem to move left and right? This could have to do with ...

Discover More

Capitals After Colons

Do you want Word to always capitalize the first letter appearing after a colon? The program won't do it by default, but ...

Discover More

Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!

More WordTips (menu)

Replacing Quoted Text with Italics

If you have text surrounded by quotes in a document, you may want to remove the quote marks and make the text that was ...

Discover More

Embossing Text

Word can make your text look as if it has been embossed on the page.

Discover More

Creating Custom Underlines

Word provides a wide assortment of underlines that you can apply to your text. If the assortment isn't wide enough for ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 2 + 2?

2021-11-26 17:00:34

Robert E Brown

How can I create a keyboard shortcut that does a SERIES of things?
For example, I'd like to create a single keyboard shortcut that would
select a font (Calibri Body), size (14), intensity (bold) and color (dark green).

(I'm really tired of doing this manually 50+ times a day.)


2016-02-22 11:24:53

muhammadyaqoob pakistani

ctrl+shif+p is very interesting key in which we can fine text size, colour , style, underline, subscript, and superscript.live long PAKISTAN


2015-12-15 09:11:09

Nimish

ctrl+] to increase
ctrl+[ to decrease
can anyone tell me the shortcut of change font ....


2015-07-19 21:37:52

Abhay Dixit

ctrl+shift+> shortcut is very useful to me thanks


2015-05-10 13:26:29

PeterA

Pt 8 looks like pt 14
Can't reduce it any further


2015-01-15 04:10:38

mac

use your mouse


2015-01-02 04:39:10

yogendra

control+shift+>


2014-06-21 14:06:12

bala tauda

is help ful and i need more


2014-04-26 12:00:43

MRossMac

Thanks. Never knew that!


2014-04-26 11:23:16

Sam W

Or just the Ctrl+bracket keys ("[" or "]," usually next to "P")


2014-04-26 05:28:05

MRossMac

If it's just a selection of text whose point-size you want to change, you can also use Shift-Ctrl in conjunction with the < (downsize) or > (increase size) keys.


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.