# Keyboard controls when writing responses **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 23, 2013, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-controls-when-writing-responses/656513 "2013-04-23T18:12:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-controls-when-writing-responses/656513/1 "2013-04-23T18:12:08Z")
I’m certain that at some time in the past, I could make text **bold** or _italic_ by using the keyboard shortcuts CTRL-B and CTRL-I. It’s been years since I was able to do this, and I have no idea why I never thought to ask before now. If I want to embolden some text, I _must_ take my hand off the keyboard to use the mouse. Are there actually any keyboard shortcuts for these and other commonly-used commands?? Edit : Chrome, if it matters. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-controls-when-writing-responses/656513/2 "2013-04-23T18:21:55Z")
**Bold using ctl-B still works for me on IE**. _Ctl-I works for italics too_. And ctl-U is working for underline. I’ll try Chrome later. ---
**Author:** ![Zyanthia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Zyanthia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyanthia)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-controls-when-writing-responses/656513/3 "2013-04-23T18:44:21Z")
Wow, CTRL-U in chrome brings up the source HTML for the web page. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-controls-when-writing-responses/656513/4 "2013-04-23T19:03:41Z")
**Ctrl-B** , Ctrl-U, and _Ctrl-I_ work in Firefox as well, together with _ **combinations thereof** _. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-controls-when-writing-responses/656513/5 "2013-04-23T19:04:59Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > **Bold using ctl-B still works for me on IE**. _Ctl-I works for italics too_. And ctl-U is working for underline. I’ll try Chrome later. \*\*Well, sonofabitch, \*\*\*it works in \*Firefox as well. Why not Chrome, I wonder? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-controls-when-writing-responses/656513/6 "2013-04-23T19:05:58Z")
> [@Yorikke](#): > > \*\*Well, sonofabitch, \*\*\*it works in \*Firefox as well. > > Why not Chrome, I wonder? Chrome is using the keys for it’s own shortcuts. There may be a way to turn that off. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-controls-when-writing-responses/656513/7 "2013-04-23T19:37:34Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Chrome is using the keys for it’s own shortcuts. There may be a way to turn that off. Googling around actually seems to indicate that this has been a desired feature for years, but still is not an option. Surprising. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-controls-when-writing-responses/656513/8 "2013-04-23T20:31:31Z")
If you don’t want to take your hands off the keyboard **you could** _just try typing_ the formatting tags _ **yourself** _. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-controls-when-writing-responses/656513/9 "2013-04-23T20:31:49Z")
> [@Yorikke](#): > > Surprising. You must be new to computer software. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-controls-when-writing-responses/656513/10 "2013-04-23T20:37:08Z")
It helps if you select the advanced formatting option in your user preferences. User CP, Edit Options, Miscellaneous Options, Editing Interface. Select full WYSIWYG. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-controls-when-writing-responses/656513/11 "2013-04-25T00:58:52Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > You must be new to computer software. Naw, just new to the odd development practices for Google Chrome. Google may let you vote on features, but it always boils down to Google knowing what’s best. Besides, I thought it was sarcasm. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-controls-when-writing-responses/656513/12 "2013-04-25T01:39:45Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > **Bold using ctl-B still works for me on IE**. _Ctl-I works for italics too_. And ctl-U is working for underline. I’ll try Chrome later. **Jeez.** _I did not know that._ All this time I’ve been manually typing **b** ’s and **i** ’s inside brackets. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-controls-when-writing-responses/656513/13 "2013-04-25T01:48:40Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > **Jeez.** _I did not know that._ All this time I’ve been manually typing **b** ’s and **i** ’s inside brackets. :smack: There are little pictures you can click on too.