Your friendly neighborhood copywriters don’t waste clicks. They use these keyboard shortcuts every day.

As much as I love writing and editing, I can’t stand the click-dropdown-select part.

I blame 7 years of charting as a nurse. And the rise of “no click” answer searchability, thanks to AI.

Some of these shortcuts might feels obvious, but they sure didn’t when I originally learned them. Plus, it helps me to have a personal glossary for reference.

I’m forever in debt to the nice internet folks who took the time to create step-by-step directions to my random problem. YouTube & how-to blogs are the backbone of everything I do. Maybe this humble post will give you that nugget of time-saving you never knew was in reach.

No questions asked, my most used (Mac) keyboard shortcuts are:

Copy shortcut: ⌘C

Paste shortcut: ⌘V

Undo shortcut: ⌘Z

Bold text shortcut: ⌘B

Underlined text shortcut: ⌘U

Italicized text shortcut: ⌘I

You bet I used them fifteen thousand million times for just this blog.

Don’t forget!

If you can’t remember a shortcut, but you CAN find it in the toolbar, hover to discover.

It’ll often reveal the keystrokes to the shortcut.

Here are my other favorites:

What’s the keyboard shortcut to view word count?

Select text, ⌘ + Shift + C

Select the text and key in the shortcut.

I base some of my work on length. I also need to view character count when I’m putting together stuff with limits, like meta descriptions.

Need to view the whole doc’s word count?

1. ⌘A (this selects everything)

2. ⌘ + Shift + C

What’s the keyboard shortcut to activate (Google doc) voice dictation?

⌘ + Shift + S

I’m telling you, it’s the ultimate time-saver for those first drafts. And brain dumps.

What’s the keyboard shortcut to change text format?

⌘ + ALT + (text number)

No more clicky-click-clicking through a million menu subcategories. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work for Title and Subtitle but I don’t use those super often.

• H1: ⌘ + ALT + 1

• H2: ⌘ + ALT + 2

• H3: ⌘ + ALT + 3

What’s the keyboard shortcut to find words/symbols in doc?

⌘F

Excellent for finding a section of a long doc. Or seeing if you’ve overused a word.

I also tag sentences with ELEPHANT when I need to add something later, like a link. That way, I just ⌘F and enter ELEPHANT to find all the places I bookmarked. 

What’s the keyboard shortcut to add a hyperlink to text?

⌘K

If you’ve already copied the link to your clipboard, adding a link is as simple as:

1. Select text you want to link

2. ⌘K

3. ⌘V

4. Enter/Return

What’s the keyboard shortcut to create an adjustable screenshot grid?

⌘ + Shift + 4

I’ll use this bad boy when I need screenshots of an example to include in a blog or client work.

What’s the keyboard shortcut to create a full-screen screenshot?

⌘ + Shift + 3

I’ll use this option when my screenshot needs to include something my mouse is hovering over. The screenshot automatically shows up on my desktop. I can then crop the image to what I need.

What’s the keyboard shortcut to create a strikethrough (crossed out text)?

⌘ + Shift + X

I use this to cross out notes, copy elements, or tasks I’m finished with but don’t want to forget.

For example, I’ll copy/paste a client’s email with copy requests into the doc. Then I’ll strike through the details I’ve covered.

What’s the keyboard shortcut to do superscript (small citation number)?

⌘ + .

Sometimes when I’m creating a blog (especially if my client is in the medical profession), I’ll format my references with a superscript that’s linked.

What’s the keyboard shortcut to pull up the emoji menu?

Control + ⌘ + Spacebar

It pulls up the good emoji menu 😘  The one with your recents. And the one that’s big enough to see.

I use this one for some of my client work that has emojis, like emails and social media ads. 

What’s the keyboard shortcut to zoom in your screen?

⌘+

The toolbar has preset options by the 25%. I don’t need to increase my screen in increments that dramatic.

⌘+ zooms in smaller increments. 110% is my sweet spot.

What’s the keyboard shortcut to zoom out your screen view?

⌘-

Zoomed in too much? Wanna set it back? Hit that subtract key. Finally, an intuitive shortcut.

What’s the keyboard shortcut to insert bullet points?

⌘ + Shift + 8

An internet friend just introduced me to this one, and I’m over the moon! I use bullets in everything I write.

• It makes your text not look like a brick.

• People who like to skim-read love it.

• It’s so much easier to organize my thoughts.

You can either use the shortcut to begin a bulleted list or create one out of existing text. Simply select the text you want to be in bullet points, then ⌘ + Shift + 8.

In the same vein, if you want your bullet points to be a numbered…

What’s the keyboard shortcut to insert a numbered list?

⌘ + Shift + 7

Again you can either use the shortcut to begin a numbered list or create one out of existing text. Simply select the text you want to in a numbered list, then key in ⌘ + Shift + 7.

And here’s a few things that can’t entirely be done with keyboard shortcuts…

but are still total life hacks:

What’s the shortcut to find & replace text in Google Docs?

Amazingly handy when I realize I’ve spelled a name/company/product wrong. Or consistently used an incorrect punctuation mark.

1. ⌘F

2. Click the ፧  symbol on the right-hand side (for more options)

3. Enter the replacement you want

4. Hit “replace all”

What’s the shortcut to create Title Case (make the first letters upper case) in Google Docs?

turn this lame headline formatting >> Into This Awesome Headline Formatting

1. Select “Text” (in the left-hand toolbar)

2. Select “Format”

3. Select “Capitalization”

4. Select “Title Case”

What’s the shortcut to the menu of special Symbols & Characters?

90% of the time I’m using it to find the ™ symbol. Or the right kind of dash.

1. Select “Insert” (in the left-hand toolbar)

2. Select “Special Characters”

3. Type out the symbol name (or if you don’t know the name, draw it in the box).

    Need a shortcut for your writing needs?

Yes? Then a copywriter is the magical life hack you’ve been looking for.

Writing all that website copy, email sequences, and readables is time-consuming. Plus, it’s a massive time sink if you delegate it to a team member that’s doing other valuable work.

If writing isn’t your work’s main squeeze…then it’s time to outsource.

You won’t believe the relief of getting that clean, on-time Google Doc with your brand-customized text, all ready to copy-paste.

Let’s chat! Pick a phone time here—I can’t wait to hear about your copy & content needs.