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Alt+2: Go up one Folder when in file dialog box (Office)
Yesterday, I mentioned you can press the Backspace key to move up a folder when you’re working with files.
For Microsoft Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), you can do the same thing with Alt+2.
Try it!
Suppose, for example, you’re viewing top-secret plans in Word, and want to save a copy of them on your Desktop. You’d do the following:
- Hit F12 to get the Save As dialog box.
- Alt+2 several times, until the Desktop is displayed. (Normally you’d instead hit Shift+Tab, then Backspace several times.)
- Type the file name you want and press Enter.
on August 16th, 2008 at 10:01 am
I’ll throw out that the Alt+2 doesn’t work in Vista/Office 2007,but alt-up arrow does.
Note as well that for some keyboard shotcuts (though not alt-up arrow), it matters whether you’re in the field where you type a file name, or you’re in the directory/folder list, when you use such commands. I’d suspect the backspace especially would be such a case, where in the backspace would do what it normally does, removing previous characters in a file name, but when on the folder list it may act as above (but again, not on my Vista/Office 2007 setup).
Hope that’s helpful to readers. Thanks as always for the keyboard shortcuts. Am a huge fan (of them and your site)..
on August 16th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Hmm. I’m still on Office 2003, so haven’t had a chance to verify these in Office 2007. But a directory list is a directory list, so Backspace should be universal.
You’re right about the focus mattering — hit Shift+Tab to get into the file list pane and then try Backspace. Let me know if that works, and I’ll clarify the original article.