ctrl b not working to bold text

Question

Hello,

My ctrl b/ctrl-shift-b function abruptly quit working to bold text in all my Office applications, and the problem began in Microsoft Word. I have not installed any add-ons into Office or Word. I'm using the standard keyboard setup (American-English). Both my ctrl key and 'B' key are functioning normally outside of this issue, as are other key commands (such as ctrl-i for italics). Here is a list of potential solutions I've tried thus far

1. Resetting all keyboard shortcuts under customize ribbon
2. Running the repair function on Office.
3. Closing an re-entering the app.

The odd thing is I set up a different key command (ctrl-shift-p) to bold text and it works without issue. I've not yet tried the "reset" option as I'm unsure as to exactly what that will do. Any suggestions that don't include re-installing Office?

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

If you locate the Bold command in the Customize Keyboard dialog box, which shortcuts, if any, are listed there?

If you see Ctrl+B listed and it still doesn't work, the particular shortcut could be overridden somehow, maybe by an add-in.

Answer 2

Hi Stefan,

Thanks for responding. "ctrl + b" and "ctrl + shift + b" are both listed in the dialogue box after I reset all key commands, but neither one works to bold text after the reset (even if I close out of the app and restart it). I do not have any add-ins installed for any Office applications.

It's a particularly odd problem, because the problem seems to be linked specifically to the "ctrl + b" function itself. For example, during one attempt to resolve the issue, I removed both "ctrl + b" and "ctrl + shift + b" from the "current keys" box and tried to manually re-enter them to see if that would help. However, when I tried to re-enter either key sequence in the "press new shortcut key" box, it would not appear in the "current keys" section.

Currently, I've found a suitable work-around; I entered "alt + b" into the "press new shortcut key" box, and it both appeared in the "current keys" section and began bolding/un-bolding text within my documents. It's still peculiar that it quit working in the first place, though.

Answer 3

Some third-party programs can take over shortcut combinations and prevent Office programs from seeing those specific keypresses. Have you installed or updated any other programs about the same time that this issue started?