Keyboard shortcuts are still very much a part of Office, and they're now even easier to use. Just as it was possible to open a menu by pressing the Alt key and then the letter underlined in the menu name, the Alt key opens up the Ribbon without having to reach for the mouse. As soon as the Alt key is pressed, labels appear that show the required key for each tab.

The first 10 icons in the QuickAccess toolbar also have a shortcut using the number keys. Once the Ribbon shortcut key is pressed, its tab is displayed along with all the further shortcuts in that tab:' Some of the labels have two letters; in this case, press the keys one after another. For example, to fully justify the text in a paragraph, press Alt and H to select the Home tab, then press A and to justify the text. Notice that when A is pressed, the other icon labels disappear.

The Escape key moves the icon labels back one step. This is useful if the wrong tab is selected; press Esc and then the letter for the correct tab. It does not change the tab that has been selected, so if you want to continue typing, press Esc twice to remove the labels and return to editing the document. Alternatively, press Alt and either the left or right arrow key to scroll through the different tabs. Familiar shortcuts, such as pressing Ctrl and B together to embolden text, are still present. Quick formatting options will also appear after text is selected.

There's also good news for users who access Office 2003 menus and options with the keyboard; the key combinations will work in Office 2007. As the shortcuts are different, a message will appear on the Ribbon to alert that the old ones have been used. For example, press Alt, then T and W to show the full Word count report.