75 Epic EMR Keyboard Shortcuts

Epic Hyperspace is what most clinicians, nurses, and front-desk staff spend their workday in. It runs on Windows, it can feel sluggish to navigate, and it demands repetitive data entry that adds up to hours of non-clinical work every week. That time comes out of patient care, or lunch, or the end of your shift.

The good news: Epic is loaded with shortcuts. Keyboard shortcuts cut down navigation time. SmartPhrases automate the text you type most often. Tools like TextExpander extend those shortcuts beyond Epic to every app you use.

This guide covers all of it: 75 Epic keyboard shortcuts organized by workflow, a practical introduction to SmartPhrases and dot phrases, and a look at when TextExpander gives you more than Epic’s built-in tools. If your organization uses a different EHR, we have guides for Cerner keyboard shortcuts and eClinicalWorks shortcuts as well.

Most common Epic shortcuts

These are the general-purpose shortcuts that work across Epic Hyperspace regardless of which activity or workspace you have open. Learn these first. They apply everywhere.

Send an open window to the back: Alt+Esc

Cut: Ctrl+X

Copy: Ctrl+C

Paste: Ctrl+V

Find: Ctrl+F

Replace: Ctrl+H

Select All: Ctrl+A

Print: Ctrl+P

Undo: Ctrl+Z

Select Text: Shift+Arrow key

Move Across Text: Ctrl+Arrow key

Delete Previous Word: Ctrl+Backspace

Delete Next Word: Ctrl+Delete

Open Windows Task Manager: Ctrl+Shift+Esc

Lock windows if you are logged in to a shared workstation: Win+L

Minimize All Windows: Win+M

Undo Minimize All Windows: Win+Shift+M

Bold Text: Ctrl+B

Italic Text: Ctrl+I

Underline Text: Ctrl+U

New List Item: Insert

Spell Check: F7

Main workspace shortcuts

These shortcuts navigate the Epic main workspace: the buttons, search bar, and activity launchers you use to move between functions.

Open the Epic Button Menu: Alt

Jump to Epic Search Function: Ctrl+Spacebar

Open Paging System: Ctrl+1

Patient Lists Workspace: Ctrl+2

Open Patient Station: Ctrl+3

Secure Workstation: Ctrl+Alt+S

Log out: Ctrl+Alt+L

Epic EMR shortcuts

These function-key shortcuts open specific Epic dialogs and workspaces. They’re faster than navigating menus when you need to pull up a patient, open orders, or access the In-Basket.

Opens the Charge Entry dialog: F2

Opens the Patient Lookup dialog: F3

Opens the Correspondence window: F6

Opens the Find Patient dialog: F8

Opens the In-Basket: F9

Opens the Inpatient List: Ctrl+Alt+I

Opens the Patient Priority List: Ctrl+Alt+P

Opens the Orders Activity: Ctrl+Alt+O

Patient chart shortcuts

These shortcuts apply when you have a patient chart open. They cover navigation between sections, managing orders, and entering dates.

Close Workspace (chart): Ctrl+W

Open Menu for More Actions: Ctrl+D

Move to the Next Row: Tab

Move to the Previous Row: Shift+Tab

Quickly select choices in the drop-down menu (type the first letter of choice): A-Z

Remain in the row but choose more than one item: ;

Add comments to a row: F6

Go to the previous section: F7

Go to the next section: F8

Close Patient Section or Note: F9

Open Manage Orders Activity: Ctrl+O

Open the sidebar of Manage Orders Activity: Alt+M

Open Order Sets: Alt+D

Place the cursor in the New Order field in the Sidebar: Alt+W

Open the window to Sign orders: Alt+S

Open the comment box in the Order Composer window: F6

Today (current date or relative date): T

Week (relative date): W

Month (relative date): M

Year (relative date): Y

Now: N

Hour: H

Note-taking shortcuts

These shortcuts control cursor movement and text selection inside Epic’s note editor. They’re the same commands that work in most Windows applications.

Move the cursor to the next line of text: Down Arrow key

Move the cursor to the previous line of text: Up Arrow key

Move the cursor to the end of the current line of text: End

Move the cursor to the beginning of the current line of text: Home

Move the cursor to the end of the text: Ctrl+End

Moves cursor to the beginning of the text: Ctrl+Home

Moves cursor to next word: Ctrl+Right Arrow key

Moves cursor to the previous word: Ctrl+Left Arrow key

Highlight from the cursor position to the end of the line of text: Shift+End

Highlight from the cursor position to the beginning of the line of text: Shift+Home

Highlight the line below the current one: Shift+Down Arrow key

Highlight the line above the current one: Shift+Up Arrow key

Highlight one character to the right of the cursor: Shift+Right Arrow key

Highlight one character to the left of the cursor: Shift+Left Arrow key

Highlight from the cursor position to the end of the word: Ctrl+Shift+Right Arrow key

Highlight from the cursor position to the beginning of the word: Ctrl+Shift+Left Arrow key

Take these shortcuts beyond Epic

Epic shortcuts are fast inside Hyperspace. TextExpander gives your team that same speed in email, patient portals, referral letters, billing platforms, and Epic Haiku on mobile. Write your go-to phrases once, expand them with a short abbreviation anywhere you type.

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Epic SmartPhrases and dot phrases

Keyboard shortcuts speed up navigation. SmartPhrases speed up documentation. If you spend more time writing notes than clicking through menus, SmartPhrases are where the bigger time savings are.

A SmartPhrase is a pre-written block of text that Epic expands when you type a short abbreviation. Clinicians call these “dot phrases” because they start with a period. Type .vitals and Epic inserts a formatted vital signs block. Type .assessment and you get your assessment template. The abbreviation stays short. The output can be hundreds of words.

How SmartPhrases work

To use a SmartPhrase, type a period followed by the abbreviation in any Epic text field. A preview appears. Press Enter or F2 to accept it. Most organizations have a library of shared SmartPhrases you can browse via the SmartPhrase manager. Search for ‘SmartPhrase Manager’ in the Epic search bar, or navigate to Epic button > Tools.

To create your own SmartPhrase:

Open the SmartPhrase manager from the Epic button menu.

Click “New.”

Name it with a period + short abbreviation (for example, .mychestpain).

Write or paste your template text.

Add *** spacers anywhere you need to fill in patient-specific details. Press F2 to jump between them during a note.

Save and test it in a training note.

Note: SmartPhrase availability varies by organization. Your hospital may restrict creating personal SmartPhrases to certain roles, or your IT department may manage the shared library. Check with your Epic administrator about what’s available in your system.

Common built-in SmartPhrases (examples)

These examples are common in many Epic installations. Your organization may use different abbreviations:

.vitals: inserts current vital signs

.cmed: current medications list

.prob: active problem list

.lastlab: most recent lab results

.hmlist: health maintenance topics

.bglog: blood glucose log (with customizable date range)

The F2 navigation trick

If your SmartPhrase has *** placeholders, press F2 to jump from one placeholder to the next without clicking. This lets you move through an entire note and fill in patient-specific fields without touching the mouse. Clinicians who chain multiple SmartPhrases together use this to build complete notes in under two minutes.

Epic UserWeb

Epic’s official resource for SmartPhrase documentation, SmartLink references, and build configuration is Epic UserWeb. Access requires an Epic account tied to your organization.

SmartText and SmartSets

SmartPhrases insert blocks of free text. SmartText and SmartSets extend that idea into structured templates and order sets.

SmartText is a note template for common visit types: follow-up visits, initial visits, preventive care, pre-op consultations. Where a SmartPhrase inserts a paragraph, a SmartText inserts a full note framework with headings, sections, and fillable fields. If you complete the same visit type repeatedly, a SmartText gets the structure right every time.

SmartSets bundle orders. A chest pain SmartSet might include troponin, EKG, IV access, and chest X-ray, all ordered in a single click instead of four separate entries. SmartSets are built by department leads or IT. If your department handles a high volume of a specific presentation, request a SmartSet for it.

Using TextExpander with Epic to speed up your workflow

Epic’s SmartPhrases are a strong documentation tool built into the EHR. TextExpander extends that same idea to every other app you use.

For text you type outside the EHR, TextExpander Snippets handle it. Patient messages in a portal, referral emails, billing notes in a separate system, task lists in a web app: define an abbreviation once and TextExpander expands it in any app on your computer: Epic, Outlook, Chrome, your patient messaging module, wherever you’re typing.

Here’s where TextExpander extends your workflow beyond what SmartPhrases cover:

Cross-application reach. A Snippet expands across every app you use. Write a referral letter template once and use it in your email client, dictation software, and EHR note at the same time.

Team sharing via Snippet Groups. TextExpander’s Snippet Groups let teams share a library. When a team lead updates a template with new medication dosing or a revised protocol, every clinician gets the change immediately. No re-publishing, no distributing a new PDF.

Fill-in fields for patient-specific details. TextExpander Snippets support fill-in fields that prompt you for variable content when the Snippet expands. The template prompts you for patient name, date of birth, specific diagnosis, and custom instructions in sequence. It’s the same concept as Epic’s *** placeholders, but it works in every app.

Mobile support. TextExpander works on iPhone and iPad. Clinicians using Epic Haiku, Epic’s iPhone app, on rounds can access the same Snippet library they have on the desktop.

Healthcare teams using TextExpander save an average of 79 hours per year. See how it fits your workflow at textexpander.com/healthcare.

For more on healthcare-specific productivity, see our guides on how to write medical progress notes faster and healthcare productivity.

Frequently asked questions about Epic shortcuts

What are SmartPhrases in Epic?

SmartPhrases are pre-written text templates that Epic expands when you type a short dot-phrase abbreviation. Typing .vitals, for example, inserts a formatted vital signs block. They’re Epic’s built-in tool for automating repetitive documentation. SmartPhrases are designed for Epic’s note environment. Tools like TextExpander extend the same concept to every app on your computer.

How do I use keyboard shortcuts in Epic?

Most Epic keyboard shortcuts use standard Windows modifier keys: Ctrl, Alt, Shift, Win. Open Epic Hyperspace and type any shortcut from this guide directly. They don’t require any setup. Function key shortcuts like F2, F3, F8, and F9 open specific dialogs and work from anywhere in the Hyperspace window. Note that some shortcuts may be disabled or remapped by your organization’s IT team.

What is the difference between SmartPhrases and SmartText in Epic?

SmartPhrases insert a block of text into a note: a paragraph, a list, or a set of fill-in fields. SmartText inserts a full structured note template with headings and sections. Think of SmartPhrases as individual building blocks and SmartText as a complete framework you fill in.

Can TextExpander work with Epic?

Yes. TextExpander runs as a background app on Windows and Mac and expands Snippets in any text field, including Epic Hyperspace. You can use TextExpander alongside Epic’s SmartPhrases. Epic handles documentation inside the EHR, and TextExpander handles the text you type in other apps like email, patient portals, and billing platforms. TextExpander also works with Epic Haiku on iOS.

For a broader look at top typing and keyboard shortcuts across all platforms, or shortcuts for other EHRs like AdvancedMD and NextGen, see those dedicated guides.

Take every keystroke back

Epic shortcuts cover what happens inside Epic. TextExpander covers the rest: after-visit summaries, referral letters, SOPs, portal replies, and any other text your team types day to day. One Snippet, expanded across every app.

Healthcare teams using TextExpander save an average of 79 hours per year.

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