How the Ctrl + G Key Combination Works in Different Programs

The Ctrl + G shortcut is one of the most underrated navigation tools across modern applications. Whether you work in a browser, Word, Excel, or a CAT tool, this key combination lets you jump to a specific location instantly—a line, page, cell, segment, or the next match. Because many users rely only on Ctrl + F, the capabilities of Ctrl + G often go unnoticed.

In this guide, we explore what the Ctrl + G shortcut does in various programs and how you can customize it to speed up your daily work.

Ways to use Ctrl + G

In most programs, Ctrl + G literally means “go to”—jump directly to a specific location in a document. Depending on the application, it may help you:

• move to a page number, cell, or line,
• navigate to the following search result,
• switch to a particular segment in translation software,
• quickly find objects or edits in complex files.

The Ctrl + G shortcut is handy for editors, translators, developers, analysts, and anyone who works with long documents.

Ctrl + G in commonly used applications

Microsoft Word: go to page, section, or heading

The Ctrl + G Word command opens the Find and Replace window with the Go To tab active:

You can jump to:

• a page number,
• a section or line,
• a table or graphic,
• footnotes or comments.

How to use Ctrl + G in Word:

1. Press Ctrl + G.
2. Choose an element type from the left sidebar (Page, Section, Comment, etc.).
3. Enter the target number or range.
4. Click Go To—Word instantly moves the cursor.

Tip: You can return to the previous position using Shift + F5.

Microsoft Excel: go to cell

The Excel Ctrl + G shortcut is used for fast cell or range navigation.

Steps:

1. Press Ctrl + G or F5.
2. Type a cell reference, e.g., T5000:

3. Press Enter—the cursor jumps straight to that cell.

Additional features:

• Use the Special… button to select blanks, formulas, objects, constants, or cells with data validation:

• Great for cleaning large spreadsheets.

In addition to using Ctrl + G for quick navigation, you can further boost your efficiency with other useful keyboard shortcuts in Excel.

Microsoft PowerPoint: jump to slide number

PowerPoint includes a simple Go To Slide command.

How to use:

1. Press Ctrl + G (in Normal or Slide Show mode).
2. Enter the slide number.
3. Click Go To.

It is helpful for large presentations with 50–200+ slides.

Google Docs: navigate through search results

Google Docs doesn’t have a dedicated Go To dialog like Word, but Ctrl + G works as a navigation tool.

• Ctrl + F starts a search.
• Ctrl + G jumps to the next match.
• Ctrl + Shift + G goes to the previous match.

Using this shortcut speeds up search navigation in long documents.

Chrome, Firefox, Opera: Ctrl + G in browsers

In browsers, Ctrl + G extends the standard Ctrl + F search.

The Ctrl + G Chrome shortcut works the same way as the Ctrl + G Firefox combination, as well as the one for Opera:

1. Press Ctrl + F to open the Find bar.
2. Press Ctrl + G to jump to the following search result.
3. Press Ctrl + Shift + G to go back to the previous match.

Because Ctrl + G duplicates and extends the functionality of Ctrl + F, you can skip Ctrl + F entirely: just press Ctrl + G to continue through matches on any webpage.

Adobe Photoshop: go to layer or frame

Photoshop assigns Ctrl + G to Group Layers, but the Go To command is also available for frames and timeline navigation.

To avoid conflicts, many users reassign Ctrl + G to navigation actions manually (explained later).

Common uses after reassignment:

• go to a specific frame in animation,
• jump to the guide or slice number.

Notepad++: go to line

Notepad++ is one of the most convenient environments for working with code or text files.

How Ctrl + G works in Notepad++:

1. Press Ctrl + G.
2. Enter the line number you want to jump to.
3. Click Go or press Enter on the keyboard:

This feature is essential for debugging, log analysis, or code reviews.

In standard Windows Notepad, this shortcut does not work.

Ctrl + G in translation software (CAT tools)

Trados Studio: go to segment

In Trados Studio, Ctrl + G helps jump directly to a segment number:

The dialog allows additional filters:

• by segment category,

• by confirmation status,

• by comments (if any),
• search direction (forward or backward).

Using this shortcut is highly efficient in large bilingual projects.

memoQ: navigate by segment type

memoQ uses a more advanced variation of this shortcut:

• Ctrl + G is used to jump to a segment according to your Go to Next Settings.
• Ctrl + Shift + G opens the settings window where you can choose what the “next segment” means (e.g., next untranslated, next confirmed, next with a comment, etc.).

This implementation of Ctrl + G is among the most flexible in CAT tools.

Wordfast: go to segment by number

Wordfast keeps it simple: Ctrl + G means “Go to a specified segment number.” Ideal for quick QA or correction tasks.

Comparison table: what Ctrl + G does in different programs

Note: Beyond navigating your documents with Ctrl + G, another layer of productivity comes from launching entire programs via keyboard hotkeys.

How to change or reconfigure the Ctrl + G shortcut

Many applications allow you to reassign keyboard shortcuts if Ctrl + G conflicts with your workflow.

Windows

1. Install Microsoft PowerToys.
2. Open Keyboard Manager, and in the Remap shortcuts pane, click Remap a shortcut button:

3. Add a new mapping:

• Original: Ctrl + G
• New action: your preferred command (e.g., Ctrl + F7).

Photoshop

1. Go to Edit → Keyboard Shortcuts.
2. Choose Application Menus or Panel Menus.
3. Assign a new function to Ctrl + G or move grouping to another key.

memoQ

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + G.
2. Configure rules for “next segment.”
3. Save your Goto profile.

Trados Studio

1. Navigate to File → Options → Keyboard Shortcuts.
2. Customize navigation shortcuts globally or per project.

Final thoughts

The Ctrl + G shortcut is one of the most powerful time-saving tools across software platforms. Whether you use Word, Excel, Chrome, Notepad++, or a CAT tool like Trados Studio or memoQ, this key combination helps you navigate large documents effortlessly.

If you understand how Ctrl + G behaves in different applications and how to adjust it when needed, you can significantly speed up text editing, translation, coding, and document review.