# MS Word question - Ctrl Home **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 2, 2017, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word-question-ctrl-home/800492 "2017-11-02T13:51:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word-question-ctrl-home/800492/1 "2017-11-02T13:51:36Z")
In the last few months, my Ctrl Home function has suddenly started working only some of the time, which is a major pain because my job has me working in a lot of large, contractual documents. Have any of you experienced this? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word-question-ctrl-home/800492/2 "2017-11-02T14:26:09Z")
Maybe a silly question - but have you cleaned the crumbs out of your keyboard? Turn it upside down and give it a few sharp taps on the desk. ---
**Author:** ![Blakeyrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blakeyrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blakeyrat)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word-question-ctrl-home/800492/3 "2017-11-02T20:05:55Z")
> [@velomont](#): > > In the last few months, my Ctrl Home function has suddenly started working only some of the time, which is a major pain because my job has me working in a lot of large, contractual documents. Have any of you experienced this? > Thanks To answer the literal question, no it’s always worked for me reliably. (Currently on latest Word 2016.) To give some ideas: - Have you identified something that changed between when it reliably worked and when it did not? - Have you recently installed something that might have a “global” keyboard shortcut, that could be intercepting that keyboard combination before it reaches Word? (For example, a macro program.) - Have you tried a different keyboard? Have you verified that those keys work reliably on their own? (Could be a broken trace in the keyboard circuitry that doesn’t connect all the time) ---
**Author:** ![Stinky\_Pete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Stinky\_Pete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stinky_Pete)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word-question-ctrl-home/800492/4 "2017-11-02T21:23:28Z")
If you can’t get a legit fix you could try another way to get to top of doc. For instance using F7 spellcheck will cycle you thru a document. Or, use the Find option Ctrl+F to find a word at the very start of your document. You can hide a word at start of doc by putting it in a white text word on the white page which makes it invisible. I gotta believe there are other sneaky ways to shoot you to the top of a doc. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word-question-ctrl-home/800492/5 "2017-11-03T00:28:35Z")
Second the ‘crap in your keyboard’ theory - does CTRL-END reliably work? Does Home reliably take you to the beginning of the line? If only one of those is true, it would point to which key is giving you trouble. And if CTRL-END is working, then use that combined with **Stinky Pete** ’s suggestion to go to the bottom and then search for almost anything and wrapping should bring you to the top.