In Microsoft Word, using the keyboard shortcut Shift+Enter creates a line break instead of a paragraph break. This means that when you press Shift+Enter, you move the cursor to the beginning of the next line without creating a new paragraph.
Here’s an example to help illustrate the difference between a line break and a paragraph break:
- If you press Enter, you create a new paragraph, which is indicated by a blank line between the two paragraphs:
This is the first paragraph.
This is the second paragraph.
- If you press Shift+Enter, you create a new line without a blank line between the two lines:
This is the first line.
This is the second line.
Notice that there is no blank line between the two lines, indicating that they are part of the same paragraph.
Shift+Enter can be useful in a variety of situations. For example, if you want to create a list of items on separate lines but within the same paragraph, you can use Shift+Enter to move to the next line without creating a new paragraph. Additionally, Shift+Enter can be helpful when you want to add a line break within a table cell or a header or footer.