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How to navigate between Excel worksheets or files?

Author Siluvia Last modified

Navigating efficiently between multiple Excel worksheets or files is a fundamental skill that enhances productivity, especially when dealing with large datasets or complex financial models. Excel provides several built-in tools and shortcuts that make it easy to switch views between sheets within the same workbook or even between different Excel files. In this tutorial, we'll explore various methods for navigating Excel environments, from simple keyboard shortcuts to the use of advanced tools like Kutools for Excel.

Navigate between sheets in Excel

When working within a single Excel workbook that contains multiple sheets, moving swiftly between these sheets can save you a significant amount of time and streamline your workflow. You can use keyboard shortcuts or the built-in Navigation pane in Excel to navigate between different worksheets.

Using keyboard shortcuts

This method is useful when you have a manageable number of sheets, and you need to cycle through them quickly.

Ctrl + PgUp

Press this shortcuts will move you one worksheet to the left.

Ctrl + PgDn

Press this shortcut will move you one worksheet to the right.

Using the Navigation pane

For workbooks with many sheets or when you need to jump to a specific sheet quickly, the "Navigation pane" in Excel provides a more visual way to select the desired sheet.

  1. Click "View" > "Navigation".
    A screenshot of enabling the Excel Navigation Pane
  2. The "Navigation" pane will appear on the right side of the worksheet, displaying a list of all sheets of the current workbook. Clicking on any sheet name will take you directly to that sheet.
    All worksheets list in the pane

Navigate between open Excel files using keyboard shortcuts

Navigating between different open Excel files efficiently can be critical, especially when comparing data or referencing multiple sources. This section will show you how yo use shortcuts to switch between all open Excel files.

"Ctrl" + "Tab"

Press this shortcut key to cycle through all open Excel files.

Visually navigate between Excel worksheets or files with Kutools for Excel

If the above methods still don't meet your needs, highly recommend trying the "Navigation" pane of "Kutools for Excel". It not only allows you to visually navigate between worksheets and open files, but also lets you switch between worksheets across different workbooks with ease.

After installing Kutools for Excel, select "Kutools" > "Navigation".

screenshot of enabling the kutolls navigation pane

The "Kutools Navigation" pane will appear on the left side of the worksheet, displaying a list of all open workbooks along with the worksheets within the active workbook. You can:

  • Click a workbook in the list to bring it to the front.
  • Click a worksheet in the list to instantly navigate to it.
    all open workbooks and sheets are listing in the kutools navigation pane

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Navigating between sheets and files in Excel doesn't have to be cumbersome. With the right techniques and tools like keyboard shortcuts, the Navigation Pane, and Kutools for Excel, you can enhance your efficiency and reduce the time spent on routine tasks. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced user, mastering these navigation methods will undoubtedly elevate your Excel proficiency and help you manage large data sets with ease.

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