How to customize Keyboard Shortcuts in OpenOffice programs

If you want to customize keyboard shortcuts for OpenOffice programs in your Windows 11/10 computer, then this post is surely helpful. OpenOffice or Apache OpenOffice suite already comes with pre-added shortcut keys for different functions. For example, there is a preset hotkey for spelling and grammar checker in OpenOffice Writer, inserting comments in OpenOffice Draw, selecting data area in OpenOffice Calc, etc. But, if preset shortcut keys are not convenient or there is no shortcut key available for the functions you use regularly, then you can modify, delete, and add new shortcut keys for OpenOffice programs for different functions that will make your work easier.

In this post, we are taking the example of OpenOffice Writer for customizing the keyboard shortcuts. The steps to customize keyboard shortcuts for OpenOffice Draw, OpenOffice Calc, OpenOffice Math, and other OpenOffice programs are the same.

How to customize Keyboard Shortcuts in OpenOffice programs

Here are the steps:

Launch OpenOffice Writer from the Start menu, Search box, or any other way
Click on the Tools menu
Click on the Customize option. A Customize box will open
Select the Keyboard tab in that box. Now you will see two different sections which are as follows:
- Shortcut keys section where you will see the list of all assigned and empty shortcut keys. You can use only those key combinations that are present in this section
- Functions section that lets you access the categories (like View, Templates, BASIC, Format, OpenOffice Macros, Edit, Navigate, etc.), functions present in each category, and assigned hotkey for a particular function
Click on the Writer option from the top right section of the Keyboard tab. You can also select the OpenOffice option if you want to assign shortcut keys for the entire OpenOffice suite functions. But, it is good to use separate shortcuts keys for separate programs
Select a category from the available list
Select a function present in the selected category. As soon as you select a function, the associated hotkey for the selected function will visible in the Shortcut keys section. If you don’t want to use that hotkey, click on the Delete button
Now select a hotkey from the Shortcut keys section for the selected function
Press the Modify button
In the same way, you can assign shortcut keys for other functions for the OpenOffice program
You can also use the Save button to create and store a configuration file that you can use later when needed
Finally, press the OK button.

That’s it. The shortcut keys will be assigned for the selected functions. In the same way, you can customize keyboard shortcuts for OpenOffice Calc, OpenOffice Draw, and other programs.

How do I program my own keyboard shortcuts?

If you want to set or create keyboard shortcuts to open programs or a folder in a Windows 11/10 computer, then the process is pretty simple. You can first create a desktop shortcut of a program/folder and then open its Properties box. Then, use the Shortcut key field in the Shortcut tab, and set a hotkey. Alternatively, you can also use some free keyboard shortcut software that helps to assign hotkeys to launch an application, open webpages, folder/file, and more.

How do I customize in OpenOffice?

If you want to make changes to the Shortcut keys, Menus, Events, and Toolbars’ components of OpenOffice, then it can be done via Customize box. You can set shortcut keys for different functions, rename and delete toolbar commands, add a new entry to Edit, View, File menu, etc. To do that, open an OpenOffice program (Writer, Calc, etc.), and click on the Customize option present in the Tools menu. When the Customize box opens, access a tab (Menus, Toolbars, etc.), and perform the actions as per your needs.