Excel shortcuts

Shortcut key

Action

Menu equivalent
comments

version

Ctrl+A

Select All

None

All

Ctrl+B

Bold

Format, Cells, Font, Font

All

Style, Bold

Ctrl+C

Copy

Edit, Copy

All

Ctrl+D

Fill Down

Edit, Fill, Down

All

Ctrl+F

Find

Edit, Find

All

Ctrl+G

Goto

Edit, Goto

All

Ctrl+H

Replace

Edit, Replace

All

Ctrl+I

Italic

Format, Cells, Font, Font

All

Style, Italic

Ctrl+K

Insert Hyperlink

Insert, Hyperlink

Excel
97/2000 +

Ctrl+N

New Workbook

File, New

All

Ctrl+O

Open

File, Open

All

Ctrl+P

Print

File, Print

All

Ctrl+R

Fill Right

Edit, Fill Right

All

Ctrl+S

Save

File, Save

All

Ctrl+U

Underline

Format, Cells, Font,

All

Underline, Single

Ctrl+V

Paste

Edit, Paste

All

Ctrl W

Close

File, Close

Excel
97/2000 +

Ctrl+X

Cut

Edit, Cut

All

Ctrl+Y

Repeat

Edit, Repeat

All

Ctrl+Z

Undo

Edit, Undo

All

F1

Help

Help, Contents and Index

All

F2

Edit

None

All

F3

Paste Name

Insert, Name, Paste

All

F4

Repeat last action

Edit, Repeat. Works while

All

not in Edit mode.

F4

While typing a formula, switch between absolute/relative None

All

refs

F5

Goto

Edit, Goto

All

F6

Next Pane

None

All

F7

Spell check

Tools, Spelling

All

F8

Extend mode

None

All

F9

Recalculate all workbooks

Tools, Options, Calculation, All

Calc Now

F10

Activate Menubar

N/A

All

F11

New Chart

Insert, Chart

All

F12

Save As

File, Save As

All

Ctrl+:

Insert Current Time

None

All

Ctrl+;

Insert Current Date

None

All

Ctrl+"

Copy Value from Cell Above

Edit, Paste Special, Value

All

Ctrl+

Copy Formula from Cell Above

Edit, Copy

All

Shift

Hold down shift for additional functions in Excels menu none

Excel
97/2000 +

Shift+F1

Whats This?

Help, Whats This?

All

Shift+F2

Edit cell comment

Insert, Edit Comments

All

Shift+F3

Paste function into formula

Insert, Function

All

Shift+F4

Find Next

Edit, Find, Find Next

All

Shift+F5

Find

Edit, Find, Find Next

All

Shift+F6

Previous Pane

None

All

Shift+F8

Add to selection

None

All

Shift+F9

Calculate active worksheet

Tools, Options, Calculation, All

Calc Sheet

Ctrl+Alt+F9

Calculate all worksheets in all open workbooks,

None

regardless of whether they have changed since the last

Excel
97/2000 +

calculation.

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F9

Rechecks dependent formulas and then calculates all

None

cells in all open workbooks, including cells not marked

Excel
97/2000 +

as needing to be calculated.

Shift+F10

Display shortcut menu

None

All

Shift+F11

New worksheet

Insert, Worksheet

All

Shift+F12

Save

File, Save

All

Ctrl+F3

Define name

Insert, Names, Define

All

Ctrl+F4

Close

File, Close

All

Ctrl+F5

XL, Restore window size

Restore

All

Ctrl+F6

Next workbook window

Window, ...

All

Shift+Ctrl+F6

Previous workbook window

Window, ...

All

Ctrl+F7

Move window

XL, Move

All

Ctrl+F8

Resize window

XL, Size

All

Ctrl+F9

Minimize workbook

XL, Minimize

All

Ctrl+F10

Maximize or restore window

XL, Maximize

All

Ctrl+F11

Inset 4.0 Macro sheet

None in Excel 97. In

All

versions prior to 97 - Insert,

Macro, 4.0 Macro

Ctrl+F12

File Open

File, Open

All

Alt+F1

Insert Chart

Insert, Chart...

All

Alt+F2

Save As

File, Save As

All

Alt+F4

Exit

File, Exit

All

Alt+F8

Macro dialog box

Tools, Macro, Macros in

Excel

Excel 97 Tools,Macros - in 97/2000 +

earlier versions

Alt+F11

Visual Basic Editor

Tools, Macro, Visual Basic Excel

Editor

Ctrl+Shift+F3

Create name by using names of row and column labels Insert, Name, Create

97/2000 +

All

Ctrl+Shift+F6

Previous Window

Window, ...

All

Ctrl+Shift+F12

Print

File, Print

All

Alt+Shift+F1

New worksheet

Insert, Worksheet

All

Alt+Shift+F2

Save

File, Save

All

Alt+=

AutoSum

No direct equivalent

All

Ctrl+`

Toggle Value/Formula display

Tools, Options, View,

All

Formulas

Ctrl+Shift+A

Insert argument names into formula

No direct equivalent

All

Alt+Down arrow

Display AutoComplete list

None

Excel 95

Alt+

Format Style dialog box

Format, Style

All

Ctrl+Shift+~

General format

Format, Cells, Number,

All

Category, General

Ctrl+Shift+!

Comma format

Format, Cells, Number,

All

Category, Number

Ctrl+Shift+@

Time format

Format, Cells, Number,

All

Category, Time

Ctrl+Shift+#

Date format

Format, Cells, Number,

All

Category, Date

Ctrl+Shift+$

Currency format

Format, Cells, Number,

All

Category, Currency

Ctrl+Shift+%

Percent format

Format, Cells, Number,

All

Category, Percentage

Ctrl+Shift+^

Exponential format

Format, Cells, Number,

All

Category,

Ctrl+Shift+&

Place outline border around selected cells

Format, Cells, Border

All

Ctrl+Shift+_

Remove outline border

Format, Cells, Border

All

Ctrl+Shift+*

Select the current region around the active cell. In a

Edit, Goto, Special, Current All

PivotTable report, select the entire PivotTable report.

Region

Insert

Insert, (Rows, Columns, or All

Ctrl++

Cells) Depends on selection

Ctrl+-

Delete

Delete, (Rows, Columns, or All

Cells) Depends on selection

Ctrl+1

Format cells dialog box

Format, Cells

All

Ctrl+2

Bold

Format, Cells, Font, Font

All

Style, Bold

Ctrl+3

Italic

Format, Cells, Font, Font

All

Style, Italic

Ctrl+4

Underline

Format, Cells, Font, Font

All

Style, Underline

Ctrl+5

Strikethrough

Format, Cells, Font, Effects, All

Strikethrough

Ctrl+6

Show/Hide objects

Tools, Options, View,

All

Objects, Show All/Hide

Ctrl+7

Show/Hide Standard toolbar

View, Toolbars, Stardard

All

Ctrl+8

Toggle Outline symbols

None

All

Ctrl+9

Hide rows

Format, Row, Hide

All

Ctrl+0

Hide columns

Format, Column, Hide

All

Ctrl+Shift+(

Unhide rows

Format, Row, Unhide

All

Ctrl+Shift+)

Unhide columns

Format, Column, Unhide

All

Alt or F10

Activate the menu

None

All

Ctrl+Tab

In toolbar: next toolbar

None

Excel

In a workbook: activate next workbook

Shift+Ctrl+Tab

In toolbar: previous toolbar

97/2000 +

None

In a workbook: activate previous workbook

Tab

Next tool

Excel
97/2000 +

None

Excel
97/2000 +

Shift+Tab

Previous tool

None

Excel
97/2000 +

Enter

Do the command

None

Excel
97/2000 +

Alt+Enter

Start a new line in the same cell.

None

Excel
97/2000 +

Ctrl+Enter

Fill the selected cell range with the current entry.

None

Excel
97/2000 +

Shift+Ctrl+F

Font Drop Down List

Format, Cells, Font

All

Shift+Ctrl+F+F

Font tab of Format Cell Dialog box

Format, Cells, Font

Before

97/2000

Shift+Ctrl+P

Point size Drop Down List

Format, Cells, Font

All

Ctrl+Spacebar

Select the entire column

None

Excel
97/2000 +

Shift+Spacebar

Select the entire row

None

Excel
97/2000 +

CTRL+/

Select the array containing the active cell.

CTRL+SHIFT+O

Select all cells that contain comments.

CTRL+\

In a selected row, select the cells that dont match the

formula or static value in the active cell.

CTRL+SHIFT+|

In a selected column, select the cells that dont match

the formula or static value in the active cell.

CTRL+[

Select all cells directly referenced by formulas in the

selection.

CTRL+SHIFT+{

Select all cells directly or indirectly referenced by

formulas in the selection.

CTRL+]

Select cells that contain formulas that directly reference

the active cell.

CTRL+SHIFT+}

Select cells that contain formulas that directly or

indirectly reference the active cell.

ALT+;

Select the visible cells in the current selection.

SHIFT+BACKSPACE

With multiple cells selected, select only the active cell.

CTRL+SHIFT+SPACEBAR Selects the entire worksheet.

If the worksheet contains data,
CTRL+SHIFT+SPACEBAR selects the current region.
CTRL+SHIFT+SPACEBAR a second time selects the
entire worksheet.
When an object is selected, CTRL+SHIFT+SPACEBAR
selects all objects on a worksheet

Ctrl+Alt+L

Reapply the filter and sort on the current range so that

Data, Reapply

Excel

changes you've made are included

Ctrl+Alt+V

2007+

Displays the Paste Special dialog box. Available only

Home, Paste,

Excel

after you have cut or copied an object, text, or cell

Paste Special...

2007+

contents on a worksheet or in another program.

Shortcut key

Action

Menu equivalent comments version

Ctrl+A

Select All

None

Ctrl+B

Bold

Format, Cells, Font, Font Style, All

All

Bold

Ctrl+C

Copy

Edit, Copy

All

Ctrl+D

Fill Down

Edit, Fill, Down

All

Ctrl+F

Find

Edit, Find

All

Ctrl+G

Goto

Edit, Goto

All

Ctrl+H

Replace

Edit, Replace

All

Ctrl+I

Italic

Format, Cells, Font, Font Style, All

Italic

Ctrl+K

Insert Hyperlink

Insert, Hyperlink

Excel 97/2000 +

Ctrl+N

New Workbook

File, New

All

Ctrl+O

Open

File, Open

All

Ctrl+P

Print

File, Print

All

Ctrl+R

Fill Right

Edit, Fill Right

All

Ctrl+S

Save

File, Save

All

Ctrl+U

Underline

Format, Cells, Font, Underline, All

Single

Ctrl+V

Paste

Edit, Paste

All

Ctrl W

Close

File, Close

Excel 97/2000 +

Ctrl+X

Cut

Edit, Cut

All

Ctrl+Y

Repeat

Edit, Repeat

All

Ctrl+Z

Undo

Edit, Undo

All

F1

Help

Help, Contents and Index

All

F2

Edit

None

All

F3

Paste Name

Insert, Name, Paste

All

F4

Repeat last action

Edit, Repeat. Works while not in All

Edit mode.

F4

While typing a formula, switch between

absolute/relative refs

None

All

F5

Goto

Edit, Goto

All

F6

Next Pane

None

All

F7

Spell check

Tools, Spelling

All

F8

Extend mode

None

All

F9

Recalculate all workbooks

Tools, Options, Calculation,

All

Calc Now

F10

Activate Menubar

N/A

All

F11

New Chart

Insert, Chart

All

F12

Save As

File, Save As

All

Ctrl+:

Insert Current Time

None

All

Ctrl+;

Insert Current Date

None

All

Ctrl+"

Copy Value from Cell Above

Edit, Paste Special, Value

All

Ctrl+'

Copy Formula from Cell Above

Edit, Copy

All

Shift

Hold down shift for additional functions in Excel's menu none

Excel 97/2000 +

Shift+F1

What's This?

Help, What's This?

All

Shift+F2

Edit cell comment

Insert, Edit Comments

All

Shift+F3

Paste function into formula

Insert, Function

All

Shift+F4

Find Next

Edit, Find, Find Next

All

Shift+F5

Find

Edit, Find, Find Next

All

Shift+F6

Previous Pane

None

All

Shift+F8

Add to selection

None

All

Shift+F9

Calculate active worksheet

Tools, Options, Calculation,

All

Calc Sheet

Ctrl+Alt+F9

Calculate all worksheets in all open workbooks,

None

Excel 97/2000 +

None

Excel 97/2000 +

regardless of whether they have changed since the last

calculation.

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F9 Rechecks dependent formulas and then calculates all

cells in all open workbooks, including cells not marked
as needing to be calculated.

Shift+F10

Display shortcut menu

None

All

Shift+F11

New worksheet

Insert, Worksheet

All

Shift+F12

Save

File, Save

All

Ctrl+F3

Define name

Insert, Names, Define

All

Ctrl+F4

Close

File, Close

All

Ctrl+F5

XL, Restore window size

Restore

All

Ctrl+F6

Next workbook window

Window, ...

All

Shift+Ctrl+F6

Previous workbook window

Window, ...

All

Ctrl+F7

Move window

XL, Move

All

Ctrl+F8

Resize window

XL, Size

All

Ctrl+F9

Minimize workbook

XL, Minimize

All

Ctrl+F10

Maximize or restore window

XL, Maximize

All

Ctrl+F11

Inset 4.0 Macro sheet

None in Excel 97. In versions

All

prior to 97 - Insert, Macro, 4.0

Macro

Ctrl+F12

File Open

File, Open

All

Alt+F1

Insert Chart

Insert, Chart...

All

Alt+F2

Save As

File, Save As

All

Alt+F4

Exit

File, Exit

All

Alt+F8

Macro dialog box

Tools, Macro, Macros in Excel Excel 97/2000 +

97 Tools,Macros - in earlier
versions

Alt+F11

Visual Basic Editor

Tools, Macro, Visual Basic

Excel 97/2000 +

Editor

Ctrl+Shift+F3

Create name by using names of row and column labels Insert, Name, Create

All

Ctrl+Shift+F6

Previous Window

Window, ...

All

Ctrl+Shift+F12

Print

File, Print

All

Alt+Shift+F1

New worksheet

Insert, Worksheet

All

Alt+Shift+F2

Save

File, Save

All

Alt+=

AutoSum

No direct equivalent

All

Ctrl+`

Toggle Value/Formula display

Tools, Options, View, Formulas All

Ctrl+Shift+A

Insert argument names into formula

No direct equivalent

All

Alt+Down arrow Display AutoComplete list

None

Excel 95

Alt+'

Format Style dialog box

Format, Style

All

Ctrl+Shift+~

General format

Format, Cells, Number,

All

Category, General

Ctrl+Shift+!

Comma format

Format, Cells, Number,

All

Category, Number

Ctrl+Shift+@

Time format

Format, Cells, Number,

All

Category, Time

Ctrl+Shift+#

Date format

Format, Cells, Number,

All

Category, Date

Ctrl+Shift+$

Currency format

Format, Cells, Number,

All

Category, Currency

Ctrl+Shift+%

Percent format

Format, Cells, Number,

Category, Percentage

All

Ctrl+Shift+^

Exponential format

Format, Cells, Number,

All

Category,

Ctrl+Shift+&

Place outline border around selected cells

Format, Cells, Border

All

Ctrl+Shift+_

Remove outline border

Format, Cells, Border

All

Ctrl+Shift+*

Select current region

Edit, Goto, Special, Current

All

Region

Ctrl++

Insert

Insert, (Rows, Columns, or

All

Cells) Depends on selection

Ctrl+-

Delete

Delete, (Rows, Columns, or

All

Cells) Depends on selection

Ctrl+1

Format cells dialog box

Format, Cells

All

Ctrl+2

Bold

Format, Cells, Font, Font Style, All

Bold

Ctrl+3

Italic

Format, Cells, Font, Font Style, All

Italic

Ctrl+4

Underline

Format, Cells, Font, Font Style, All

Underline

Ctrl+5

Strikethrough

Format, Cells, Font, Effects,

All

Strikethrough

Ctrl+6

Show/Hide objects

Tools, Options, View, Objects, All

Show All/Hide

Ctrl+7

Show/Hide Standard toolbar

View, Toolbars, Stardard

All

Ctrl+8

Toggle Outline symbols

None

All

Ctrl+9

Hide rows

Format, Row, Hide

All

Ctrl+0

Hide columns

Format, Column, Hide

All

Ctrl+Shift+(

Unhide rows

Format, Row, Unhide

All

Ctrl+Shift+)

Unhide columns

Format, Column, Unhide

All

Alt or F10

Activate the menu

None

All

Ctrl+Tab

In toolbar: next toolbar

None

Excel 97/2000 +

Shift+Ctrl+Tab

In toolbar: previous toolbar

None

Excel 97/2000 +

Ctrl+Tab

In a workbook: activate next workbook

None

Excel 97/2000 +

Shift+Ctrl+Tab

In a workbook: activate previous workbook

None

Excel 97/2000 +

Tab

Next tool

None

Excel 97/2000 +

Shift+Tab

Previous tool

None

Excel 97/2000 +

Enter

Do the command

None

Excel 97/2000 +

Alt+Enter

Start a new line in the same cell.

None

Excel 97/2000 +

Ctrl+Enter

Fill the selected cell range with the current entry.

None

Excel 97/2000 +

Shift+Ctrl+F

Font Drop Down List

Format, Cells, Font

All

Shift+Ctrl+F+F

Font tab of Format Cell Dialog box

Format, Cells, Font

Before 97/2000

Shift+Ctrl+P

Point size Drop Down List

Format, Cells, Font

All

Next worksheet / Previous worksheet

Often, you'll need to switch back and forth between different worksheets in the same
workbook. To do this on the keyboard, use Control + PgDn (Mac: Fn + Control +
Down arrow) to move to the next worksheet to the right, and Control + PgUp (Mac:
Fn + Control + Up arrow) to move to the worksheet to the left.

Next workbook / Previous workbook

To rotate to the next open workbook, use the keyboard shortcut Control + Tab (both
platforms). To reverse direction, add the shift key: Control + Shift + Tab.

Expand or collapse ribbon

This shortcut seems a bit frivolous until you realize that the ribbon is sitting there
taking up 4 rows of space, even when you're not using it at all. Use Control + F1
(Mac: Command + Option + R) to collapse the ribbon when you don't need it, and
bring it back when you do.

Shortcut resources
1. Our list of 220 Excel shortcuts for Win and Mac. Continually
updated.
2. Laminated quick reference cards. No WIFI required.
3. On a Mac? Make sure you read: How to Use Mac Function Keys.

Display the Paste Special dialog box

This shortcut, Control + Alt + V (Mac: Control + Command + V) doesn't actually

finish the paste; it just opens the Paste Special dialog box. At that point, you'll need to
chose the type of paste you want to perform.
There are so many things you can do with paste special; it's a topic in itself. At the
very least, you probably already use paste special to strip out unwanted formatting and
formulas (Paste special > Values). But did you know that you can also paste
formatting, paste column widths, multiply and add values in place, and even transpose
tables? It's all there.

Toggle autofilter
If you frequently filter lists or tables, this shortcut should be at the top of your list.
With the same shortcut, Control + Shift + L (Mac: Command + Shift + F) you can
toggle filters on and off any list or data set. But the best part is toggling off the
autofilter will clear any filters that have been set. So, if you have a multiple filters
active, you can "reset" all filters by using the shortcut twice in a row: once to remove
the filters (which clears all filters), and once again to add a new autofilter. This is far
faster than fiddling with each filter manually.

Select all
Many people know the shortcut for "select all": Control + A. However, in Excel, this
shortcut behaves differently in different contexts. If the cursor is in an empty cell,

Control + A selects the entire worksheet. But if the cursor is in a group

of contiguous cells, Control + A will select the entire group of cells instead.
The behavior changes again when the cursor is in an Excel Table. The first time you
use Control + A, the table data is selected. The second time, both the table data + table
header are selected. Finally, the third time you use Control + A, the entire worksheet is
selected.

Move to edge of data region

This shortcut sounds boring but it is vital if you routinely work with big lists or tables.
Rather than scroll up, down, right and left, manually just put your cursor into the data
and use Control + Arrow key to move in any direction to the edge of the data range
(On a Mac you can use Command or Control). The cursor will travel to the first empty
cell (or the edge of the spreadsheet, whichever comes first). If you start in an empty
cell, the behavior is reversed - the cursor will move to the first cell with content and
stop.
Move right = Control + Right arrow
Move left = Control + Left arrow
Move up = Control + Up arrow
Move down = Control + Down arrow
To see these shortcuts in action, see our video on how to move around big lists
fast.

How fast can the cursor move?

How fast is the cursor moving when you use these shortcuts? Let's
do a little math, shall we? Modern Excel has more than 1 million
rows. If you put your cursor in A1 and press Control + down arrow,
you'll be past the millionth row in less than a second. If we figure
there are about 6 rows in an inch, then:
1,048,576 rows / 6 = 174,763 inches / 12 = 14,564 feet / 5280 =
2.76 miles

2.76 miles in 1 second * 60 = 165.6 miles per minute * 60 = 9,936

miles per hour.
Since it really takes less than a second to travel more than 1 million
rows, let's just call it 10,000 miles per hour. You're never going to
beat it scrolling. Ever.

Extend selection to the edge of data

Navigating at high speed through a large table is great fun, but what really makes this
idea powerful is selecting huge swaths of cells at the same time. Because when you
try to select large collections of cells manually (let's say 10,000 rows), you will be
scrolling a long time. A really long time.
To save your sanity and avoid all that scrolling, just add the Shift key to the Control +
Arrow shortcut, and you will *extend* the current selection to include all the cells
along the way. The best part about using Shift + Control + Arrow is that your
selections are perfectly accurate. Even though the cursor is moving at great speed, it
will stop on a dime at the edge of a data region.
Select right = Shift + Control + Right arrow
Select left = Shift + Control + Left arrow
Select up = Shift + Control + Up arrow
Select down = Shift + Control + Down arrow

Move to first cell in worksheet

Navigating larger worksheets can get really tedious. Sure, you can use the scroll bars
to scroll the worksheet into position, but using the scroll bars requires control and
patience. If you just want to get back to the first screen in a worksheet, use the
keyboard shortcut Control + Home (Mac: Fn + Control + left arrow). This will bring
you straight back to cell A1, no matter how far you've wandered.

Move to last cell in worksheet

In a similar way, you can jump to the "last cell" in a worksheet using Control + End
(Mac: Fn + Control + Right arrow). What is the last cell? Good question. The last cell
in a worksheet is at the intersection of the last row that contains data and the last
column that contains data. Often, the last cell in a worksheet doesn't contain any data
itself - it just defines the lower right edge of a rectangle that makes up the used
portion of the worksheet.
One good use of this shortcut is to quickly see if there is any other data in the
worksheet that you're not aware of. You can use this to make sure you don't
accidentally print 16 blank pages because there's stray data in cell BF1345, for some
unknown reason. It's also useful when you notice that a workbook is suddenly a lot
bigger on disk that it should be. In this case, it's likely that there's extra data
somewhere in the worksheet.

Find next match

Rather basic, but worth knowing: once you've set up a find, and have found at least
one match, you can keep finding "the next match" by using Shift F4 (Mac: Command
+ G). This is a nice way to step through matches in a worksheet methodically.
By the way: to activate Find, use Control + F (Mac: Command + F). On Windows and
Mac, you can also use Control + H to activate Find and Replace. On Windows, this
will open the find and replace dialog with with Replace selected.

Select row / select column

Both rows and columns can be selected with keyboard shortcuts. To select a row, use
Shift + Space. To select a column, use Control + Space.
Once you have a row or column selected, you can hold down the shift key and extend
your the selection by using the appropriate arrow keys. For example, if the cursor is in
row 10 and you press Shift + Space, row 10 will be selected. You can then hold the

shift key down and use the Up or Down arrow keys to select additional rows above or
below row 10.
Note that if you are working in an Excel table, these same shortcuts will select rows
and columns within the table, not the entire worksheet.
Also note that once you have rows or columns selected, you can use other keyboard
shortcuts to insert, delete, hide, and unhide.

Add non-adjacent cells to selection

You'll often need to select cells that aren't next to one another. You might want to enter
the same data to several cells (see Control + Enter) change formatting, or even use the
status bar to get an on-the-fly SUM for a group of random cells. This is easily done
using Control + Click (Mac: Command + Click). Just select the first cell (or cells)
then hold down the control or command key and click other cells to add them to your
selection.

Show the active cell on worksheet

Sometimes you have a worksheet open and the cursor is nowhere in sight. You could
press an arrow keys to bring the cursor into view (and move to a new cell at the same
time) or you could consult the namebox to get the address. But you can also just use
Control + Backspace (Mac: Command + Delete) to automatically scroll the cursor
into view, nicely centered in the window.

Display 'Go To' dialog box

The Go To Special dialog is a bit like the Paste Special Dialog - within lies a treasure
trove of utility hidden in an innocuous sounding control. Did you know you can use
Go To Special to select only formulas? Only constants? Only blank cells? You can do
all that and a lot more.

Unfortunately, the shortcut Control + G (both platforms) only gets you half way, to the
Go To dialog box. From there, you need to click the Special button to get all the way
to Go To Special. Control + G is still a worthy shortcut, however, because Go To
Special is the gateway to many tricky and powerful features.
Chandoo has a good article that explains Go To Special in detail
here:http://chandoo.org/wp/2012/03/12/go-to-special/
This video shows how to use Go To Special to select and delete blank
rows:https://exceljet.net/tips/how-to-quickly-remove-blank-rows-mac
This video demonstrates using Go To Special to weed out rows that are missing values
in a specific column: https://exceljet.net/tips/how-to-quickly-removerows-with-empty-values-win

ENTERING DATA
Start a new line in the same cell
This is not so much a shortcut as something you simply must know to enter multiple
lines in a single cell. This is often a puzzle to Excel users (for obvious reasons) and I
have no doubt that this puzzle has resulted in hundreds of thousands, if not millions,
of Google searches. Here is the answer revealed: Alt + Enter (Mac: Control + Option
+ Return) will add a new line inside a cell.

Enter the same value in multiple cells

This shortcut may not seem interesting, but you'll be surprised how often you use it
once you understand how it works. Use Control + Enter when you want to enter the
same value in multiple cells at once. This is a great way to save keystrokes when you
want to enter the same value or formula in a group of cells. You can even use Control
+ Enter to enter data into non-contiguous cells. (See the previous shortcut for selecting
non-adjacent cells.)
Control-enter also has another use: use it when you want to enter a value into a cell
and stay in that same cell after hitting return.

Insert current date / Insert current time

No Excel shortcut guide would be complete without mentioning these stalwarts for
entering the current date and time.
To enter the current date, use Control + ;
To enter the current time, use Control + Shift + :
If you want to enter both the current date and time, type control +;, then enter a space,
followed by Control + Shift + :
With either shortcut, excel will enter the current date or time using a valid Excel date
in serial number format, with dates as integers and times as decimal values. You can
then apply date or time formatting as you like.

Fill down / Fill right

These handy shortcuts allow you to quickly copy data from the cell above or the cell
to the left, without using the typical "copy, then paste" pattern. To copy a value from
the cell above, use Control + D. To copy data from the cell to the left, use Control +
R. You can use these same shortcuts to copy data to multiple cells too. The trick is to
select both the source cells and target cells before you use the shortcut. (This isn't
necessary if you're copying to cells that are directly adjacent to the source cells.)
For example, if you want to copy values from the row above into the next 6 rows in a
table. Select the source row and the next 6 target rows. Then use control + D.

FORMATTING
Format (almost) anything
Now that the ribbon has taken over, this shortcut may seem unnecessary. After all, you
can just click on all that bling-bling in the ribbon right? But pay attention grasshopper,

this shortcut is the gateway to a lot of formatting options that don't appear in the
ribbon. Better yet, you can use this shortcut to instantly access a full set of formatting
options, even when the ribbon is collapsed.
When regular cells are selected, Control + 1 (Mac: Command + 1) opens the Format
Cells dialog. From there, you have quick access to number formats, alignment
settings, fonts, borders, fills, and cell protection, with no need to hunt these things
down in the ribbon.
When you're working with a chart, the same shortcut will open various formatting
dialogs, depending on what you have selected. For example, if you have the chart area
selected, Control + 1 (Mac: Command + 1) opens the Format Chart Area dialog. If
you have data bars selected, the shortcut will open the Format Data Series dialog. And
so on.
You can also use this shortcut when working with shapes and smart art.
The bottom line: give this shortcut before you head out to hunt down a formatting
option in the ribbon.
Note: thanks to Excel guru Jon Peltier for pointing out to me that
Control + 1 is not just for formatting cells!

Bold, italic, underline

Basic, boring, yet essential:

Bold = Control + B (Mac: Command + B)

Italic = Control + I (Mac: Command + I)
Underline = Control + U (Mac: Command + U)
You should also know you can hold apply these formats to individual words and
characters. Just double click the cell to enter edit mode, select the text you want to
format, and apply one of these shortcuts.

Number formats
These shortcuts are not critical, but it's worth knowing that you can apply seven
number formats with keyboard shortcuts. Each shortcut follows the same pattern:
Control + Shift + [symbol]. If you spend a few minutes trying them out, you'll get the
idea quickly:
General = Control + Shift + ~
Currency = Control + Shift + $
Percentage = Control + Shift + %
Scientific = Control + Shift + ^
Date = Control + Shift + #
Time = Control + Shift + @
Number = Control + Shift +!
Conspicuously absent: the Accounting format.

FORMULAS
Edit the active cell
You can either double click a cell or use F2 (Mac: control + U) to enter "edit mode"
for the active cell.

Toggle absolute / relative reference

If you work regularly with formulas and cell addresses, this is one shortcut is
essential, and will save you a lot tedious editing cell references to add and remove the
$ character. To use the shortcut, first enter edit mode, then position the cursor in or
next to a cell reference you want to change. Then press F4 (Mac: Command + T).
Each time you apply the shortcut, Excel will "rotate" one step through relative and
absolute options. Starting with a relative reference, the rotation order works like this:

absolute, row locked, column locked, relative. So, for example for the reference A1,
you'll see: $A$1, A$1, $A1, and, finally, A1 again.

Autosum selected cells

Autosum works on both rows and columns. Simply select an empty cell to the right or
below the cells you want to sum, and type Alt + = (Mac: Command + Shift + T).
Excel will guess the range you are trying to sum and insert the SUM function in one
step. For more control, first select the range you intend to sum, including the cell
where you'd like the SUM function to be. This prevents Excel from guessing wrong
about the range in cases where there are blanks or text values in the sum range.
For even more satisfaction, you can have Excel insert multiple SUM functions at the
same time. To sum multiple columns, select a range of empty cells below the columns.
To sum multiple rows, select a range of empty cells in a column to the right of the
rows.
For the ultimate in shortcut satisfaction, you can have Excel add sum formulas for an
entire table in one step. Select a full table of numbers, including empty cells below the
table and to the right of the table. Then use this shortcut. Excel will add a SUM
function at the bottom of each column, at the right of each row, and, at the lower right
corner of the range, giving you column totals, row totals, and a grand total all in one
step. In the world of Excel shortcuts, it doesn't get much better than that.

Toggle formulas on and of

It can often be handy to quickly see all the formulas in a worksheet, without clicking
into each cell. By using Control + ', you can display all formulas in a worksheet at
once. To dismiss the formulas and show the results of the formulas again, type Control
+ ' a second time.
This gives you fast way to audit a worksheet. You can see where formulas are used
and to check for consistency at the same time.

Insert function arguments

This shortcut is a bit of a sleeper. You don't see it mentioned much, but it's pretty cool.
What it does: when you're entering a function, after Excel has recognized the function
name, typing Control + Shift + A (both platforms) will cause Excel to enter
placeholders for all arguments. For example, if you type "=DATE(" and then use
Control + Shift + A, Excel give you "=DATE(year,month,day)". You can then doubleclick each argument and change it to the address or value you need.

Paste name into formula

When you're editing a complex formula, that last thing you need is to have to leave
edit mode to go find the name of a named range or constant. With this shortcut F3 (no
Mac equivalent so far as I know, sorry!) you don't need to. Just press F3 and Excel
will open the named range dialog box so that you can paste in the name you need.

Accept function with autocomplete

When you're entering a function, excel will try to guess the name of the function you
want, and present an autocomplete list for you to select from. The question is, how do
you accept one of the options displayed and yet still stay in edit mode? The trick is to
use the tab key. When you press tab, Excel adds any parentheses as needed, then
leaves the formula bar active so that you can fill in the arguments as needed. On a
Mac, you need to use the down arrow key first to select the function you want, then
Tab.

WORKING WITH THE GRID

Insert rows / columns
To insert a row or column with a keyboard shortcut, you need to first select an entire
row or column, respectively. The shortcut is the same whether you are inserting rows
or columns. With an entire row selected, use Control + Shift + + (Mac: Control + I) to

insert a row. With an entire column selected, use Control + Shift + + (Mac: Control +
I) to insert a new column to the right of the selected column.
You can also insert multiple rows and columns. Just select the number of rows or
columns you want to insert before using the shortcut.
As already mentioned, you can use a keyboard shortcut to select entire rows or
columns: Shift + space to select a row, Control + space to select a column.

Delete rows / columns

Like inserting rows or columns, the key to deleting rows and columns to first select an
entire row or column. Once you have a row or column selected, the shortcut for
deleting rows is the same as for deleting columns: Control + - (both platforms).
With this same shortcut, you can also delete multiple rows and columns. Just select
the number of rows or columns you want to delete, then use Control + -.
Note: use the shortcuts we already mentioned to select rows and columns: Shift +
space to select row(s), Control + space to select column(s).
Note 2: if you don't have an entire row or column selected when you use Control + -,
Excel will present the Delete dialog box, which contains options for deleting rows and
columns, and for shifting cells.

The benefits of working with entire rows and

columns
Inserting rows and columns is a great way to organize data quickly
and safely. By adding an entire row or column, there's no chance
that you'll inadvertently push cells certain out of alignment
elsewhere on the worksheet, because every cell is shifted the same
amount.

In a similar way, deleting columns and rows is a great way to clean

up a worksheet quickly. In one fell swoop, you can slice off loads of
cruft that would take a long time to clean up manually. Before you
start tidying up rows or columns that are just full of junk anyway,
ask yourself: Can I just remove this stuff by deleting rows or
columns? If so, then do it!
Excel doesn't care a bit how many rows or columns you delete. It will
just silently re-add a fresh batch the instant you delete.

Hide and unhide columns

To hide one or more columns, use the shortcut Control + 0 (both platforms). Any
columns that intersect the current selection will be hidden. If you prefer, you can also
first select entire columns before using this shortcut.
Note that column letters on either side of hidden columns will appear in blue.
To unhide columns, you must first select cells that span either side of the hidden
column, or select columns that span the hidden column(s). Then use the keyboard
shortcut Control + Shift + 0.
Note that you are just adding Shift to the shortcut for hiding a column.

Hide and unhide rows

To hide one or more rows, use the shortcut Control + 9 (both platforms). Any rows
that intersect the current selection will be hidden. You can also first select one more
more entire rows if you prefer.
Note that row numbers on either side of hidden rows will appear in blue.
To unhide rows, you must first select rows that span either side of the hidden row, or
select entire rows that span the hidden row(s). Then use the keyboard shortcut Control
+ Shift + 9.

Note that you are just adding Shift to the shortcut for hiding a row.

CHARTS
Create an embedded chart
To create a embedded chart, first select the data that makes up the chart, including any
labels. Then use use the keyboard shortcut Alt + F1 (Mac: Fn + Alt + F1*). Excel will
create a new chart on the same worksheet, using your current chart default settings.
* I'm not able to get the Mac shortcut to work on my Mac (Lion, Excel 2011) at the
moment. Is anyone?

Create chart in new worksheet

To create a chart on a new sheet, first select the data that makes up the chart. Then use
use the keyboard shortcut F11 (Mac: Fn + F11). Excel will create a chart in a new
sheet based on your current chart default settings. This is a great way to sanity-check
data in your worksheet.