Excel Control P and Enter no longer works.

Question

When I use Ctrl + P it brings me to the print preview screen but instead of putting my curser on the print button (so I can just hit enter and it'll print) it puts me over the printer selection (which my default printer is already selected and ready to go in) so I have to manually select the print button. This happens in both word and excel but functions normally in my outlook and every other program on my computer. I tried opening file-options-customize ribbon-key board function but I don't have a "keyboard functions" option or anything similar, and as I said ctrl + p is still bringing me to the print preview page just not jumping to the right button.

Answer 1

Hi Gail Matheus,

I just tried it here and works as it should, maybe as a workaround put quick print in the toolbar

Answer 2

Hi @Gail Matheus

Welcome to the Q&A forum!

I'm really sorry you're running into this issue. I know how convenient it used to be to just hit Ctrl + P + Enter and have your document printed instantly. It’s frustrating when something so simple suddenly requires extra steps, when you're used to a smooth workflow. 

I’ve looked into this thoroughly, and unfortunately, there isn’t any official documentation or fix from Microsoft at the moment. From what I can tell, it seems to be a recent change in how Word and Excel handle the print dialog, where the focus no longer lands directly on the Print button.  While I know this isn’t a perfect solution, here are a couple of workarounds that might help: 

• Press Shift + Tab twice after Ctrl + P: this should move the focus back to the Print button so you can hit Enter. 
• Add the “Quick Print” command to your Quick Access Toolbar: This lets you print instantly without going through the preview screen.

Additionally, if this issue is impacting your workflow significantly, I’d recommend submitting feedback directly to Microsoft via the Feedback Portal. This helps their team understand how these changes affect users and may lead to improvements in future updates. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding. I know this isn’t ideal, but I hope one of these options helps make things a little easier for you. And if I’ve misunderstood anything, please feel free to let me know. I'm happy to assist further. 

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If my answer was even partially helpful, please kindly mark it as accepted so others with the same issue can benefit as well.  

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