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Excel Shortcuts: 40 Keyboard Shortcuts You'll Actually Use
You don't need hundreds of shortcuts. These are the ones that save the most time in everyday work, grouped by task. Learn one group per week and you'll barely need the mouse.
Excel CSE · 3 min readIn this guide
The shortcuts below are for Windows. On a Mac, most work with Cmd instead of Ctrl; exceptions are noted.
Moving around
| Shortcut | Does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+Arrow | Jump to the edge of the data in that direction |
| Ctrl+Home | Go to cell A1 |
| Ctrl+End | Go to the last used cell |
| Ctrl+Page Down / Page Up | Next / previous sheet |
| Ctrl+G or F5 | Go to a specific cell or name |
| Ctrl+F | Find |
| Ctrl+H | Find and replace |
Selecting
| Shortcut | Does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+Shift+Arrow | Select to the edge of the data |
| Ctrl+A | Select the current data region (press again for the whole sheet) |
| Shift+Space | Select the entire row |
| Ctrl+Space | Select the entire column |
| Shift+Arrow | Extend the selection by one cell |
Editing
| Shortcut | Does |
|---|---|
| F2 | Edit the active cell (Mac: Ctrl+U) |
| Ctrl+D | Fill down from the cell above |
| Ctrl+R | Fill right from the cell to the left |
| Ctrl+Enter | Enter the same value or formula in all selected cells |
| Alt+Enter | New line inside a cell (Mac: Ctrl+Option+Enter) |
| Ctrl+; | Insert today's date |
| Ctrl+Shift+; | Insert the current time |
| Ctrl+Shift++ | Insert cells, rows or columns |
| Ctrl+- | Delete cells, rows or columns |
| Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y | Undo / redo |
| Ctrl+Alt+V | Paste Special (Mac: Cmd+Ctrl+V) |
| Ctrl+E | Flash Fill |
Formatting
| Shortcut | Does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+1 | Open Format Cells |
| Ctrl+B / I / U | Bold / italic / underline |
| Ctrl+Shift+$ | Currency format |
| Ctrl+Shift+% | Percentage format |
| Ctrl+Shift+! | Number format with thousands separator and 2 decimals |
| Ctrl+Shift+~ | General number format |
Formulas
| Shortcut | Does |
|---|---|
| Alt+= | AutoSum (Mac: Cmd+Shift+T) |
| F4 | Toggle absolute references while editing (Mac: Cmd+T) |
| Ctrl+` | Show all formulas instead of results |
| Shift+F3 | Insert Function dialog |
| F9 | Recalculate (or evaluate a selected part of a formula while editing) |
| Ctrl+[ | Jump to the cells the formula refers to |
Tables and data
| Shortcut | Does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+T | Turn a range into a table |
| Ctrl+Shift+L | Turn filters on or off (Mac: Cmd+Shift+F) |
| Alt+Down Arrow | Open the filter or drop-down menu of the active cell |
| Alt+F5 / Ctrl+Alt+F5 | Refresh the pivot table / refresh all |
| F11 | Create a chart of the selected data on a new sheet |
Bonus: any button via the Alt key
Press Alt on Windows and letters appear on every ribbon tab and button. Type them in sequence to run any command without the mouse: Alt, H, B, A adds all borders, Alt, W, F, F freezes panes, Alt, A, M opens Remove Duplicates.
Frequently asked questions
Why don't the function key shortcuts work on my laptop?
Many laptops use F1–F12 for volume and brightness. Hold the Fn key (for example Fn+F4), or switch the function lock (often Fn+Esc).
Do Excel shortcuts work in Google Sheets?
Many basic ones do, such as Ctrl+C/V, Ctrl+B and Ctrl+Arrow, but not all. Google Sheets has its own list under Help › Keyboard shortcuts.
How can I see all shortcuts?
Press Alt to see ribbon key tips, or hover over a button: the tooltip often shows its shortcut.