How to Print a List of All Word Keyboard Shortcuts in Current Use

You need a printed list of the keyboard shortcuts you actually use in Word. Many online lists are generic and do not reflect the shortcuts you have customized or the add-ins you have installed that change key assignments. Word stores every current shortcut assignment in a single file, and you can print that file directly from the application. This article explains how to locate that file, print it, and handle common issues that prevent the list from printing correctly.

How Word Stores and Manages Keyboard Shortcuts

Word stores keyboard shortcut assignments in the Normal.dotm template and in any global template or add-in that is loaded. Each template can contain its own set of shortcut customizations. When you press a key combination, Word checks the active document first, then the attached template, then the Normal template, and finally any loaded global templates or add-ins. The first match wins. This layered system means that your current shortcut list is a composite of multiple sources. You cannot print a list of shortcuts for only one template. The Print button in the Customize Keyboard dialog displays the current effective assignments for all loaded templates and add-ins combined.

The shortcut list that Word generates is plain text. It includes every command that has a keyboard shortcut assigned, the key combination, and the template or add-in that defines it. The list does not show commands that have no shortcut assigned. If you have removed a default shortcut, that command will not appear in the printed list.

Prerequisites for Printing the Shortcut List

You need a working printer or a PDF printer driver installed in Windows. Word uses the default Windows printer to generate the shortcut list. If you do not have a physical printer, install the built-in Microsoft Print to PDF printer. To verify it is available, open Control Panel, go to Devices and Printers, and look for Microsoft Print to PDF. If it is missing, go to Settings > Apps > Optional features > Add a feature and install Microsoft Print to PDF.

Steps to Print the Word Keyboard Shortcut List

Follow these steps to print the full list of current keyboard shortcuts from Word. The steps are the same in Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2021, Word 2019, and Word 2016.

1. Open the Customize Keyboard dialog
   Click File > Options > Customize Ribbon. At the bottom of the Customize Ribbon pane, click the Keyboard shortcuts: Customize button. The Customize Keyboard dialog opens.
2. Locate the Print button
   In the Customize Keyboard dialog, look at the bottom-left corner. You will see a Print button. Do not click any other button yet. The Print button is small and easy to miss. It is not inside the Categories or Commands list.
3. Click the Print button
   Click the Print button. Word immediately sends the shortcut list to the default printer. No preview is shown. If your default printer is a physical printer, the list will print on paper. If your default printer is Microsoft Print to PDF, a Save As dialog will appear asking where to save the PDF file. Choose a folder and click Save.
4. Review the printed list
   The printed list contains three columns: Category, Command, and Key. The Category column shows the tab or group where the command is located. The Command column shows the name of the command as it appears in the Word object model. The Key column shows the key combination, for example Ctrl+Shift+S. If a command has multiple shortcuts, each shortcut appears on a separate row.

If the Print Button Does Not Work

On some versions of Word, the Print button in the Customize Keyboard dialog may be grayed out or may cause no action. This usually happens when the default printer is set to a network printer that is offline or when a printer driver is missing. To work around this issue, change your default printer to Microsoft Print to PDF temporarily. Open Windows Settings, go to Bluetooth and devices > Printers and scanners, select Microsoft Print to PDF, and click Set as default. Then repeat the steps above. After printing, change your default printer back to the original printer.

If the Shortcut List Is Missing or Incomplete

The Printed List Contains Only a Few Shortcuts

This happens when the Normal.dotm template is corrupted or when an add-in overrides many shortcuts without assigning replacements. To test, start Word in safe mode. Press Windows key + R, type winword /safe, and press Enter. In safe mode, open the Customize Keyboard dialog again and click Print. If the list is now complete, an add-in is interfering. Disable all add-ins by going to File > Options > Add-ins, click the Manage drop-down, select COM Add-ins, and clear all checkboxes. Restart Word normally and print the list again.

The Printed List Does Not Include Shortcuts I Added

If you assigned a shortcut to a command but that shortcut does not appear in the printed list, the shortcut may have been assigned in a template that is not currently loaded. Only shortcuts from the Normal template and currently loaded global templates appear in the list. To include shortcuts from a specific template, make sure that template is loaded before printing. Go to File > Options > Add-ins, click Manage: Word Add-ins, and verify the template is listed and checked. If the shortcut was assigned inside a document, it will not appear in the global shortcut list. Document-level shortcuts are not printable through this method.

Word Crashes When Clicking the Print Button

A crash when clicking the Print button usually indicates a corrupted printer driver or a conflict with a third-party PDF printer. Update your printer driver from the manufacturer’s website. If the problem persists, disable all non-Microsoft printer drivers in Windows Settings > Bluetooth and devices > Printers and scanners. Keep only Microsoft Print to PDF enabled. Run Word again and print the list. After printing, re-enable your other printers.

Item	Print button in Customize Keyboard	Manual creation in Word document
Data source	Live shortcut assignments from all loaded templates	Requires manual typing or copying from online lists
Accuracy	Always reflects current customizations and add-ins	May be outdated or miss custom assignments
Effort	One click	Time-consuming and error-prone
Output format	Plain text from printer or PDF	Fully editable Word document
Printer requirement	Working default printer or PDF printer driver	None

You can now print a complete list of every keyboard shortcut currently active in Word. If the list is missing shortcuts, check that the correct templates and add-ins are loaded before printing. For a more portable reference, use the Microsoft Print to PDF driver to save the list as a PDF file. To keep the list up to date, print it again after you customize any shortcut or install a new add-in.