Microsoft Excel is one of the most popular and powerful tools for spreadsheet management and data analysis. By using keyboard shortcuts, you can significantly increase your efficiency and productivity, saving valuable time on repetitive tasks. This cheat sheet provides a quick reference guide for the most commonly used Excel keyboard shortcuts to help streamline your workflow.
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Workbook Operations
| Action |
Description |
Windows Shortcut |
MacBook Shortcut |
| Open a workbook |
Opens an existing workbook |
Ctrl + O |
Command + O |
| Save a workbook |
Saves the current workbook |
Ctrl + S |
Command + S |
| Close a workbook |
Closes the current workbook |
Ctrl + W |
Command + W |
| Insert new worksheet |
Adds a new worksheet |
Shift + F11 |
Shift + Fn + F11 |
Access Ribbon Tabs
| Action |
Description |
Windows Shortcut |
MacBook Shortcut |
| Open the file menu |
Opens the file menu |
Alt + F |
Command + Shift + P |
| Open the home tab |
Switches to the home tab |
Alt + H |
Control + Option + H |
| Open the insert tab |
Switches to the insert tab |
Alt + N |
Control + Option + N |
| Open the page layout tab |
Opens the page layout tab |
Alt + P |
Control + Option + P |
| Open the formulas tab |
Opens the formulas tab |
Alt + M |
Control + Option + M |
| Open the data tab |
Opens the data tab |
Alt + A |
Control + Option + A |
| Open the review tab |
Opens the review tab |
Alt + R |
Control + Option + R |
| Open the view tab |
Opens the view tab |
Alt + W |
Control + Option + W |
Navigating Worksheets
| Action |
Description |
Windows Shortcut |
MacBook Shortcut |
| Move one cell down |
Moves one cell down |
Down Arrow |
Down Arrow |
| Move one cell up |
Moves one cell up |
Up Arrow |
Up Arrow |
| Move one cell right |
Moves one cell to the right |
Right Arrow |
Right Arrow |
| Move one cell left |
Moves one cell to the left |
Left Arrow |
Left Arrow |
| Move one screen down |
Moves one screen down |
Page Down |
Fn + Down Arrow |
| Move one screen up |
Moves one screen up |
Page Up |
Fn + Up Arrow |
| Move one screen right |
Moves one screen to the right |
Alt + Page Down |
Option + Fn + Down Arrow |
| Move one screen left |
Moves one screen to the left |
Alt + Page Up |
Option + Fn + Up Arrow |
| Move to first row, first column |
Moves to cell A1 |
Ctrl + Home |
Command + Up Arrow |
| Move to last filled cell |
Moves to the last filled cell |
Ctrl + End |
Command + Down Arrow |
Zooming
| Action |
Description |
Windows Shortcut |
MacBook Shortcut |
| Zoom in |
Zooms in |
Ctrl + Alt + + |
Command + Option + + |
| Zoom out |
Zooms out |
Ctrl + Alt + - |
Command + Option + - |
Editing
| Action |
Description |
Windows Shortcut |
MacBook Shortcut |
| Cut selection |
Cuts the selected cells |
Ctrl + X |
Command + X |
| Copy selection |
Copies the selected cells |
Ctrl + C |
Command + C |
| Paste selection |
Pastes the copied or cut cells |
Ctrl + V |
Command + V |
| Paste special formats |
Pastes only the formats |
Ctrl + Alt + V, T |
Command + Option + V, T |
| Paste special values |
Pastes only the values |
Ctrl + Alt + V, V |
Command + Option + V, V |
| Paste special formulas |
Pastes only the formulas |
Ctrl + Alt + V, F |
Command + Option + V, F |
| Paste special comments |
Pastes only the comments |
Ctrl + Alt + V, C |
Command + Option + V, C |
| Open the paste special dialog |
Opens the paste special dialog |
Ctrl + Alt + V |
Command + Option + V |
Undo / Redo
| Action |
Description |
Windows Shortcut |
MacBook Shortcut |
| Undo last action |
Undoes the last action |
Ctrl + Z |
Command + Z |
| Redo last undone action |
Redoes the last undone action |
Ctrl + Y |
Command + Y |
Selecting Cells
| Action |
Description |
Windows Shortcut |
MacBook Shortcut |
| Select the current column |
Selects the entire column of the active cell |
Ctrl + Spacebar |
Command + Spacebar |
| Select the current row |
Selects the entire row of the active cell |
Shift + Spacebar |
Shift + Spacebar |
| Select all cells from the current location downwards |
Selects all cells downward |
Ctrl + Shift + Down Arrow |
Command + Shift + Down Arrow |
| Select all cells from the current location upwards |
Selects all cells upward |
Ctrl + Shift + Up Arrow |
Command + Shift + Up Arrow |
| Select all cells from the current location rightwards |
Selects all cells rightward |
Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow |
Command + Shift + Right Arrow |
| Select all cells from the current location leftward |
Selects all cells leftward |
Ctrl + Shift + Left Arrow |
Command + Shift + Left Arrow |
| Select all completed cells |
Selects all cells in the worksheet |
Ctrl + A |
Command + A |
Cell Entry
| Action |
Description |
Windows Shortcut |
MacBook Shortcut |
| Cancel your input to a cell |
Cancels the input in a cell |
Esc |
Esc |
| Write a new line within a cell |
Inserts a line break within a cell |
Alt + Enter |
Command + Option + Enter |
| Go to the end of the line |
Moves cursor to the end of the cell content |
End |
Command + Right Arrow |
| Go to the start of the line |
Moves cursor to the start of the cell content |
Home |
Command + Left Arrow |
| Display a function arguments |
Opens the function arguments dialog |
Shift + F3 |
Shift + Fn + F3 |
| Insert hyperlink |
Inserts a hyperlink |
Ctrl + K |
Command + K |
| Insert current date |
Inserts today’s date |
Ctrl + ; |
Command + ; |
| Insert current time |
Inserts current time |
Ctrl + Shift + ; |
Command + Option + ; |
| Insert a comment on a cell |
Adds or edits a comment on the cell |
Shift + F2 |
Shift + Fn + F2 |
Calculations
| Action |
Description |
Windows Shortcut |
MacBook Shortcut |
| Insert a function |
Inserts a formula function |
Shift + F3 |
Shift + Fn + F3 |
| Start a formula |
Starts entry of a formula |
= |
= |
| Recalculate all worksheets |
Recalculates formulas in all sheets |
F9 |
Fn + F9 |
| Anchor cells |
Toggles absolute reference of cell |
F4 |
Command + T |
| Enter array formula |
Enters an array formula |
Ctrl + Shift + Enter |
Command + Shift + Enter |
| Insert autosum formula |
Inserts the AutoSum formula |
Alt + = |
Command + Shift + T |
Text Formatting
| Action |
Description |
Windows Shortcut |
MacBook Shortcut |
| Apply bold formatting |
Makes the text bold |
Ctrl + B |
Command + B |
| Apply italic formatting |
Makes the text italic |
Ctrl + I |
Command + I |
| Apply strikethrough formatting |
Adds a strikethrough to the text |
Ctrl + 5 |
Command + Shift + X |
| Apply general number formatting |
Formats as general number |
Ctrl + Shift + ~ |
Command + Shift + ~ |
| Apply scientific number formatting |
Formats as scientific number |
Ctrl + Shift + ^ |
Command + Shift + ^ |
| Apply currency format |
Formats as currency |
Ctrl + Shift + $ |
Command + Shift + $ |
| Apply percentage format |
Formats as percentage |
Ctrl + Shift + % |
Command + Shift + % |
| Apply date format |
Formats as date |
Ctrl + Shift + # |
Command + Shift + # |
| Apply time format |
Formats as time |
Ctrl + Shift + @ |
Command + Shift + @ |
| Toggle hiding/displaying content |
Hides or shows content |
Ctrl + Shift + ( |
Command + Shift + ( |
| Increase font size |
Increases the font size |
Ctrl + Shift + > |
Command + Shift + > |
| Decrease font size |
Decreases the font size |
Ctrl + Shift + < |
Command + Shift + < |
| Insert / edit comment |
Adds or edits a comment |
Shift + F2 |
Command + Option + F2 |
Charts
| Action |
Description |
Windows Shortcut |
MacBook Shortcut |
| Create a chart of the selected data in a new worksheet |
Generates a new chart in a separate worksheet |
F11 |
Fn + F11 |
| Create a chart of the selected data in a current worksheet |
Adds a chart to the existing worksheet |
Alt + F1 |
Command + Option + R |
Keyboard shortcuts are an essential part of working efficiently in Excel. This cheat sheet covers the most common shortcuts to help you save time and streamline your workflow. Whether you're new to Excel or looking to refresh your memory, Coursera offers online courses in Excel to boost productivity and make navigation through Excel smoother.
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