Basics of Excel

Excel Shortcut Keys

Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application that has been in existence since 1984 and is still very popular. Over time, each new edition of Excel has included an increasing number of keyboard shortcuts. When you see the full list (more than 200!), it can be overwhelming. but I will tell you the most important Excel shortcut keys. The others are for instance creating VBA macros, outlining data, managing PivotTables, recalculating large workbooks… Below you will find some shortcuts that are most frequently used by people like you.

Must know Excel shortcut keys

These shortcuts are too basic and by now most of you know them. Well, if you are new to Excel, here they are again.

Beginners’ tip: When you see a “+” in a shortcut, it means the keys should be pressed simultaneously. Most keyboards have Ctrl and Alt at the lower left and lower right corners.

Workbook Excel Shortcut keys

If you want to improve your spreadsheet work, it is important to learn Excel shortcuts. These are some popular shortcuts for activities such as saving and opening files, using sheets, and copying blocks.

Description	Shortcut
Save the active workbook.	Ctrl + S
Create a new workbook.	Ctrl + N
Close the active workbook.	Ctrl + W
Save the active workbook under a new name and display the Save As dialog box.	F12
Open an existing workbook.	Ctrl + O
Copy the selected cells’ contents to the Clipboard.	Ctrl + C
Insert the Clipboard contents into the selected cell(s).	Ctrl + V
Cut the selected cells’ contents to the Clipboard.	Ctrl + X
Open the “Print” dialog.	Ctrl + P
Undo your last action. A handy “panic button.”	Ctrl + Z
Select all contents of the current worksheet.	Ctrl + A
Open the “Find” dialog for searching within the workbook.	Ctrl + F
Open the “Replace” dialog for finding and replacing content.	Ctrl + H
Redo the last undone action.	Ctrl + Y
Move to the beginning of the worksheet.	Ctrl + Home
Move to the last cell with data on the worksheet.	Ctrl + End
Switch to the previous sheet in the workbook.	Ctrl + Page Up
Switch to the next sheet in the workbook.	Ctrl + Page Down

These above Excel shortcut keys will help you to navigate through the spreadsheet quickly and increase your time efficiency.

Data formatting shortcut keys

The table below offers a list of key shortcuts for Microsoft Excel data formatting. These shortcuts include opening the Format Cells dialog box and converting selected cells into tables, among others, thus making it easier to format data and analyze it quickly.

Description	Shortcut
Open the “Format Cells” dialog for advanced formatting options.	Ctrl + 1
Convert selected cells to a table. Pressing Ctrl + T on any cell in a related data range transforms it into a table. Explore more about Excel tables and their features.	Ctrl + T
Apply or remove bold formatting to the selected text or cells.	Ctrl + B
Apply or remove italic formatting to the selected text or cells.	Ctrl + I
Apply or remove underlined formatting to the selected text or cells.	Ctrl + U
Center-align the contents of the selected cells.	Ctrl + E
Left align the contents of the selected cells.	Ctrl + L
Right-align the contents of the selected cells.	Ctrl + R
Justify the contents of the selected cells.	Ctrl + J
Apply the currency format to the selected cells.	Ctrl + Shift + $
Apply the percentage format to the selected cells.	Ctrl + Shift + %
Apply the date format to the selected cells.	Ctrl + Shift + #
Apply the time format to the selected cells.	Ctrl + Shift + @

Formula Excel Shortcut keys

To maintain the efficiency of using Excel formulas, you can use these shortcut keys of Excel and simplify your workflow while creating and altering formulas. These shortcuts are extremely helpful when it comes to being able to master the formulaic capacity of Excel, such as autocompleting function names or switching between cell values and formulas.

Description	Shortcut
Autocomplete the function name. Example: Enter = and start typing vl, press Tab and you will get =vlookup(	Tab
Cycle through various combinations of formula reference types. Place the cursor within a cell and hit F4 to get the needed reference type: absolute, relative, or mixed (relative column and absolute row, absolute column and relative row).	F4
Toggle between displaying cell values and formulas.	Ctrl + `
Insert the formula of the above cell into the currently selected cell or the Formula Bar.	Ctrl + ‘
Jump to the next argument of a function.	Ctrl + Shift + A
Evaluate the selected portion of a formula.	F9
Display the ‘Insert Function’ dialog to add a new function to your formula.	Shift + F3
Trace precedents to identify cells that contribute to the formula.	Ctrl + [
Trace dependents to find cells that depend on the current formula.	Ctrl + ]
Show the Formula Auditing toolbar for advanced formula analysis.	Alt + M, M

Data Entering shortcut keys

Make your data entry in Excel easier with these essential Excel shortcuts to make it more efficient. In terms of editing cells or entering dates quickly, these are the quickest ways of putting in and managing your data.

Description	Shortcut
Edit the current cell.	F2
In cell editing mode, enter a new line (carriage return) into a cell.	Alt + Enter
Enter the current date. Press Ctrl + Shift + ; to enter the current time.	Ctrl + ;
Fill the selected cells with the contents of the current cell. Example: Select several cells, press and hold down Ctrl, click on any cell within the selection, and press F2 to edit it. Then hit Ctrl + Enter, and the contents of the edited cell will be copied into all selected cells.	Ctrl + Enter
Copy the contents and format of the first cell in the selected range into the cells below. If more than one column is selected, the contents of the topmost cell in each column will be copied downwards.	Ctrl + D
Open the “Paste Special” dialog when the clipboard is not empty.	Ctrl + Shift + V
Insert the current time.	Ctrl + Shift + :
Repeat the last action.	F4
Display the “Format Cells” dialog to customize cell formatting.	Ctrl + 1
AutoSum the selected cells.	Alt + =
Enter the current time.	Ctrl + Shift +