diff --git a/cli/src/components/multiline-input.tsx b/cli/src/components/multiline-input.tsx
index c5db1c51fd..49c9fb8b5c 100644
--- a/cli/src/components/multiline-input.tsx
+++ b/cli/src/components/multiline-input.tsx
@@ -27,6 +27,11 @@ import {
 } from '../utils/terminal-enter-detection'
 import { supportsTruecolor } from '../utils/theme-system'
 import { calculateNewCursorPosition } from '../utils/word-wrap-utils'
+import {
+  findNextWordBoundary,
+  findPreviousWordBoundary,
+  getWordNavigationPosition,
+} from '../utils/word-navigation'
 
 import type { InputValue } from '../types/store'
 import type {
@@ -59,38 +64,6 @@ function findLineEnd(text: string, cursor: number): number {
   return pos
 }
 
-function findPreviousWordBoundary(text: string, cursor: number): number {
-  let pos = Math.max(0, Math.min(cursor, text.length))
-
-  // Skip whitespace backwards
-  while (pos > 0 && /\s/.test(text[pos - 1])) {
-    pos--
-  }
-
-  // Skip word characters backwards
-  while (pos > 0 && !/\s/.test(text[pos - 1])) {
-    pos--
-  }
-
-  return pos
-}
-
-function findNextWordBoundary(text: string, cursor: number): number {
-  let pos = Math.max(0, Math.min(cursor, text.length))
-
-  // Skip non-whitespace forwards
-  while (pos < text.length && !/\s/.test(text[pos])) {
-    pos++
-  }
-
-  // Skip whitespace forwards
-  while (pos < text.length && /\s/.test(text[pos])) {
-    pos++
-  }
-
-  return pos
-}
-
 export const CURSOR_CHAR = '▍'
 const CONTROL_CHAR_REGEX = /[\u0000-\u0008\u000b-\u000c\u000e-\u001f\u007f]/
 const TAB_WIDTH = 4
@@ -836,8 +809,6 @@ export const MultilineInput = forwardRef<
       const isAltLikeModifier = isAltModifier(key)
       const logicalLineStart = findLineStart(value, cursorPosition)
       const logicalLineEnd = findLineEnd(value, cursorPosition)
-      const wordStart = findPreviousWordBoundary(value, cursorPosition)
-      const wordEnd = findNextWordBoundary(value, cursorPosition)
 
       // Read lineInfo inside the callback to get current value (not stale from closure)
       const currentLineInfo = textRef.current
@@ -857,29 +828,18 @@ export const MultilineInput = forwardRef<
         ? lineStarts[visualLineIndex + 1] - 1
         : logicalLineEnd
 
-      // Alt+Left/B: Word left
-      if (
-        isAltLikeModifier &&
-        (key.name === 'left' || lowerKeyName === 'b')
-      ) {
-        preventKeyDefault(key)
-        onChange({
-          text: value,
-          cursorPosition: wordStart,
-          lastEditDueToNav: false,
-        })
-        return true
-      }
-
-      // Alt+Right/F: Word right
-      if (
-        isAltLikeModifier &&
-        (key.name === 'right' || lowerKeyName === 'f')
-      ) {
+      // Alt+Left/Right (or B/F), plus Ctrl+Left/Right on Windows: word-wise movement.
+      const wordNavigationPosition = getWordNavigationPosition(
+        key,
+        value,
+        cursorPosition,
+        isAltLikeModifier,
+      )
+      if (wordNavigationPosition !== null) {
         preventKeyDefault(key)
         onChange({
           text: value,
-          cursorPosition: wordEnd,
+          cursorPosition: wordNavigationPosition,
           lastEditDueToNav: false,
         })
         return true
diff --git a/cli/src/utils/__tests__/word-navigation.test.ts b/cli/src/utils/__tests__/word-navigation.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4173675049
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cli/src/utils/__tests__/word-navigation.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from 'bun:test'
+
+import { getWordNavigationPosition } from '../word-navigation'
+
+describe('word navigation', () => {
+  const text = 'one two three'
+
+  test('moves to the previous word with Ctrl+Left', () => {
+    expect(
+      getWordNavigationPosition(
+        { name: 'left', ctrl: true },
+        text,
+        text.length,
+        false,
+      ),
+    ).toBe(8)
+  })
+
+  test('moves to the next word with Ctrl+Right', () => {
+    expect(
+      getWordNavigationPosition({ name: 'right', ctrl: true }, text, 0, false),
+    ).toBe(4)
+  })
+
+  test('keeps Alt word navigation working', () => {
+    expect(
+      getWordNavigationPosition(
+        { name: 'left', option: true },
+        text,
+        text.length,
+        true,
+      ),
+    ).toBe(8)
+    expect(
+      getWordNavigationPosition({ name: 'f', option: true }, text, 0, true),
+    ).toBe(4)
+  })
+
+  test('does not treat modified arrows as word navigation', () => {
+    expect(
+      getWordNavigationPosition(
+        { name: 'left', ctrl: true, meta: true },
+        text,
+        text.length,
+        false,
+      ),
+    ).toBeNull()
+    expect(
+      getWordNavigationPosition({ name: 'right' }, text, 0, false),
+    ).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  test('leaves Ctrl+B and Ctrl+F for single-character Emacs movement', () => {
+    expect(
+      getWordNavigationPosition(
+        { name: 'b', ctrl: true },
+        text,
+        text.length,
+        false,
+      ),
+    ).toBeNull()
+    expect(
+      getWordNavigationPosition({ name: 'f', ctrl: true }, text, 0, false),
+    ).toBeNull()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/cli/src/utils/word-navigation.ts b/cli/src/utils/word-navigation.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4fefd4f994
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cli/src/utils/word-navigation.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+type WordNavigationKey = {
+  name?: string
+  ctrl?: boolean
+  meta?: boolean
+  option?: boolean
+}
+
+export function findPreviousWordBoundary(text: string, cursor: number): number {
+  let position = Math.max(0, Math.min(cursor, text.length))
+
+  // Skip whitespace backwards, then the word immediately before the cursor.
+  while (position > 0 && /\s/.test(text[position - 1]!)) {
+    position--
+  }
+  while (position > 0 && !/\s/.test(text[position - 1]!)) {
+    position--
+  }
+
+  return position
+}
+
+export function findNextWordBoundary(text: string, cursor: number): number {
+  let position = Math.max(0, Math.min(cursor, text.length))
+
+  // Skip the word at the cursor, then whitespace before the next word.
+  while (position < text.length && !/\s/.test(text[position]!)) {
+    position++
+  }
+  while (position < text.length && /\s/.test(text[position]!)) {
+    position++
+  }
+
+  return position
+}
+
+/**
+ * Resolve word-wise cursor movement for the conventions used by the input.
+ *
+ * Alt+Left/Right (and Alt+B/F) are supported on Unix-like terminals. Windows
+ * terminals conventionally send Ctrl+Left/Right instead, so keep both paths
+ * on the same boundary implementation.
+ */
+export function getWordNavigationPosition(
+  key: WordNavigationKey,
+  text: string,
+  cursor: number,
+  isAltLikeModifier: boolean,
+): number | null {
+  const lowerKeyName = (key.name ?? '').toLowerCase()
+  // Keep Ctrl+Arrow exclusive to a plain Ctrl modifier. OpenTUI can expose
+  // Option/Alt separately (and terminals may encode Alt-like chords with more
+  // than one modifier bit); those chords belong to the existing Alt path and
+  // must not be reclassified as Windows-style Ctrl+Arrow navigation.
+  const isCtrlArrow = key.ctrl && !key.meta && !key.option
+
+  if (
+    (isAltLikeModifier && (key.name === 'left' || lowerKeyName === 'b')) ||
+    (isCtrlArrow && key.name === 'left')
+  ) {
+    return findPreviousWordBoundary(text, cursor)
+  }
+  if (
+    (isAltLikeModifier && (key.name === 'right' || lowerKeyName === 'f')) ||
+    (isCtrlArrow && key.name === 'right')
+  ) {
+    return findNextWordBoundary(text, cursor)
+  }
+
+  return null
+}