Ctrl+L

Updated: 05/01/2023 by Computer Hope
Ctrl+L keyboard shortcut

Alternatively called Control+L, ^l, and C-l, Ctrl+L is a keyboard shortcut most commonly used to align text with the left edge of a document (margin). Below are other programs that use this keyboard shortcut and related information.

Tip

On Apple computers, the most similar keyboard shortcut is Command+L.

How to use the Ctrl+L keyboard shortcut

To use this keyboard shortcut, press and hold either Ctrl, key and while continuing to hold, press L.

Ctrl+L in an Internet browser

All major Internet browsers (e.g., Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera) pressing Ctrl+L brings the address bar (location bar/omnibox) into focus.

Ctrl+L in Audacity

In Audacity, Ctrl+L silences highlighted sections of an audio track.

Ctrl+L in Excel and other spreadsheet programs

In Microsoft Excel and all other spreadsheet programs, pressing Ctrl+L opens the Create Table dialog box.

Note

If you're editing the contents of a cell and press Ctrl+L, nothing will happen.

Ctrl+L in Microsoft PowerPoint

In Microsoft PowerPoint, Ctrl+L aligns an object or selected text with the left side of the slide.

Ctrl+L in Word and other word processors

In Microsoft Word and other word processors, pressing Ctrl+L left aligns the current paragraph.

Ctrl+L in Windows calculator

When used in the Microsoft Windows calculator, pressing Ctrl+L clears everything from the calculator memory. This keyboard shortcut is the same as pressing the MC (memory clear) button.

Ctrl+L in bash

When using the bash shell, you can clear the screen by pressing Ctrl+L.

Using Ctrl+L in PuTTY

With PuTTY, Ctrl+L clears the screen, similar to the clear command.

Below are links to related keyboard shortcuts and individual key pages.

Align, Ctrl, Keyboard shortcut, Keyboard terms, L