OpenOffice has a general set of keyboard shortcuts, available in all components, and a software component-specific set (Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, and Base). This guide includes most of the common general shortcuts. Good luck.
Function key shortcuts
| Shortcut Keys | Action |
| F1 | Starts the OpenOffice Help. In the OpenOffice Help: jumps to main help page. |
| Shift+F1 | Activates What’s This? (extended tip) help for themouse pointer, which turns into a question mark.Move the pointer over an item (command, icon or control) to view the extended tip. |
| Shift+F2 | Displays an extended tip for the item (command, icon or control) currently selected by using the keyboard. |
| Ctrl+F4 or Alt+F4 | Closes the current document. Closes OpenOffice when the last open document is closed. |
| F5 | Opens the Navigator window. |
| F6 | Sets focus in next subwindow. |
| Shift+F6 | Sets focus in previous subwindow. |
| F10 | Activates the first menu (File menu). |
| Shift+F10 | Opens the context (pop-up) menu. |
| F11 | Opens the Styles and Formatting window. |
General shortcut keys for OpenOffice
| Shortcut | Action |
| Enter | Activates the focused button in a dialog. |
| Esc T | Terminates the action or dialog. If in OpenOffice Help: goes up one level. |
| Spacebar | Toggles the focused checkbox in a dialog. |
| Arrow keys | Changes the active control field in an option section of a dialog |
| Tab | Advances focus to the next section or element in a dialog. |
| Shift+Tab | Moves the focus to the previous section or element in a dialog. |
| Alt+Down Arrow | Opens the list of the control field currently selected in a dialog. This shortcut applies to combo boxes and to icon buttons with pop-up menus. Close an opened list by pressing the Esc key. |
| Del | Deletes the selected items into the recycle bin. |
| Shift+Del | Deletes the selected items without putting them in the recycle bin. |
| Backspace | When a folder is shown: goes up one level (goes back). |
| Ctrl+M | Removes direct formatting from selected text or objects (as in Format > Default Formatting). |
| Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V | Pastes unformatted text from the clipboard. The text takes on the format that exists at the insertion point. |
| Enter (if an OLE object is selected) | Activates the selected OLE object. |
| Enter (if a drawing object or text object is selected) | Activates text input mode. |
| Ctrl+O | Opens a document. |
| Ctrl+S | Saves the current document. |
| Ctrl+N | Creates a new document. |
| Shift+Ctrl+N | Opens the Templates and Documents dialog. |
| Ctrl+P | Prints the document. |
| Ctrl+Q | Exits the application. |
| Ctrl+X | Cuts the selected items. |
| Ctrl+C | Copies the selected items. |
| Ctrl+V | Pastes from the clipboard. |
| Ctrl+Shift+V | Opens the Paste Special dialog. |
| Ctrl+A | Selects all. |
| Ctrl+Z | Undoes last action. |
| Ctrl+Y | Redoes last action. |
| Ctrl+Shift+Y | Repeats last command. |
| Ctrl+F | Calls the Find & Replace dialog. |
| Ctrl+Shift+F | Searches for the last entered search term. |
| Ctrl+Shift+J | Toggles the view between fullscreen mode and |
| normal mode in Writer or Calc. | |
| Ctrl+Shift+R | Refreshes (redraws) the document view. |
| Ctrl+Shift+I | Enables or disables the selection cursor in read-only text |
| Ctrl+I | Applies the Italic attribute to the selected area or the word in which the cursor is positioned. |
| Ctrl+B | Applies the Bold attribute. |
| Ctrl+U | Applies the Underlined attribute. |