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100+ Must-Know Excel Shortcuts, Your Time-Saving Toolkit

Excel is the preferred product for data handling. It offers numerous built-in features that allow you to effortlessly organize and manage data. Using keyboard shortcuts in Excel, you can quickly invoke functions to help you process data even faster. In this article, we will explore various Excel keyboard shortcuts. These keyboard shortcuts are designed for performing tasks more rapidly and efficiently.

What is Excel shortcuts?
Most frequently used shortcuts
Workbook & worksheet shortcuts
Cell formatting and entering shortcuts
Data navigating and viewing shortcuts
Selection shortcuts
Rows and columns shortcuts
Pivotable shortcuts
Formula shortcuts

What is Excel shortcuts?

 

Excel shortcuts are key combinations that provide a quicker way to perform tasks that would normally require a mouse or multiple steps through menus. These shortcuts are designed to make your work in Excel more efficient, saving time and increasing productivity.

Advantages of Excel Shortcuts
  • Speed: Excel shortcuts help you work faster, allowing you to complete tasks in less time.
  • Efficiency: They streamline your workflow, eliminating the need for manual navigation.
  • Precision: Shortcuts reduce the risk of errors by simplifying complex operations.
  • Accessibility: Easily accessible from your keyboard, shortcuts keep your hands on the keys.
Example of Using a Shortcut:

Let's take an example of copying and pasting data in Excel:

Normally, you would right-click on a cell to copy, move to another cell, and then right-click again to paste.

Using shortcuts

    1. Select the cell you want to copy.
    2. Press Ctrl + C to copy the cell.

    1. Move to the target cell.
    2. Press Ctrl + V to paste the copied content.

This simple example demonstrates how Excel shortcuts can replace multiple mouse clicks and menu interactions with just a few keystrokes.

Pro tips
  • Please note that the shortcuts mentioned in this guide are based on the US keyboard layout. For users with different keyboard layouts, the key combinations may not align precisely with those on a US keyboard.
  • In our shortcuts:
    • A plus sign (+) signifies that you should simultaneously press multiple keys.
    • A comma sign (,) indicates that you should press multiple keys sequentially in the specified order.

Most frequently used shortcuts

 

Here are some of the most commonly used Excel shortcuts:

Description (Action)
Shortcuts
Copy selected cells.
Ctrl + C
Paste content from the clipboard.
Ctrl + V
Cut selected cells.
Ctrl + X
Undo the last action.
Ctrl + Z
Redo the last undone action.
Ctrl + Y
Save the current workbook.
Ctrl + S
Open the print dialog box.
Ctrl + P
Open the Find dialog box.
Ctrl + F
Open the Replace dialog box.
Ctrl + H
Select all content in the current worksheet.
Ctrl + A
Fill down with formula.
Ctrl + Enter
Go to cell A1.
Ctrl + Home
Go to the last cell with content.
Ctrl + End
Insert the current date.
Ctrl + ;
Insert the current time.
Ctrl + Shift + :
Create a new table.
Ctrl + T or Ctrl + L
Edit the active cell.
F2
Insert a new row or column.
Ctrl + Shift + +
Delete the selected row(s) or column(s).
Ctrl + -
Select entire column.
Ctrl + Space
Select entire row.
Shift + Space
Move between sheets in a workbook.
Ctrl + Page Up or Ctrl + Page Down

Workbook & worksheet shortcuts

 

Here are some shortcuts for the basics of operating a workbook and worksheet:

Workbook

Description (Action)
Shortcuts
Create new workbook.
Ctrl + N
Open workbook.
Ctrl + O
Save workbook.
Ctrl + S
Save as.
Ctrl + F2
Go to next workbook.
Ctrl + Tab
Go to previous workbook.
Ctrl + Shift + Tab
Minimize current workbook window.
Ctrl + F9
Maximize current workbook window.
Ctrl + F10
Close current workbook.
Ctrl + F4
Close Excel (Only close the current workbook when workbooks opened).
Alt + F4

Cell formatting and entering shortcuts

 

Here are some shortcuts for formating cells or entering data:

Formatting

Description (Action)
Shortcuts
Apply Format Cells feature.
Ctrl + 1
Display Format Cells with Font tab selected.
Ctrl + Shift + F
Apply or remove bold.
Ctrl + B
Apply or remove italics.
Ctrl + I
Apply or remove underline.
Ctrl + U
Apply or remove strikethrough.
Ctrl + 5
Align center.
Alt + H, A, C
Align left.
Alt + H, A, L
Align right.
Alt + H, A, R
Indent.
Alt + H, 6
Remove indent.
Alt + H, 5
Wrap text.
Alt + H, W
Increase font size one step.
Alt + H, F, G
Decrease font size one step.
Alt + H, F, K
Apply general format.
Ctrl + Shift + ~
Apply number format.
Ctrl + Shift + !
Apply time format.
Ctrl + Shift + @
Apply date format.
Ctrl + Shift + #
Apply curreny format.
Ctrl + Shift + $
Apply percentage format.
Ctrl + Shift + %
Apply scientific format.
Ctrl + Shift + ^

Selection shortcuts

 

Here are some of the most commonly used Excel shortcuts for selecting data:

Description (Action)
Shortcuts
Select first cell of the selection.
Shift + Backspace
Select current region if worksheet contains data.
Press again to select entire worksheet.
Ctrl + A
Select the entire range of your actual used data on the current worksheet.
Ctrl + Home ,  Ctrl + Shift + End
Select the entire column.
Ctrl + Space
Select the entire row.
Shift + Space
Select all the cells on the right.
Ctrl + Shift + →
Select all the cells on the left.
Ctrl + Shift + ←
Select the column from the selected cell to the end of the table.
Ctrl + Shift + ↓
Select all the cells above the selected cell.
Ctrl + Shift + ↑
Select all the cells below the selected cell.
Ctrl + Shift + ↓
Expand selection.
Shift + Click
Add non-adjacent cells to selection.
Ctrl + Click
Select cells with comments.
Ctrl + Shift + O
Select visible cells only.
Alt + ;

Rows and columns shortcuts

 

Here are some of the most commonly used Excel shortcuts for operating rows and columns:

Description (Action)
Shortcuts
Display Insert Dialog box.
Ctrl + +
Insert selected number of rows.
Ctrl + +
Insert selected number of columns.
Ctrl + +
Display Delete dialog box.
Ctrl + -
Delete selected number of rows.
Ctrl + -
Delete selected number of columns.
Ctrl + -
Delete contents of selected cells.
Delete
Hide columns.
Ctrl + 0 (zero)
Hide rows.
Ctrl + 9
Unhide rows
Ctrl + Shift + 9
Group rows or columns (with rows/columns selected).
Alt + Shift + →
Ungroup rows or columns (with rows/columns selected).
Alt + Shift + ←
Open Group Dialog Box (no rows/cols selected).
Alt + Shift + →
Open ungroup Dialog Box (no rows/cols selected).
Alt + Shift + ←
Hide or show outline symbols.
Ctrl + 8

Pivotable shortcuts

 

Here are some Excel shortcuts for PivotTable:

Description (Action)
Shortcuts
Create pivot table.
Alt + N, V
Select entire pivot table.
Ctrl + A
Group pivot table items.
Alt + Shift + →
Ungroup pivot table items.
Alt + Shift + ←
Hide (filter out) pivot table item.
Ctrl + -
Unhide (clear filter on) pivot table item.
Alt + H, S, C
Insert pivot chart.
Alt + N, S, Z, C

Formula shortcuts

 

Here are some of the most commonly used Excel shortcuts for operating formulas:

Description (Action)
Shortcuts
Toggle absolute and relative references (in cell edit mode).
F4
Accept function with auto-complete.
Tab
Sum cells above the active cell in the same column.
Alt + =
Toggle displaying formulas on and off.
Ctrl + `
Insert function arguments.
Ctrl + Shift + A
Enter array formula.
Ctrl + Shift + Enter

Excel shortcuts are a valuable tool for anyone who works with spreadsheets. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced Excel user, knowing and using these shortcuts can help you perform tasks more quickly and efficiently. This comprehensive list covers shortcuts for various aspects of Excel, from navigating and selecting cells to formatting and working with formulas. Start incorporating these shortcuts into your Excel workflow and watch your productivity soar.

For more game-changing Excel strategies that can elevate your data management, explore further here..

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