Keyboard Shortcuts in Excel
In this chapter, we will learn about the commonly used Excel shortcuts, the keyboard shortcuts, and their description in Windows. Navigating between the different tabs and searching for the correct options slows the workflow. Whether novices or Excel experts, keyboard shortcuts have tremendous advantages, such as saving your precious time, enabling you to manipulate data quickly, formatting cells, creating and managing pivot tables, and adding borders, charts, and graphs.
Compatibility
These keyboard shortcuts are used in the following version of the MS Excel −
- Excel for Microsoft 365
- Excel for Microsoft 365 for Mac
- Excel for the web
- Excel 2024
- Excel 2024 for Mac
- Excel 2021
- Excel 2021 for Mac
- Excel 2019
- Excel 2016
- Excel for iPad
- Excel for iPhone
- Excel for Android tablets
- Excel for Android phones
- Excel Mobile
Most Commonly Used Shortcuts
The most frequently used Excel shortcuts keys are listed below −
| Shortcut keys |
Functionality |
| Ctrl+N |
Open a new worksheet. |
| Ctrl+S |
Save a workbook. |
| Ctrl+C |
Copy selected data. |
| Ctrl+V |
Paste the selected data. |
| Ctrl+Z |
Undo recent changes. |
| Ctrl+O |
Open a workbook. |
| Ctrl+W |
Close a workbook. |
| Ctrl+B |
Bold formatting. |
| Alt+N |
Navigate to the Insert tab. |
| Alt+A |
Navigate to the Data tab. |
| Alt+W |
Navigate to the View tab. |
| Alt+M |
Navigate to the Formula tab. |
| Alt+P |
Navigate to the Page Layout tab. |
| Alt+H,A,C |
Centre Alignment. |
| Ctrl+U |
Underline formatting. |
| Ctrl+I |
Italic Formatting. |
Ribbon Keyboard Shortcuts in Excel
The ribbon consists of numerous tabs and different icons. Each tab presents related options in various groups through which users can perform specific actions. Once you press the Alt key, the letters, known as key tips, are populated on the ribbon to make an Access key. For example, you can press the Ctrl+W access keys to navigate to the View tab.
The list of the Access keys, along with their description, are as follows −
| Access keys |
Description |
| Alt+F |
Switch to the File tab. |
| Alt+H |
Move to the Home tab. |
| Alt+N |
Switch to the Insert tab. |
| Alt+JI |
Switch to the Draw tab. |
| Alt+P |
Switch to the Page Layout tab. |
| Alt+M |
Switch to the Formulas tab. |
| Alt+A |
Switch to the Data tab. |
| Alt+R |
Switch to the Review tab. |
| Alt+W |
Move to the View tab. |
| Alt+L |
Switch to the Developer tab. |
| Alt+Y |
Switch to the Help tab. |
| Alt+Q |
Go to the Search/Tell Me tab. |
| Alt+ZC |
To open a comment dialog box. |
| Alt+ZS |
Navigate to the Share button. |
Shortcuts Keys for Navigation in Cell
| Shortcuts |
Description |
| Ctrl+Up arrow |
Move to the first row of the selected column. |
| Ctrl+Down arrow |
Move to the last row of the selected column. |
| Left side arrow |
Shift to the preceding cell horizontally. |
| Right side arrow |
Shift to the next cell horizontally. |
| Upward arrow |
Move to the upper cell vertically. |
| Downward side arrow |
Move to the downward cell vertically. |
| Ctrl+Right arrow |
Directly shift to the last edge of the current data region. |
| Ctrl+Left arrow |
Directly shift to the left edge of the current data region. |
| Ctrl+Upward arrow |
Shift to the first edge of the current data region. |
| Ctrl+Downward arrow |
Shift to the end edge of the current data region. |
| Ctrl+Pg up |
Navigate to the previous worksheet. |
| Ctrl+Pg dn |
Navigate to the next worksheet. |
| Pg up |
Shift to a screen up in the active worksheet. |
| Pg dn |
Shift to a screen downward in the active worksheet. |
| Tab |
Shift to the next cell in the same row. |
| Ctrl+Home |
Shift to the start of the worksheet. |
| Alt+Downward arrow |
Display the list of the multiple values through which a selected option can be chosen. |
| Esc |
Switch to normal navigation and terminate the floating shape navigation. |
Shortcut Keys for the Cell Formatting
| Shortcuts |
Description |
| Shift+F2 |
To insert or edit a short note. |
| Ctrl+Shift+F2 |
To open and write a comment. |
| Ctrl+; |
To insert today's date. |
| Ctrl+Shift+: |
To display the current time. |
| Ctrl+ Apostrophe(') |
Insert the same data copied from the upward cell. |
| Ctrl+1 |
Open a Format cells dialog box. |
| Ctrl+` |
Expanding the columns' size. |
| Ctrl+Alt+V |
To open the Paste Special dialog box. |
| Ctrl+Shift+% |
To employ the Percent format without decimals. |
| Ctrl+5 |
To delete or employ the Strikethrough Formatting. |
| Ctrl+Shift+~ |
To use the General number Formatting. |
| Ctrl+Shift+$ |
To use the Currency Formatting. |
| Ctrl+Shift+^ |
To employ the Scientific number format. |
| Ctrl+Shift+# |
To employ the Date formatting. |
| Ctrl+Shift+@ |
To employ the Time formatting in AM or PM. |
| Ctrl+Shift+_ |
Delete the outer border from the selected cells. |
| Ctrl+Shift+& |
Insert the outer border on the selected cells. |
| Ctrl+K |
Display a Hyperlink dialog box. |
| Ctrl+Shift+G |
Open a Workbook Statistics dialog box. |
| Ctrl+T |
To populate the Create table dialog box. |
| F7 |
Spell checker in selected cell range. |
| Ctrl+6 |
It works in three modes: the first mode hides objects, the second showcases all objects, and the third showcases the placeholders only. |
| Ctrl+D |
To enable the Fill Down command. |
| Ctrl+Shift+ |
To populate the Insert dialog box. |
| Ctrl+- |
To populate the Delete dialog box. |
| Ctrl+Q |
To showcase the Quick Analysis options. |
Shortcut Keys for Refreshing Data
| Shortcuts |
Description |
| Ctrl+Alt+5 |
Refresh information in the specific workbook. |
| Esc |
Halt refresh operation. |
| Ctrl+F5 |
Refresh information in the active worksheet. |
How to apply shortcuts in the formula bar and functions in Microsoft Excel?
| Shortcuts |
Description |
| F9 |
Reevaluation of formulas in all worksheets of the active workbook. |
| Shift+F9 |
Reevaluation of formulas only in the present worksheet. |
| Shift+F3 |
Open an Insert Function dialog box. |
| Alt+F1 |
Embed a chart based on the existing range of data. |
| Alt+F11 |
Open the VBA editor. |
| Alt+F12 |
Open the Power Query Editor. |
| Alt+F8 |
Remove, modify, and create a macro. |
| F11 |
Depending on the data range, create a chart on a different sheet. |
| Ctrl+E |
To enable the Flash Fill feature. |
| Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F9 |
Verify all the dependent formulas. |
| Alt+Shift+F10 |
To populate the menu, use the Error Checking button. |
| Ctrl+A |
Open a Function Arguments dialog box. |
| Enter |
Switch to the next cell downward. |
| F3 |
A specific name is pasted from the Paste Name dialog box. |
| Alt+M |
Define a name for cell references. |
| Ctrl+End |
Switch to the last used cell in the active worksheet. |
| Ctrl+Shift+End |
To highlight the cell, range from the cursor location to the end of the used data. |
| Ctrl+Shift+U |
To collapse or increase the size of the formula bar. |
Keyword Shortcuts for Power Pivot
| Shortcuts |
Description |
| Ctrl+S |
Save a file. |
| Ctrl+C |
Copy the selected part of the table. |
| Ctrl+D |
Remove a table. |
| Ctrl+M |
Change the position of a table. |
| Ctrl+R |
You can modify the name of a table. |
| Ctrl+A |
Select all the rows and columns of the table. |
| Ctrl+Z |
Undo the recent changes action. |
| Ctrl+Y |
Redo the recent action. |
| Ctrl+Pg up |
Switch to the preceding table. |
| Ctrl+Pg dn |
Switch to the following table. |
| Ctrl+Spacebar |
Select the current column. |
| Shift+Spacebar |
Select the current row. |
| Ctrl+Home |
Navigate to the selected table's first cell. |
| Ctrl+End |
Navigate to the selected table's last cell. |
| Ctrl+Left arrow |
Shifted to the selected row's start cell. |
| Ctrl+Right arrow |
Shifted to the selected row's last cell. |
| Ctrl+Up arrow |
Shifted to the selected column's first cell. |
| Ctrl+Down arrow |
Shifted to the selected column's last cell. |
| F5 |
Display Go To dialog box. |
| F9 |
Cross-checking of all formulas. |
| Ctrl+Esc |
Terminate a specific operation. |
| Alt+Down arrow |
Open an AutoFilter Menu window. |
Shortcut Keys for Editing Data in Cell
| Shortcuts |
Description |
| Ctrl+L |
Open an Insert table dialog box. |
| Ctrl+X |
Cut a selected cell's content. |
| Ctrl+C |
Copy selected data. |
| Ctrl+V |
Paste the selected data. |
| Ctrl+Y |
Redo an Action. |
| Ctrl+Z |
Undo recent changes in data. |
| Alt+Enter |
Begin a new line in the same cell. |
| Shift+F3 |
Open an Insert Function dialog box. |
| Ctrl+K |
Open Insert Hyperlink dialog box. |
| Ctrl+Shift+L |
To On/Off Auto filter option. |
| Ctrl+Shift+> |
Increase the size of the font. |
| Ctrl+Shift+
|
Decrease the size of the font. |
| Alt+Windows logo, H, I, R |
Add a row upward to the selected row. |
| Alt+Windows logo, H, I, C |
Add a column to the left side of the selected column. |
Excel Shortcut Keys in the Paste Special Dialog Box
Various options are available in the Paste Special dialog box to paste the cell content, formulas, numbers formatting, and notes and comments in the target cell. Press the Ctrl+Alt+V keys to open the Paste Special dialog box. After that, you can use the following shortcut keys to use the options available in this dialog box,
| Shortcut keys |
Description |
| N |
Paste only the data validation. |
| H |
Paste the formats as well as the copied contents. |
| W |
Paste the column widths only. |
| R |
Paste only number formats and formulas. |
| C |
Paste only the notes and comments. |
| T |
Paste the formats only. |
| V |
Paste only field values that dont contain formulas. |
| A |
Paste all contents, including cell formatting. |
| F |
Paste only formulas. |
| U |
Paste only number formats and values that dont contain formulas. |
| X |
Paste the contents with no borders from the copied cells. |
Excel Shortcut keys to Perform Specific Actions and Selections
| Shortcuts |
Description |
| Ctrl+Enter |
Fill handle to the selected range of cells. |
| Shift+Enter |
Select the upward cell vertically. |
| Ctrl+A |
There are three modes: In the first mode, select the current data region. In the second mode, select the current data region and summarized rows. In the third mode, select the complete worksheet. |
| Ctrl+Spacebar |
Choose the complete column of the active cell. |
| Shift+Spacebar |
Choose the complete row of the active cell. |
| Ctrl+Shift+Home |
Select the cell range from the starting cell to that active cell in a worksheet. |
| Ctrl+Y |
Perform the last action again. |
| Shift+F8 |
Add or delete selections using arrows. |
| F8 |
It enables you to Extend Selection. You may press once more to put it off. |
| Ctrl+Shift+Pg up |
Select the active worksheet and the following worksheet in a workbook. |
| Ctrl+Shift+Pg dn |
Select the active worksheet and the preceding worksheet in a workbook. |
| Ctrl+Shift+* |
Choose the current region. |
Excel Shortcuts for the Function Keys
| Shortcuts |
Description |
| F1 |
Open the Help task pane. |
| F2 |
Enable the editing in the current cell. |
| F3 |
Open the Paste Name dialog box. |
| F4 |
Perform the previous action again. |
| F5 |
Open the Go To dialog box. |
| Ctrl+F5 |
Decrease the Excel window size. |
| F6 |
Navigate between the worksheet, ribbon. |
| F7 |
Display the Spelling dialog box. |
| F8 |
Turn on/off the extend mode. |
| F9 |
Cross-checking of all formulas in opened workbooks. |
| F10 |
Populate the key tips. |
| F11 |
Create a chart of the current region in a different Chart sheet. |
| F12 |
Open the Save As dialog box. |
| Ctrl+F1 |
Hide/Populate the ribbon. |
| Alt+F1 |
Insert the chart of the current cell range of data. |
| Ctrl+Shift+F1 |
Display worksheet in full-screen mode. |
| Shift+F2 |
Insert or add a note. |
| Ctrl+F2 |
Display the print preview area. |
| Shift+F3 |
Open an Insert Function dialog box. |
| Ctrl+F4 |
Close the active workbook. |
| Alt+F4 |
Close Excel. |
| Ctrl+F6 |
Navigate between only two Excel workbooks. |
| Ctrl+Shift+F6 |
Navigate between all Excel workbooks. |
| Ctrl+F7 |
Conduct the Move command only in the case of the resizable Excel window. Use the arrow keys to change the window's position. Press Enter to finish or Esc to cancel. |
| Shift+F8 |
Activate the Size command. |
| Shift+F9 |
Compute the formulas in the active worksheet. |
| Ctrl+F9 |
Minimize a workbook window. |
| Shift+F10 |
Open the context menu from which a specific option can be selected. |
| Shift+F11 |
Insert a new worksheet. |
Excel Shortcuts of the Alt key for Active Worksheets and Borders
| Shortcuts |
Description |
| Alt+W+P |
Display the active worksheet in the Page Layout view. |
| Alt+W+L |
Restore the worksheet to the normal view. |
| Alt+W+I |
Display the active worksheet in the Page Break Preview view. |
| Alt+H+B |
Open the drop-down menu of borders. |
| Alt+H+B+O |
Insert/Delete the Bottom border. |
| Alt+H+B+P |
Insert/Delete the Top border. |
| Alt+H+B+L |
Insert/Delete the Left Border. |
| Alt+H+B+R |
Insert/Delete the Right Border. |
| Alt+H+B+N |
Hide the border. |
| Alt+H+B+S |
Choose/Remove the Outside border. |
| Alt+H+B+T |
Insert/Remove the Thick Outside border. |
| Alt+H+B+B |
Insert/Remove the Bottom Double Border. |
| Alt+H+B+H |
Insert/Remove the Thick Bottom Border. |
| Alt+H+B+D |
Insert/Remove the Top and Bottom Border. |
| Alt+H+B+C |
Insert/Remove the Top and Thick Bottom Border. |
| Alt+H+B+U |
Insert/Remove the Top and Double Bottom Border. |
| Alt+H+B+W |
Draw Border. |
| Alt+H+B+G |
Draw Border Grid. |
