Excel Shortcuts Cheat Sheet
Excel Guides / Shortcuts & Formatting
Shortcuts & Formatting
The shortcuts worth learning, grouped by job: moving, selecting, editing, formatting, formulas and the ribbon.
Updated 12 Oct 2026 Ā· 7 min read Ā· By Sky Dashboards
Most of the time lost in Excel goes on small trips to the mouse. This cheat sheet groups the shortcuts I use every day by the job they do, so you can learn one group at a time instead of memorising a list of two hundred. Everything is written for Microsoft 365 on Windows. Mac equivalents are listed only where they are dependable.
In this guide
How to read the shortcuts
Shortcuts come in two kinds, and the difference matters:
- Held together. Ctrl + Shift + L means hold Ctrl and Shift, then tap L. These are shown joined with plus signs.
- Pressed in sequence. Ribbon key tips such as Alt H O I are tapped one after another, letting go of each key before the next. These are shown with arrows.
- Function keys on laptops. If F2 or F4 changes the volume or brightness, hold Fn as well, or turn on the function-key lock (often Fn + Esc) so the F keys work on their own.
Mac users
On a Mac, Cmd usually stands in for Ctrl, but not always. Excel for Mac keeps Ctrl for several shortcuts, and the function keys need Fn unless you change the keyboard setting in System Settings. Where no Mac shortcut is listed, use the menu or the ribbon.
Move around the sheet
The most useful habit of all: stop scrolling. Ctrl + Arrow jumps to the edge of the current block of data, so crossing a 5,000-row log takes one key press.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Jump to the edge of the current data block | Ctrl + Arrow | Cmd + Arrow |
| Go to A1, or to the first cell below and right of frozen panes | Ctrl + Home | ā |
| Go to the last used cell on the sheet | Ctrl + End | ā |
| Go to the start of the row | Home | ā |
| Move one screen down | Page Down | ā |
| Move one screen right | Alt + Page Down | ā |
| Go To dialog: type a cell address or range name | Ctrl + G | ā |
| Scroll back to the active cell | Ctrl + Backspace | ā |
Ctrl+End shows the real size of the sheet
If Ctrl + End lands far below your data, Excel thinks old rows are still in use. Delete the empty rows and columns past your data, then save to reset it.
Select cells, rows and columns
Add Shift to any movement key and Excel selects as it moves. Ctrl + Shift + Arrow selects from the active cell to the edge of the data, which is the fastest way to grab a whole column of figures.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Extend the selection by one cell | Shift + Arrow | Shift + Arrow |
| Extend the selection to the edge of the data | Ctrl + Shift + Arrow | Cmd + Shift + Arrow |
| Select the entire column | Ctrl + Space | ā |
| Select the entire row | Shift + Space | Shift + Space |
| Select the current region (press again for the whole sheet) | Ctrl + A | Cmd + A |
| Extend the selection to the last used cell | Ctrl + Shift + End | ā |
| Add another range to the selection | Shift + F8 | ā |
| Select visible cells only | Alt + ; | ā |
Tip
Copying a range with hidden or grouped rows also copies the rows you cannot see. (Rows hidden by a filter are already skipped.) Select the range, press Alt + ; to keep only the visible cells, then copy.
Enter and edit data
These cover most of the typing you do in a log or an input sheet.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Edit the active cell | F2 | ā |
| Cancel the entry | Esc | Esc |
| Copy | Ctrl + C | Cmd + C |
| Cut | Ctrl + X | Cmd + X |
| Paste | Ctrl + V | Cmd + V |
| Paste Special dialog | Ctrl + Alt + V | ā |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z | Cmd + Z |
| Redo | Ctrl + Y | Cmd + Y |
| Fill down from the cell above (or the top of the selection) | Ctrl + D | Cmd + D |
| Fill right from the cell to the left | Ctrl + R | Cmd + R |
| Enter the same value or formula in every selected cell | Ctrl + Enter | ā |
| Start a new line inside the cell | Alt + Enter | ā |
| Insert today's date | Ctrl + ; | ā |
| Insert the current time | Ctrl + Shift + ; | ā |
| Flash Fill | Ctrl + E | ā |
| Open a drop-down list or filter menu | Alt + Down Arrow | ā |
| Find | Ctrl + F | Cmd + F |
| Find and Replace | Ctrl + H | ā |
Ctrl+Enter for bulk entry
Select a block of cells, type a value or formula once and press Ctrl + Enter. Every selected cell gets it, and formulas adjust their references as if you had copied them.
Format cells
Ctrl + 1 opens Format Cells, where every number format, border and alignment option lives. The rest are quick presets.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Format Cells dialog | Ctrl + 1 | Cmd + 1 |
| Bold | Ctrl + B | Cmd + B |
| Italic | Ctrl + I | Cmd + I |
| Underline | Ctrl + U | Cmd + U |
| Strikethrough | Ctrl + 5 | ā |
| Number format: two decimals, thousands separator | Ctrl + Shift + 1 | ā |
| Currency format, two decimals | Ctrl + Shift + 4 | ā |
| Percentage format, no decimals | Ctrl + Shift + 5 | ā |
| Date format (d-mmm-yy) | Ctrl + Shift + 3 | ā |
| General format (removes number formatting) | Ctrl + Shift + ~ | ā |
| Outline border round the selection | Ctrl + Shift + 7 | ā |
| Remove the outline border | Ctrl + Shift + Minus | ā |
Note
The number-format shortcuts use the number row. You will often see them written with the symbol instead: on a US keyboard Ctrl + Shift + $ and Ctrl + Shift + 4 are the same press. For anything beyond these presets, write a custom number format.
Write and check formulas
Four keys do most of the work when you build or audit a formula:
- F2 edits the active cell. While editing, press it again to switch between Edit mode (arrow keys move the cursor inside the formula) and Enter mode (arrow keys point at cells). The status bar shows which mode you are in.
-
F4 cycles the reference under the cursor through
$A$1,A$1,$A1and back toA1. See Absolute & Relative References. When you are not editing a formula, F4 repeats your last action instead, such as inserting a row or applying a fill colour. - F9 in the formula bar evaluates the part of the formula you have selected, so you can check what a nested function returns. Press Esc afterwards, or the result replaces that part of the formula. Outside the formula bar, F9 recalculates every open workbook.
- Show Formulas swaps every result for its formula, so you can scan a sheet for hard-coded numbers. The shortcut is Ctrl plus the grave accent key, the one left of 1 and above Tab. Press it again to switch back.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Cycle absolute and relative references | F4 | Cmd + T |
| Evaluate the selected part of a formula | F9 | ā |
| Show or hide formulas | Ctrl + ` | ā |
| AutoSum | Alt + = | Cmd + Shift + T |
| Insert Function dialog | Shift + F3 | ā |
| Function Arguments dialog, after typing a name such as =SUMIFS | Ctrl + A | ā |
| Select the cells the formula refers to | Ctrl + [ | ā |
| Jump back after Ctrl+[ (Go To remembers the last cell) | F5 ā Enter | ā |
| Calculate the active sheet only | Shift + F9 | ā |
| Expand or collapse the formula bar | Ctrl + Shift + U | ā |
| Name Manager | Ctrl + F3 | ā |
Note
In Microsoft 365 and Excel 2021, formulas that return several values spill on a normal Enter. Ctrl + Shift + Enter is only needed for array formulas in older versions.
Rows, columns and sheets
Select the row or column first with Shift + Space or Ctrl + Space, then insert or delete. With a whole row selected, Ctrl + Shift + + inserts a row straight away with no dialog.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Insert cells, rows or columns | Ctrl + Shift + + | ā |
| Delete cells, rows or columns | Ctrl + Minus | ā |
| Hide the selected rows | Ctrl + 9 | ā |
| Unhide rows within the selection | Ctrl + Shift + 9 | ā |
| Hide the selected columns | Ctrl + 0 | ā |
| Group rows or columns | Alt + Shift + Right Arrow | ā |
| Ungroup rows or columns | Alt + Shift + Left Arrow | ā |
| Insert a new sheet | Shift + F11 | ā |
| Next sheet | Ctrl + Page Down | ā |
| Previous sheet | Ctrl + Page Up | ā |
| Rename the sheet | Alt ā H ā O ā R | ā |
| Create a table | Ctrl + T | ā |
| Turn filter buttons on or off | Ctrl + Shift + L | ā |
| New workbook | Ctrl + N | Cmd + N |
| Open a workbook | Ctrl + O | Cmd + O |
| Save | Ctrl + S | Cmd + S |
| Save As | F12 | ā |
| Close the workbook | Ctrl + W | Cmd + W |
| Ctrl + P | Cmd + P | |
| Show or hide the ribbon | Ctrl + F1 | ā |
Ctrl+Shift+0 often does nothing
On many Windows setups the unhide-columns shortcut is claimed by the input-language switcher. Select across the hidden columns and press Alt H O U L (Home > Format > Hide & Unhide > Unhide Columns) instead.
Ribbon key tips
Press Alt and letters appear over the ribbon. Type them in order to run any command without the mouse. You do not need to learn them in advance: press Alt, read the letter, press it, read the next. After a week the common ones are in your fingers.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| AutoFit Column Width | Alt ā H ā O ā I |
| Column Width dialog | Alt ā H ā O ā W |
| Paste Values | Alt ā H ā V ā V |
| Format Painter | Alt ā H ā F ā P |
| Clear All (contents and formats) | Alt ā H ā E ā A |
| All Borders | Alt ā H ā B ā A |
| Increase Decimal | Alt ā H ā 0 |
| Decrease Decimal | Alt ā H ā 9 |
| Conditional Formatting menu | Alt ā H ā L |
| Freeze Panes (again to unfreeze) | Alt ā W ā F ā F |
| Show or hide gridlines | Alt ā W ā V ā G |
| Data Validation dialog | Alt ā A ā V ā V |
| Sort dialog | Alt ā A ā S ā S |
| Filter on or off | Alt ā A ā T |
| Insert a table | Alt ā N ā T |
| Evaluate Formula | Alt ā M ā V |
Give any command its own shortcut
Add a command to the Quick Access Toolbar and it gets a shortcut by position: Alt + 1 for the first button, Alt + 2 for the second and so on. It is the easiest way to give Paste Values or Freeze Panes a two-key shortcut.
Note
Key tips are a Windows feature. Excel for Mac does not have them, so use the menu bar or the ribbon there.
Frequently asked questions
What is the shortcut for absolute references in Excel?
Press F4 while the cursor is in or just after a cell reference in a formula. Each press cycles $A$1, A$1, $A1 and back to A1. On a Mac, press Cmd+T.
Why do my F keys not work in Excel?
On most laptops the top row controls volume and brightness by default. Hold Fn with the F key, or turn on the function-key lock, which is often Fn+Esc.
How do I select a whole column of data without scrolling?
Click the first cell and press Ctrl+Shift+Down Arrow. Excel selects down to the last filled cell before a gap. If the column has blanks, keep pressing it to carry on past each one.
Can I create my own keyboard shortcuts in Excel?
Not directly in Excel for Windows without a macro. The practical alternative is the Quick Access Toolbar: add the command and press Alt with its position number.
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