Keyboard Guide

This listing is for Power PDF first explains how to use keyboard shortcuts, then it lists shortcuts according to functional areas, and lower down, according to keystrokes.

You can reach the tools of the application via shortcuts and hotkeys. Press <F6> to cyclically switch between areas, or press <Alt> to see hotkey letters for the elements of the ribbon set, Panel bar, View bar, Search bar and the Quick Access Toolbar. Once these are shown, press the letter (combination) of the tool you want to use. In the ribbon, you can also use the cursor arrows to navigate, or to move to other ribbons. To do this, press <Alt> so the ribbon tab comes into focus. Then with left and right arrows you can switch to previous and next ribbons. With the <Down Arrow> key you can move to the ribbon and you can navigate then between the buttons in the current ribbon.

When you choose a ribbon tab with the keyboard shortcut (for example <Alt> then <H> for Home – as shown above) you get access to all ribbon tools with the help of further key (combinations) – shown below. You may also reach the Quick Access toolbar from here, using the arrow keys. Use arrow keys or <Tab> to navigate within any toolbar.

You can step back to navigating the Ribbon tabs by pressing <Esc>.

The File menu works just as the Ribbon does: after pressing <Alt> then <F> you can either use hotkeys directly, or navigate with the cursor arrows among the options available under New (if there are no open documents) or Info (if a document is open). To access the root menu (New, Open, Save, etc) under File use the hotkeys or press <Alt> repeatedly: first to hide hotkeys then to show them again. This takes focus over to the root menu: now you can navigate this area with the cursor arrows.

Use the <F6> key to switch between the following panels (works with visible panels only):

• Ribbon bar (press (<Ctrl> + <F1> to show/hide)

• Panel bar

• View bar

• Search bar

• Document View.

Switching is cyclic, so Ribbon bar comes again after Document View.

Navigation in the Panel bar

The Panel bar (at the left) can be used without a mouse (or any pointing device), using the keyboard.

For a successful keyboard navigation apply the following:

• Press <F6> or <Alt> and the appropriate keyboard shortcut to switch between the ribbon area, Panel bar, View bar, Quick Access toolbar. (The icon or list item having focus is displayed with a gray background or with a color border.) Switch to the Panel bar.

• If there is no panel open, then press <Tab> to switch between Panel bar buttons. Press <Enter> to open or close a panel, when the focus is on the required panel button.

• As a panel in the Panel bar receives focus, the main list area will become active. Use the arrow keys to navigate in the panel.

• Press <Tab> to navigate to the panel toolbar on the top of the panel, the first toolbar button will become active. Press <Tab> again to move to the next toolbar button.

• By pressing <Tab> on the last toolbar button, you will go back to the Panel bar buttons on the right. Press <Tab> again to move to the main list area of the panel.

• Press <Enter> to activate the icon or list item currently having the focus.

Navigation in the View bar

The View bar (at the bottom) can be used without a mouse (or any pointing device), using the keyboard.

For a successful keyboard navigation apply the following:

• Press <F6> or use <Alt> and the appropriate keyboard shortcut to switch between the ribbon area, Panel bar, View bar, Quick Access toolbar. (The icon or list item having focus is displayed with a gray background or with a color border.) Switch to the View bar.

• Press <Tab> or <Right Arrow> to switch to the next View bar button. By pressing <Tab> on the last toolbar button, you will switch back to the first one.

• Press <Shift> + <Tab> or <Left Arrow> to switch to the previous View bar button. By pressing <Shift> + <Tab> on the first toolbar button, you will switch to the last one.

File menu hotkeys:

• <Alt> + <I>   - Info

• <Alt> + <N>  - New

• <Alt> + <O>  - Open

• <Alt> + <S>  - Save

• <Alt> + <A>  - Save As

• <Alt> + <P>  - Print

• <Alt> + <E>  - Export

• <Alt> + <H>  - Share

• <Alt> + <C>  - Close

• <Alt> + <T>  - Options

To reach any other tools while in the File menu press <Esc> then press <Alt>.

It is possible to navigate through the ribbon with arrow keys.

Keystrokes by functional areas

The following shortcuts and hotkeys can be used in the application:

Application shortcuts:

• <Ctrl> + <Q> - quits application

• <Alt> + <F4> - quits application

User interface shortcuts:

• <Ctrl> + <F1> - hides/shows the ribbon area

• <F9> - hides/shows both the tab bar and ribbon area

Document shortcuts:

• <Ctrl> + <N> - creates new blank document in advanced edit mode

• <Ctrl> + <Tab> - Moves to the next opened document in tabbed view

• <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <Tab> - Moves to the previous opened document in tabbed view

• <Ctrl> + <O> - opens the Open dialog box

• <Ctrl> + <S> - saves document

• <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <S> - saves as document

• <Ctrl> + <F4> - closes document

• <Ctrl> + <W> - closes document

• <Ctrl> + <P> - prints a document

• <Ctrl> + <D> - opens document properties

• <Ctrl> + <K> - opens the preferences console

• <Ctrl> + <F> - opens search document window

• <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <F> - opens search multiple documents dialog box

Operations shortcuts:

• <Ctrl> + <Y> - redoes last operation that can be redone

• <Ctrl> + <X> - cuts selected item to clipboard

• <Ctrl> + <C> - copies selected item from clipboard

• <Ctrl> + <V> - pastes item from clipboard

• <Ctrl> + <Z> - undo (in Advanced Edit mode), delete bookmarks (in Review mode)

• <Ctrl> + <A> - with Hand or Select tool, it selects all text in the document (or the current page if single page viewing is set)*.

• <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <A> - deselects all text or objects in the document. Does not work in annotation objects and in comments.

* If the Edit object tool is active,  it selects all objects on the current page.

Zoom shortcuts:

• <Ctrl> + <M> - opens a Zoom to window

• <Ctrl> + <1> - zooms to actual size

• <Ctrl> + <2> - zooms to page width

• <Ctrl> + <3> - zooms to fit visible

• <Ctrl> + <4> - zooms to page height

• <Ctrl> + <0> - zooms to fit page

• <Ctrl> + <-> - zooms out

• <Ctrl> + <+> - zooms in

• <Ctrl> + <L> - toggles between full screen and previous zoom value

View Page fit options:

• <Ctrl> + <0> - fit page

• <Ctrl> + <1> - actual size

• <Ctrl> + <2> - fit width

• <Ctrl> + <3> - fit visible

• <Ctrl> + <4> - fit height

Page shortcuts:

• <Ctrl> + <Page Up> - scrolls to top of previous page

• <Ctrl> + <Page Down> - scrolls to top of next page

• <Alt> + <Left arrow> - goes to previous view

• <Alt> + <Right arrow> - goes to next view

• <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <K> - tiles opened documents horizontally

• <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <L> - tiles opened documents vertically

• <Ctrl> + <U> - display/hide gridlines

• <Ctrl> + <Shift> +  <U> - toggles snap to grid mode that aligns objects to grid when object is moved

• <Ctrl> + <R> - toggles displaying rulers

Page dialog shortcuts:

• <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <I> - opens Insert pages dialog box

• <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <D> - opens Delete pages dialog box

• <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <X> - opens Extract pages dialog box

• <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <R> - opens Rotate pages dialog box

• <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <P> - opens Replace pages dialog box

• <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <N> - opens Add blank pages dialog box

Bookmark shortcut:

• <Ctrl> + <B> - creates a bookmark each time the key is pressed

Java script shortcut:

• <Ctrl> + <J> - opens JavaScript console

Read aloud tool shortcuts:

• <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <G> - reads text content from current page. Floating toolbar is displayed with tools to control reading.

Shortcut keys for the floating toolbar:

1.  <Esc> - stops reading

2. <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <Space> - pauses / continues reading

3. <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <Left arrow> - reads previous paragraph

4. <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <Right arrow> - reads next paragraph

5. <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <Page up> - reads previous page

6. <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <Page down> - reads next page

Keyboard Guide by keystrokes

For the keystrokes to drive Jaws, please consult Reading PDF.