Hi, this is Deborah with LegalOfficeGuru.com, and today I'm going to show you how to create
a shortcut key for your most frequently used special characters and symbols.
First, we'll start on the Insert tab
and go over here to the extreme right
and click on Symbol.
You'll notice we're starting off using the same method we would for inserting a symbol via the Ribbon.
Here, though, once we select the symbol, we want to tell Microsoft Word what shortcut key
we want to use in the future to insert the same symbol without using the mouse.
As we click on Symbol, we're going to click on More Symbols to go into the dialog box.
Now, I will tell you, I often get a little frustrated trying to find the symbol I'm looking for.
That's what makes this Special Characters tab so convenient.
A lot of the most frequently-used symbols are located here.
If you can find the symbol you're looking for on the Special Characters tab, that's good news.
Otherwise, go back to the Symbols tab and drop down the Subset list to make searching a little easier.
Regardless of where you find the character you're looking for,
your next step will be to click on Shortcut Key.
Before we do that, though, let's look to the right of that button.
If there's already a shortcut key assigned to that particular symbol, it will be listed here.
If that one is okay with you, just make a note of it and use that shortcut key in the future.
If there's nothing there or if you want to change it, though, click on Shortcut Key
to get to the Customize Keyboard dialog box.
Click your cursor into the "press new shortcut key" field
and then press the shortcut key of your choice.
Shortcut keys generally are combinations of Shift and/or Alt and/or Control plus a letter or number on your keyboard.
To use a Shortcut key, you would hold down the particular combination of Shift and/or Alt and/or Control,
then click the letter or number that goes with it.
So, now that our focus is in the "press new shortcut key" field,
I'm going to press Control+Shift+S
to make that the shortcut key for the section symbol.
If that particular shortcut key is already used by Microsoft Word for another command,
you'll see it listed underneath next to the phrase "currently assigned to".
Don't worry, you can still use that combination,
but Microsoft Word wants you to be aware that you'll be overwriting a current shortcut key assignment.
If that particular command is not something you care to have quick access to,
go ahead and click the Assign button,
and then click Close.
When you get back to the Symbol dialog box,
you'll see the shortcut key you assigned to that symbol listed near the bottom.
Click Close to go back to your document.
Go ahead and test your new shortcut key out.
I'm going to click on Control+Shift+S,
and voilà, a section symbol appears.
While this is all still fresh, you might want to set up shortcut keys for more of your frequently used symbols,
then take a moment to write down your new shortcut keys on a sticky note to attach to your computer monitor.
It probably won't be long before you'll be able to throw that sticky note away, though,
because you'll have memorized all your new shortcut keys and will be happily typing away,
never having to touch your mouse to insert those symbols ever again.
This has been Deborah with LegalOfficeGuru.com. Thanks for watching!