The Forgotten F-Keys: How F1–F12 Can Quietly Supercharge Your Day

Most of us rely on classic shortcuts like Ctrl + C or Command + Z, but few take full advantage of the F keys (those function keys running across the top of your keyboard).

These keys can dramatically speed up your workflow, whether you’re managing emails, editing documents, or just trying to stay organized.

Windows Function Keys

• F1 – Open Help in most programs
• F2 – Rename selected file or folder
• F3 – Search within an app or File Explorer
• F4 – Show address bar list or open search in Outlook
• F5 – Refresh or reload the current window
• F6 – Move through items on a screen or address bar
• F7 – Run a spell check (especially in Office apps)
• F8 – Access startup options (Advanced Boot Menu)
• F9 – Refresh Word documents or Send/Receive in Outlook
• F10 – Activate the menu bar in most applications
• F11 – Toggle full-screen mode in browsers and apps
• F12 – Open “Save As” in Office or Developer Tools in browsers

Microsoft 365 Function Keys

Word

• F1 – Open Help
• Shift + F3 – Change text case
• F4 – Repeat the last action
• F7 – Run spell and grammar check
• Shift + F7 – Open the thesaurus
• F12 – Save As

Excel

• F2 – Edit the active cell
• F4 – Repeat last action or toggle absolute cell reference
• F5 – Go To a specific cell
• F7 – Spell check
• F9 – Calculate all worksheets
• Shift + F11 – Insert a new worksheet

Outlook

• F4 – Find or Replace
• F9 – Send/Receive all mail
• F1 – Open Help

macOS Function Keys

• F3 – Mission Control (see all open windows)
• F4 – Launchpad (view all apps)
• F11 – Show desktop
• F12 – Dashboard (on older macOS versions)

Browser Function Keys (Chrome, Edge, Firefox)

• F5 – Refresh the current page
• Ctrl + F5 – Hard refresh (reload without cache)
• F11 – Enter or exit full-screen mode
• F12 – Open Developer Tools

Function keys might feel old-school, but they’re powerful. Each one eliminates a few seconds of clicking, and those seconds add up, especially if you spend your day in Word, Excel, or your browser.

Next time your hand reaches for the mouse, check if there’s an F key that can do it faster.

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