Changing Font Size Using a Shortcut Key

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated July 10, 2019)

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. Learn more about Allen...

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What is 6 - 3?

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.

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