Essential Outlook Keyboard Shortcuts for Blind Users

Navigating and managing emails efficiently is crucial for everyone, including blind users who rely on keyboard shortcuts to enhance their productivity. Microsoft Outlook offers a wide range of keyboard shortcuts designed to streamline tasks, making it easier to compose, read, and organize emails, as well as manage calendars and contacts. This guide provides a comprehensive list of the most important and popular keyboard shortcuts in Outlook, tailored to support blind users in their daily communication and scheduling needs.

 Frequently Used Shortcuts

• Create a new message or calendar event: Ctrl+N

• Open selected message in a new window: Shift+Enter

• Delete message or item: Delete

• Forward message: Ctrl+F

• Go to calendar: Ctrl+2

• Select the Reply All option: Ctrl+Shift+R

• Reply to email message: Ctrl+R

• Send email message: Ctrl+Enter

Navigation Shortcuts

• Move to the next item: Tab

• Move to the previous item: Shift+Tab

• Go to the Inbox: Ctrl+Shift+I

• Go to the Outbox: Ctrl+Shift+O

• Switch to Mail view: Ctrl+1

• Switch to Calendar view: Ctrl+2

• Switch to Contacts view: Ctrl+3

• Switch to Tasks view: Ctrl+4

Reading and Managing Emails

• Mark as read: Ctrl+Q

• Mark as unread: Ctrl+U

• Flag for follow-up: Ctrl+Shift+G

• Open the selected email: Enter

• Close the selected email: Esc

• Move to the next email: Ctrl+Period

• Move to the previous email: Ctrl+Comma

Editing and Formatting Text

• Copy: Ctrl+C

• Cut: Ctrl+X

• Paste: Ctrl+V

• Undo: Ctrl+Z

• Redo: Ctrl+Y

• Bold: Ctrl+B

• Italic: Ctrl+I

• Underline: Ctrl+U

• Insert hyperlink: Ctrl+K

Calendar Shortcuts

• Create a new appointment: Ctrl+Shift+A

• Create a new meeting request: Ctrl+Shift+Q

• Go to today: Alt+H, O, D

• Go to the next day: Ctrl+Right Arrow

• Go to the previous day: Ctrl+Left Arrow

• Switch to Day view: Ctrl+Alt+1

• Switch to Work Week view: Ctrl+Alt+2

• Switch to Week view: Ctrl+Alt+3

• Switch to Month view: Ctrl+Alt+4

Accessibility Tools

• Open the Accessibility Checker: Alt+R, A, 1

• Use Narrator (Windows built-in screen reader): Ctrl+Windows+Enter

• Zoom in: Ctrl+Plus Sign (+)

• Zoom out: Ctrl+Minus Sign (-)

By Mohammad Zaripour