Microsoft Windows may get all the press coverage, but when you want to get real work done, you turn your attention to the applications that run on it. And if you use spreadsheets, that generally means Excel.
Excel is, of course, part of Microsoft’s Office suite of productivity tools. Microsoft sells Office under two models: Individuals and businesses can pay for the software license up front and own it forever (what the company calls the “perpetual” version of the suite), or they can purchase an Office 365 subscription, which means they have access to the software for only as long as they keep paying the subscription fee.
When you purchase a perpetual version of the suite — say, Office 2016 or Office 2019 — its applications will never get new features, whereas Office 365 apps are continually updated with new features. (For more details, see “What are the differences between Microsoft Office 2019 and Office 365?”)
This cheat sheet gets you up to speed on the features that were introduced in Excel 2016 and Excel 2019, the perpetual-license versions of Excel included with Office 2016 and Office 2019, respectively. In Office 365, Excel has all those features, plus several more. Coming soon, we’ll have a separate cheat sheet that covers the latest features in Excel for Office 365.
Most of the tips in this article apply to both Excel 2016 and 2019 for Windows. Near the end is a section for Excel 2019 only.
Share this story: IT folks, we hope you'll pass this guide on to your users to help them learn to get the most from Excel 2016 and 2019.
Use the Ribbon
The Ribbon interface that you came to know and love (or perhaps hate) in earlier versions of Excel hasn’t changed much in Excel 2016 or 2019. Since the Ribbon has been included in Office suite applications since Office 2007, we assume that by now you’re familiar with how it works. If you need a refresher, see our Excel 2010 cheat sheet.
As in Excel 2013, the Ribbon in Excel 2016 and 2019 has a flattened look that’s cleaner and less cluttered than in Excel 2010 and 2007. The 2016 and 2019 Ribbon is smaller than it was in Excel 2013, the title bar is solid green rather than white, and the text for the Ribbon tabs (File, Home, Insert and so on) is a mix of upper- and lowercase rather than all caps. But it still works in the same way, and you’ll find most of the commands in the same locations as in earlier versions.
To find out which commands reside on which tabs on the Ribbon, download our Excel 2016 and 2019 Ribbon quick reference. Also see the nifty new Tell Me feature described below.
Just as in previous versions of Excel, if you want the Ribbon to go away, press Ctrl-F1. To make it appear again, press Ctrl-F1 and it comes back.
You’ve got other options for displaying the Ribbon as well. To get to them, click the Ribbon Display Options icon at the top right of the screen, just to the left of the icons for minimizing and maximizing PowerPoint. A drop-down menu appears with these three options:
- Auto-hide Ribbon: This hides the entire Ribbon, both the tabs and commands underneath them. To show the Ribbon again, click at the top of PowerPoint.
- Show Tabs: This shows the tabs but hides the commands underneath them. It’s the same as pressing Ctrl-F1. To display the commands underneath the tabs when they’re hidden, press Ctrl-F1, click a tab, or click the Ribbon display icon and select “Show Tabs and Commands.”
- Show Tabs and Commands: Selecting this shows both the tabs and commands.
And if for some reason that nice green color on the title bar is just too much for you, you can turn it white or gray. (In Excel 2019, there’s also a black option.) To do it, select File > Options > General. In the “Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office” section, click the down arrow next to Office Theme, and select Dark Gray or White (or Black) from the drop-down menu. To make the title bar green again, instead choose the “Colorful” option from the drop-down list. Just above the Office Theme menu is an Office Background drop-down menu — here you can choose to display a pattern such as a circuit board or circles and stripes in the title bar.
There’s a very useful feature in what Microsoft calls the backstage area that appears when you click File on the Ribbon: If you click Open or Save As from the menu on the left, you can see the cloud-based services you’ve connected to your Office account, such as SharePoint and OneDrive. Each location now displays its associated email address underneath it. This is quite helpful if you use a cloud service with more than one account, such as if you have one OneDrive account for personal use and another one for business. You’ll be able to see at a glance which is which.
Get things done quickly with Tell Me
Excel has never been the most user-friendly of applications, and it has so many powerful features it can be tough to use. Microsoft has made it easier with a feature in Excel 2016 and 2019 called Tell Me, which puts even buried tools in easy reach.
To use it, click the “Tell me what you want to do” text to the right of the View tab on the Ribbon. (Keyboard fans can instead press Alt-Q.) Then type in a task you want to do, such as “create a pivot table.” You’ll get a menu showing potential matches for the task. In this instance, the top result is a direct link to the form for creating a PivotTable — select it and you’ll start creating the PivotTable right away, without having to go to the Ribbon’s Insert tab first.
If you’d like more information about your task, the last two items that appear in the Tell Me menu let you select from related Help topics or search for your phrase using Smart Lookup. (More on Smart Lookup below.)
Even if you consider yourself a spreadsheet jockey, it’ll be worth your while trying out Tell Me. It’s a big time-saver, and far more efficient than hunting through the Ribbon to find a command. Also useful is that it remembers the features you’ve previously clicked on in the box, so when you click in it, you first see a list of previous tasks you’ve searched for. That makes sure that tasks that you frequently perform are always within easy reach. And it puts tasks you rarely do within easy reach as well.
Use Smart Lookup for online research
Another new feature, Smart Lookup, lets you do research while you’re working on a spreadsheet. Right-click a cell with a word or group of words in it, and from the menu that appears, select Smart Lookup.
When you do that, Excel uses Microsoft’s Bing search engine to do a web search on the word or words, then displays definitions, any related Wikipedia entries, and other results from the web in the Smart Lookup pane that appears on the right. Click any result link to open the full page in a browser. If you just want a definition of the word, click the Define tab in the pane. If you want more information, click the Explore tab in the pane.
For generic terms, such as “payback period” or “ROI,” it works well. But don’t expect Smart Lookup to research financial information that you might want to put into your spreadsheet, at least based on my experience. When I did a Smart Lookup on “Inflation rate in France 2016,” for example, I got results for the UEFA Euro 2016 soccer tournament, and other information telling me that 2016 was a leap year. And when I searched for “Steel output United States,” Smart Lookup pulled up the Wikipedia entry for the United States.
Note that in order to use Smart Lookup in Excel or any other Office app, you might first need to enable Microsoft’s intelligent services feature, which collects your search terms and some content from your spreadsheets and other documents. (If you’re concerned about privacy, you’ll need to weigh whether the privacy hit is worth the convenience of doing research from right within the app.) If you haven’t enabled it, you’ll see a screen when you click Smart Lookup asking you to turn it on. Once you do so, it will be turned on across all your Office applications.
Chart the new chart types
Spreadsheets aren’t just about raw data — they’re about charts as well. Charts are great for visualizing and presenting data, and for gaining insights from it. To that end, Excel 2016 has six new chart types, including most notably a histogram (frequently used in statistics), a “waterfall” that’s effective at showing running financial totals, and a hierarchical treemap that helps you find patterns in data. (Excel 2019 has two more new chart types, which we'll cover later in the story.) Note that the new charts are available only if you’re working in an .xlsx document. If you use the older .xls format, you won’t find them.
To see all the new charts, put your cursor in a cell or group of cells that contains data, select Insert > Recommended Charts and click the All Charts tab. You’ll find the new charts, mixed in with the older ones. Select any to create the chart.
These are the six new chart types:
Treemap. This chart type creates a hierarchical view of your data, with top-level categories (or tree branches) shown as rectangles, and with subcategories (or sub-branches) shown as smaller rectangles grouped inside the larger ones. Thus, you can easily compare the sizes of top-level categories and subcategories in a single view. For instance, a bookstore can see at a glance that it brings in more revenue from 1st Readers, a subcategory of Children’s Books, than for the entire Non-fiction top-level category.
Sunburst. This chart type also displays hierarchical data, but in a multi-level pie chart. Each level of the hierarchy is represented by a circle. The innermost circle contains the top-level categories, the next circle out shows subcategories, the circle after that subsubcategories and so on.
Sunbursts are best for showing the relationships among categories and subcategories, while treemaps are better at showing the relative sizes of categories and subcategories.
Waterfall. This chart type is well-suited for visualizing financial statements. It displays a running total of the positive and negative contributions toward a final net value.
Histogram. This kind of chart shows frequencies within a data set. It could, for example, show the number of books sold in specific price ranges in a bookstore.
Pareto. This chart, also known as a sorted histogram, contains bars as well as a line graph. Values are represented in descending order by bars. The cumulative total percentage of each bar is represented by a rising line. In the bookstore example, each bar could show a reason for a book being returned (defective, priced incorrectly, and so on). The chart would show, at a glance, the primary reasons for returns, so a bookstore owner could focus on those issues.
Note that the Pareto chart does not show up when you select Insert > Recommended Charts > All Charts. To use it, first select the data you want to chart, then select Insert > Insert Statistic Chart, and under Histogram, choose Pareto.
Box & Whisker. This chart, like a histogram, shows frequencies within a data set but provides for a deeper analysis than a histogram. For example, in a bookstore it could show the distribution of prices of different genres of books. In the example shown here, each “box” represents the first to third quartile of prices for books in that genre, while the “whiskers” (the lines extending up and down from the box) show the upper and lower range of prices. Outliers that are priced outside the whiskers are shown as dots, the median price for each genre is shown with a horizontal line across the box, and the mean price is shown with an x.
For more information about the new chart types, see PCWorld’s “What to do with Excel 2016’s new chart styles: Treemap, Sunburst, and Box & Whisker” and “Excel 2016 charts: How to use the new Pareto, Histogram, and Waterfall formats.”
Collaborate live with Excel Online
When Office 2016 was released, the most trumpeted new feature was real-time collaboration that let people work simultaneously with each other on documents no matter where they were, as long as they had internet connections. (Microsoft calls this “co-authoring.”) When you collaborate with others live, everyone with access to a document can work on it simultaneously, with everyone seeing what everyone else does as they edit.
But Excel was left out in the cold for live collaboration. Only Word, PowerPoint and OneNote had that feature, with Microsoft saying that at some undetermined time, Excel would be given live collaboration.
In July 2017, Microsoft at last rolled out real-time collaboration to the Excel desktop client — but only to Office 365 subscribers. (See “How to use Excel’s new live collaboration features” for a complete walkthrough of how to use them.)
Many people (myself included) expected that Excel 2019 would get co-authoring features, but that’s not the case. To get live collaboration in the Excel desktop client, you have to be an Office 365 subscriber.
Perpetual-license Excel 2016 and 2019 users can, however, collaborate live using the web-based version of Excel, and I’ll show you how to do that here. Excel Online is less powerful and polished than the Excel desktop client, but it works well enough if you want to collaborate in real time.
To collaborate using the online version of Excel, the file you want to share needs to be in OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, SharePoint or Dropbox. To start, head to Excel Online by going to office.com; then sign in using your Microsoft ID and click the Excel button. When Excel runs, open the file you want to share.
Next, click the Share button at the top right of the screen. A screen pops up over Excel. In it, enter the email address of the person with whom you want to share. If you want to share with more than one person, enter multiple email addresses. Then type in a note if you want.
If you’re signed in with an individual Microsoft account, the people you share the document with can edit the document by default; however, you can give them read-only access instead by clicking the “Recipients can edit” link under the “Add a quick note” area and choosing “Recipients can only view” from the drop-down list. When you do that, you’ll also see an option to designate whether recipients need to be signed in with a Microsoft account to see the workbook. When you’re ready, click the Share button.
When you’re done, a screen pops up confirming to whom you’ve sent the email, and whether they can edit or only read the document. You can click that drop-down to change their permissions or stop sharing the workbook. On this screen you can also send another email to share with others, by clicking the “Invite people” link in the left pane. When you’re done with the screen, click Close.
If you’re signed in with a corporate account, the process is slightly more streamlined. On the initial pop-up screen where you enter recipients’ emails, you’ll see a box that says, “Only the people you specify who have this link can edit.” Click it and you’ll see a screen with more sharing options, including anyone, people in your organization, and people with existing access. There’s also a checkbox to allow them to edit the workbook or not. Make your selections and click Apply. Then, back on the first pop-up, click Send.
Excel now sends an email to all the people with whom you want to collaborate. When they click the “View in OneDrive” or “Open” button, they’ll open the spreadsheet. At this point, they can view the spreadsheet, but not edit it. To edit it, they need to click the Edit in Browser button at the top of the screen or click the Edit Workbook menu and select Edit in Browser. They can then edit the document right in their browser window.
Everyone using the document sees the changes that other people make in real time. Each person’s presence is indicated by a colored cursor, and everyone gets a different color. As they take actions, such as entering data into a cell or creating a chart, their work instantly appears to everyone else.
On the upper right of the screen is a list of everyone collaborating on the document. Click a name to see the location of the cell they’re currently working on (for example, G11). You can also hover your mouse over someone’s colored cursor and see their name.
Chat isn’t available. But if you click the Skype icon on the upper right of the screen, you can launch Skype, see if they’re on the service, and communicate with them that way.
Note that even the owner of the workbook must be using Excel Online in order to collaborate in real time. If you have the workbook open in a perpetual version of the Excel 2016 or 2019 desktop client, no one else will be able to make changes in their browser; they’ll see a message saying the file is locked. If you’re using Excel Online, everybody can make changes (assuming you’ve given them editing privileges). When everybody is done making changes and no longer has the workbook open in their browser, you can reopen the file in the Excel 2016 or 2019 desktop client.
Many users find that using an external keyboard with keyboard shortcuts for Excel helps them work more efficiently. For users with mobility or vision disabilities, keyboard shortcuts can be easier than using the touchscreen, and are an essential alternative to using a mouse.
Notes:
The shortcuts in this topic refer to the US keyboard layout. Keys for other layouts might not correspond exactly to the keys on a US keyboard.
A plus sign (+) in a shortcut means that you need to press multiple keys at the same time.
A comma sign (,) in a shortcut means that you need to press multiple keys in order.
This article describes the keyboard shortcuts, function keys, and some other common shortcut keys in Excel for Windows.
Notes:
To quickly find a shortcut in this article, you can use the Search. Press Ctrl+F, and then type your search words.
If an action that you use often does not have a shortcut key, you can record a macro to create one.
Download our 50 time-saving Excel shortcuts quick tips guide.
Get these keyboard shortcuts in a Word document: Excel 2016 for Windows keyboard shortcuts
In this topic
Frequently used shortcuts
This table lists the most frequently used shortcuts in Excel.
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Close a workbook | Ctrl+W |
Open a workbook | Ctrl+O |
Go to the Home tab | Alt+H |
Save a workbook | Ctrl+S |
Copy | Ctrl+C |
Paste | Ctrl+V |
Undo | Ctrl+Z |
Remove cell contents | Delete |
Choose a fill color | Alt+H, H |
Cut | Ctrl+X |
Go to Insert tab | Alt+N |
Bold | Ctrl+B |
Center align cell contents | Alt+H, A, C |
Go to Page Layout tab | Alt+P |
Go to Data tab | Alt+A |
Go to View tab | Alt+W |
Open context menu | Shift+F10, or Context key |
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Delete column | Alt+H, D, C |
Go to Formula tab | Alt+M |
Hide the selected rows | Ctrl+9 |
Hide the selected columns | Ctrl+0 |
Ribbon keyboard shortcuts
The ribbon groups related options on tabs. For example, on the Home tab, the Number group includes the Number Format option. Press the Alt key to display the ribbon shortcuts, called Key Tips, as letters in small images next to the tabs and options as shown in the image below.
You can combine the Key Tips letters with the Alt key to make shortcuts called Access Keys for the ribbon options. For example, press Alt+H to open the Home tab, and Alt+Q to move to the Tell me or Search field. Press Alt again to see KeyTips for the options for the selected tab.
In Office 2013 and Office 2010, most of the old Alt key menu shortcuts still work, too. However, you need to know the full shortcut. For example, press Alt, and then press one of the old menu keys E (Edit), V (View), I (Insert), and so on. A notification pops up saying you're using an access key from an earlier version of Microsoft Office. If you know the entire key sequence, go ahead and use it. If you don't know the sequence, press Esc and use Key Tips instead.
Use the Access keys for ribbon tabs
To go directly to a tab on the ribbon, press one of the following access keys. Additional tabs may appear depending on your selection in the worksheet.
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Move to the Tell me or Search field on the Ribbon and type a search term for assistance or Help content. | Alt+Q, then enter the search term. |
Open the File page and use Backstage view. | Alt+F |
Open the Home tab and format text and numbers and use the Find tool. | Alt+H |
Open the Insert tab and insert PivotTables, charts, add-ins, Sparklines, pictures, shapes, headers, or text boxes. | Alt+N |
Open the Page Layout tab and work with themes, page setup, scale, and alignment. | Alt+P |
Open the Formulas tab and insert, trace, and customize functions and calculations. | Alt+M |
Open the Data tab and connect to, sort, filter, analyze, and work with data. | Alt+A |
Open the Review tab and check spelling, add comments, and protect sheets and workbooks. | Alt+R |
Open the View tab and preview page breaks and layouts, show and hide gridlines and headings, set zoom magnification, manage windows and panes, and view macros. | Alt+W |
Work in the ribbon with the keyboard
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Select the active tab on the ribbon, and activate the access keys. | Alt or F10. To move to a different tab, use access keys or the arrow keys. |
Move the focus to commands on the ribbon. | Tab keyor Shift+Tab |
Move down, up, left, or right, respectively, among the items on the Ribbon. | Arrow keys |
Activate a selected button. | Spacebar or Enter |
Open the list for a selected command. | Down arrow key |
Open the menu for a selected button. | Alt+Down arrow key |
When a menu or submenu is open, move to the next command. | Down arrow key |
Expand or collapse the ribbon. | Ctrl+F1 |
Open a context menu. | Shift+F10 Or, on a Windows keyboard, the Context key (between the right Alt and right Ctrl keys) |
Move to the submenu when a main menu is open or selected. | Left arrow key |
Keyboard shortcuts for navigating in cells
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Move to the previous cell in a worksheet or the previous option in a dialog. | Shift+Tab |
Move one cell up in a worksheet. | Up arrow key |
Move one cell down in a worksheet. | Down arrow key |
Move one cell left in a worksheet. | Left arrow key |
Move one cell right in a worksheet. | Right arrow key |
Move to the edge of the current data region in a worksheet. | Ctrl+Arrow key |
Enter the End mode, move to the next nonblank cell in the same column or row as the active cell, and turn off End mode. If the cells are blank, move to the last cell in the row or column. | End, Arrow key |
Move to the last cell on a worksheet, to the lowest used row of the rightmost used column. | Ctrl+End |
Extend the selection of cells to the last used cell on the worksheet (lower-right corner). | Ctrl+Shift+End |
Move to the cell in the upper-left corner of the window when Scroll Lock is turned on. | Home+Scroll Lock |
Move to the beginning of a worksheet. | Ctrl+Home |
Move one screen down in a worksheet. | Page Down |
Move to the next sheet in a workbook. | Ctrl+Page Down |
Move one screen to the right in a worksheet. | Alt+Page Down |
Move one screen up in a worksheet. | Page Up |
Move one screen to the left in a worksheet. | Alt+Page Up |
Move to the previous sheet in a workbook. | Ctrl+Page Up |
Move one cell to the right in a worksheet. Or, in a protected worksheet, move between unlocked cells. | Tab key |
Open the list of validation choices on a cell that has data validation option applied to it. | Alt+Down arrow key |
Cycle through floating shapes, such as text boxes or images. | Ctrl+Alt+5, then the Tab key repeatedly |
Exit the floating shape navigation and return to the normal navigation. | Esc |
Keyboard shortcuts for formatting cells
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Open the Format Cells dialog. | Ctrl+1 |
Format fonts in the Format Cells dialog. | Ctrl+Shift+F or Ctrl+Shift+P |
Edit the active cell and put the insertion point at the end of its contents. Or, if editing is turned off for the cell, move the insertion point into the formula bar. If editing a formula, toggle Point mode off or on so you can use arrow keys to create a reference. | F2 |
Add or edit a cell comment. | Shift+F2 |
Open the Insert dialog to insert blank cells. | Ctrl+Shift+Plus sign (+) |
Open the Delete dialog to delete selected cells. | Ctrl+Minus sign (-) |
Enter the current time. | Ctrl+Shift+colon (:) |
Enter the current date. | Ctrl+semi-colon (;) |
Switch between displaying cell values or formulas in the worksheet. | Ctrl+grave accent (`) |
Copy a formula from the cell above the active cell into the cell or the Formula Bar. | Ctrl+apostrophe (') |
Move the selected cells. | Ctrl+X |
Copy the selected cells. | Ctrl+C |
Paste content at the insertion point, replacing any selection. | Ctrl+V |
Open the Paste Special dialog. | Ctrl+Alt+V |
Italicize text or remove italic formatting. | Ctrl+I or Ctrl+3 |
Bold text or remove bold formatting. | Ctrl+B or Ctrl+2 |
Underline text or remove underline. | Ctrl+U or Ctrl+4 |
Apply or remove strikethrough formatting. | Ctrl+5 |
Switch between hiding objects, displaying objects, and displaying placeholders for objects. | Ctrl+6 |
Apply an outline border to the selected cells. | Ctrl+Shift+ampersand (&) |
Remove the outline border from the selected cells. | Ctrl+Shift+underline (_) |
Display or hide the outline symbols. | Ctrl+8 |
Use the Fill Down command to copy the contents and format of the topmost cell of a selected range into the cells below. | Ctrl+D |
Apply the General number format. | Ctrl+Shift+tilde sign (~) |
Apply the Currency format with two decimal places (negative numbers in parentheses). | Ctrl+Shift+dollar sign ($) |
Apply the Percentage format with no decimal places. | Ctrl+Shift+percent sign (%) |
Apply the Scientific number format with two decimal places. | Ctrl+Shift+caret sign (^) |
Apply the Date format with the day, month, and year. | Ctrl+Shift+number sign (#) |
Apply the Time format with the hour and minute, and AM or PM. | Ctrl+Shift+at sign (@) |
Apply the Number format with two decimal places, thousands separator, and minus sign (-) for negative values. | Ctrl+Shift+exclamation point (!) |
Open the Insert hyperlink dialog. | Ctrl+K |
Check spelling in the active worksheet or selected range. | F7 |
Display the Quick Analysis options for selected cells that contain data. | Ctrl+Q |
Display the Create Table dialog. | Ctrl+L or Ctrl+T |
Keyboard shortcuts in the Paste Special dialog in Excel 2013
In Excel 2013, you can paste a specific aspect of the copied data like its formatting or value using the Paste Special options. After you’ve copied the data, press Ctrl+Alt+V, or Alt+E+S to open the Paste Special dialog.
Tip: You can also select Home > Paste > Paste Special.
To pick an option in the dialog, press the underlined letter for that option. For example, press the letter C to pick the Comments option.
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Paste all cell contents and formatting. | A |
Paste only the formulas as entered in the formula bar. | F |
Paste only the values (not the formulas). | V |
Paste only the copied formatting. | T |
Paste only comments attached to the cell. | C |
Paste only the data validation settings from copied cells. | N |
Paste all cell contents and formatting from copied cells. | H |
Paste all cell contents without borders. | X |
Paste only column widths from copied cells. | W |
Paste only formulas and number formats from copied cells. | R |
Paste only the values (not formulas) and number formats from copied cells. | U |
Keyboard shortcuts for making selections and performing actions
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Select the entire worksheet. | Ctrl+A or Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar |
Select the current and next sheet in a workbook. | Ctrl+Shift+Page Down |
Select the current and previous sheet in a workbook. | Ctrl+Shift+Page Up |
Extend the selection of cells by one cell. | Shift+Arrow key |
Extend the selection of cells to the last nonblank cell in the same column or row as the active cell, or if the next cell is blank, to the next nonblank cell. | Ctrl+Shift+Arrow key |
Turn extend mode on and use the arrow keys to extend a selection. Press again to turn off. | F8 |
Add a non-adjacent cell or range to a selection of cells by using the arrow keys. | Shift+F8 |
Start a new line in the same cell. | Alt+Enter |
Fill the selected cell range with the current entry. | Ctrl+Enter |
Complete a cell entry and select the cell above. | Shift+Enter |
Select an entire column in a worksheet. | Ctrl+Spacebar |
Select an entire row in a worksheet. | Shift+Spacebar |
Twin star exorcists english dubbed episode 29. Select all objects on a worksheet when an object is selected. | Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar |
Extend the selection of cells to the beginning of the worksheet. | Ctrl+Shift+Home |
Select the current region if the worksheet contains data. Press a second time to select the current region and its summary rows. Press a third time to select the entire worksheet. | Ctrl+A or Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar |
Select the current region around the active cell. | Ctrl+Shift+Asterisk (*) |
Select the first command on the menu when a menu or submenu is visible. | Home |
Repeat the last command or action, if possible. | Ctrl+Y |
Undo the last action. | Ctrl+Z |
Keyboard shortcuts for working with data, functions, and the formula bar
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Edit the active cell and put the insertion point at the end of its contents. Or, if editing is turned off for the cell, move the insertion point into the formula bar. If editing a formula, toggle Point mode off or on so you can use arrow keys to create a reference. | F2 |
Expand or collapse the formula bar. | Ctrl+Shift+U |
Cancel an entry in the cell or Formula Bar. | Esc |
Complete an entry in the formula bar and select the cell below. | Enter |
Move the cursor to the end of the text when in the formula bar. | Ctrl+End |
Select all text in the formula bar from the cursor position to the end. | Ctrl+Shift+End |
Calculate all worksheets in all open workbooks. | F9 |
Calculate the active worksheet. | Shift+F9 |
Calculate all worksheets in all open workbooks, regardless of whether they have changed since the last calculation. | Ctrl+Alt+F9 |
Check dependent formulas, and then calculate all cells in all open workbooks, including cells not marked as needing to be calculated. | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F9 |
Display the menu or message for an Error Checking button. | Alt+Shift+F10 |
Display the Function Arguments dialog when the insertion point is to the right of a function name in a formula. | Ctrl+A |
Insert argument names and parentheses when the insertion point is to the right of a function name in a formula. | Ctrl+Shift+A |
Invoke Flash Fill to automatically recognize patterns in adjacent columns and fill the current column | Ctrl+E |
Cycle through all combinations of absolute and relative references in a formula if a cell reference or range is selected. | F4 |
Insert a function. | Shift+F3 |
Copy the value from the cell above the active cell into the cell or the formula bar. | Ctrl+Shift+Straight quotation mark (') |
Create an embedded chart of the data in the current range. | Alt+F1 |
Create a chart of the data in the current range in a separate Chart sheet. | F11 |
Define a name to use in references. | Alt+M, M, D |
Paste a name from the Paste Name dialog (if names have been defined in the workbook. | F3 |
Move to the first field in the next record of a data form. | Enter |
Create, run, edit, or delete a macro. | Alt+F8 |
Open the Microsoft Visual Basic For Applications Editor. | Alt+F11 |
Power Pivot keyboard shortcuts
Use the following shortcuts keyboard shortcuts with Power Pivot in Office 365, Excel 2019, Excel 2016, and Excel 2013.
Key combination | Description |
---|---|
Right-click | Open the context menu for the selected cell, column, or row. |
Ctrl+A | Select the entire table. |
Ctrl+C | Copy selected data. |
Ctrl+D | Delete the table. |
Ctrl+M | Move the table. |
Ctrl+R | Rename the table. |
Ctrl+S | Save the file. |
Ctrl+Y | Redo the last action. |
Ctrl+Z | Undo the last action. |
Ctrl+Spacebar | Select the current column. |
Shift+Spacebar | Select the current row. |
Shift+Page Up | Select all cells from the current location to the last cell of the column. |
Shift+Page Down | Select all cells from the current location to the first cell of the column. |
Shift+End | Select all cells from the current location to the last cell of the row. |
Shift+Home | Select all cells from the current location to the first cell of the row. |
Ctrl+Page Up | Move to the previous table. |
Ctrl+Page Down | Move to the next table. |
Ctrl+Home | Move to the first cell in the upper left corner of selected table. |
Ctrl+End | Move to the last cell in the lower right corner of selected table (the last row of the Add Column). |
Ctrl+Left arrow | Move to the first cell of selected row. |
Ctrl+Right arrow | Move to the last cell of selected row. |
Ctrl+Up arrow | Move to the first cell of selected column. |
Ctrl+Down arrow | Move to the last cell of selected column. |
Ctrl+Esc | Close a dialog or cancel a process, such as a paste operation. |
Alt+Down arrow | Open the AutoFilter Menu dialog. |
F5 | Open the Go To dialog. |
F9 | Recalculate all formulas in the Power Pivot window. For more information, see Recalculate Formulas in Power Pivot. |
Function keys
Key | Description |
---|---|
F1 |
|
F2 |
|
F3 |
|
F4 |
|
F5 |
|
F6 |
|
F7 |
|
F8 |
|
F9 |
|
F10 |
|
F11 |
|
F12 |
|
Other useful shortcut keys
Key | Description |
---|---|
Alt |
For example,
|
Arrow keys |
|
Backspace |
|
Delete |
|
End |
|
Enter |
|
Esc |
|
Home |
|
Page Down |
|
Page Up |
|
Spacebar |
|
Tab key |
|
See also
This article describes the keyboard shortcuts, function keys, and some other common shortcut keys in Excel for Mac.
Notes:
The settings in some versions of the Mac operating system (OS) and some utility applications might conflict with keyboard shortcuts and function key operations in Office for Mac. For information about changing the key assignment of a keyboard shortcut, refer to Mac Help for your version of the Mac OS, your utility application, or refer to Shortcut conflicts.
If you don't find a keyboard shortcut here that meets your needs, you can create a custom keyboard shortcut. For instructions, go to Create a custom keyboard shortcut for Office for Mac.
Many of the shortcuts that use the Ctrl key on a Windows keyboard also work with the Control key in Excel for Mac. However, not all do.
To quickly find a shortcut in this article, you can use the Search. Press Command+F, and then type your search words.
In this topic
Frequently used shortcuts
This table itemizes the most frequently used shortcuts in Excel for Mac.
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Paste | +V |
Copy | +C |
Clear | Delete |
Save | +S |
Undo | +Z |
Redo | +Y |
Cut | +X |
Bold | +B |
+P | |
Open Visual Basic | Option+F11 |
Fill Down | +D |
Fill Right | +R |
Insert cells | Control+Shift+= |
Delete cells | +Hyphen |
Calculate all open workbooks | += |
Close window | +W |
Quit Excel | +Q |
Display the Go To dialog | Control+G |
Display the Format Cells dialog | +1 |
Display the Replace dialog | Control+H |
Paste Special | +Control+V |
Underline | +U |
Italic | +I |
New blank workbook | +N |
New workbook from template | +Shift+P |
Display the Save As dialog | +Shift+S |
Display the Help window | F1 |
Select All | +A |
Add or remove a filter | +Shift+F |
Minimize or maximize the ribbon tabs | +Option+R |
Display the Open dialog | +O |
Check spelling | F7 |
Open the thesaurus | Shift+F7 |
Display the Formula Builder | Shift+F3 |
Open the Define Name dialog | +F3 |
Open the Create names dialog | +Shift+F3 |
Insert a new sheet * | Shift+F11 |
+P | |
Print preview | +P |
Shortcut conflicts
Some Windows keyboard shortcuts conflict with the corresponding default Mac OS keyboard shortcuts. This topic flags such shortcuts with an asterisk ( * ). To use these shortcuts, you may have to change your Mac keyboard settings to change the Show Desktop shortcut for the key.
Change system preferences for keyboard shortcuts with the mouse
On the Apple menu, press System Preferences.
Press Keyboard.
In the tabs, press Shortcuts.
Click Mission Control.
Clear the check box for the keyboard shortcut that you want to use.
Work in windows and dialogs
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Expand or minimize the ribbon | +Option+R |
Switch to full screen view | +Control+F |
Switch to the next application | +Tab |
Switch to the previous application | +Shift+Tab |
Close the active workbook window | +W |
Copy the image of the screen and save it to | +Shift+3 |
Minimize the active window | Control+F9 |
Maximize or restore the active window | Control+F10 |
Hide Excel. | +H |
Move to the next box, option, control, or command | Tab |
Move to the previous box, option, control, or command | Shift+Tab |
Exit a dialog or cancel an action | ESC |
Perform the action assigned to the default command button (the button with the bold outline, often the OK button) | Return |
Cancel the command and close | ESC |
Move and scroll in a sheet or workbook
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Move one cell up, down, left, or right | Arrow keys |
Move to the edge of the current data region | +Arrow key |
Move to the beginning of the row | Home |
Move to the beginning of the sheet | Control+Home |
Move to the last cell in use on the sheet | Control+End |
Move down one screen | Page Down |
Move up one screen | Page Up |
Move one screen to the right | Option+Page Down |
Move one screen to the left | Option+Page Up |
Move to the next sheet in the workbook | Control+Page Down |
Move to the previous sheet in the workbook | Control+Page Down |
Scroll to display the active cell | Control+Delete |
Display the Go To dialog | Control+G |
Display the Find dialog | Control+F |
Access search (when in a cell or when a cell is selected) | +F |
Move between unlocked cells on a protected sheet | Tab key |
Tip: To use the arrow keys to move between cells in Excel for Mac 2011, you must turn Scroll Lock off. To toggle Scroll Lock off or on, press Shift+F14. Depending on the type of your keyboard, you might need to use the Control key, the Option key, or the key instead of the Shift key. If you are using a MacBook, you might need to attach a USB keyboard to use the F14 key combination.
Enter data on a sheet
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Edit the selected cell | F2 |
Complete a cell entry and move forward in the selection | Return |
Start a new line in the same cell | Control+Option+Return |
Fill the selected cell range with the text that you type | +Return |
Complete a cell entry and move up in the selection | Shift+Return |
Complete a cell entry and move to the right in the selection | Tab key |
Complete a cell entry and move to the left in the selection | Shift+Tab |
Cancel a cell entry | ESC |
Delete the character to the left of the insertion point, or delete the selection | Delete |
Delete the character to the right of the insertion point, or delete the selection |
|
Delete text to the end of the line | Control+ |
Move one character up, down, left, or right | Arrow keys |
Move to the beginning of the line | Home |
Insert a comment | Shift+F2 |
Open and edit a cell comment | Shift+F2 |
Fill down | Control+D |
Fill to the right | Control+R |
Define a name | Control+L |
Work in cells or the Formula bar
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Edit the selected cell | F2 |
Edit the active cell and then clear it, or delete the preceding character in the active cell as you edit the cell contents | Delete |
Complete a cell entry | Return |
Enter a formula as an array formula | +Shift+Return |
Cancel an entry in the cell or formula bar | ESC |
Display the Formula Builder after you type a valid function name in a formula | Control+A |
Insert a hyperlink | +K |
Edit the active cell and position the insertion point at the end of the line | Control+U |
Open the Formula Builder | Shift+F3 |
Calculate the active sheet | Shift+F9 |
Display a contextual menu | Shift+F10 |
Start a formula | Equal (=) |
Toggle the formula reference style between absolute, relative, and mixed | +T |
Insert the AutoSum formula | +Shift+T |
Enter the date | Control+Semicolon (;) |
Enter the time | +Semicolon (;) |
Copy the value from the cell above the active cell into the cell or the formula bar | Control+Shift+Inch mark (') |
Alternate between displaying cell values and displaying cell formulas | Control+Grave accent (`) |
Copy a formula from the cell above the active cell into the cell or the formula bar | Control+Apostrophe (') |
Display the AutoComplete list | Control+Option+Down arrow key |
Define a name | Control+L |
Open the Smart Lookup pane | Control+Option+ +L |
Format and edit data
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Edit the selected cell | F2 |
Create a table | +T |
Insert a line break in a cell | +Option+Return |
Insert special characters like symbols, including emoji | Control+ +Spacebar |
Increase font size | +Shift+Right angle bracket (>) |
Decrease font size | +Shift+Left angle bracket (<) |
Align center | +E |
Align left | +L |
Display the Modify Cell Style dialog | +Shift+L |
Display the Format Cells dialog | +1 |
Apply the general number format | Control+Shift+Tilde (~) |
Apply the currency format with two decimal places (negative numbers appear in red with parentheses) | Control+Shift+Dollar sign ($) |
Apply the percentage format with no decimal places | Control+Shift+Percent sign (%) |
Apply the exponential number format with two decimal places | Control+Shift+Caret (^) |
Apply the date format with the day, month, and year | Control+Shift+Hash mark (#) |
Apply the time format with the hour and minute, and indicate AM or PM | Control+Shift+At symbol (@) |
Apply the number format with two decimal places, thousands separator, and minus sign (-) for negative values | Control+Shift+Exclamation mark (!) |
Apply the outline border around the selected cells | +Option+Zero (0) |
Add an outline border to the right of the selection | +Option+Right arrow key |
Add an outline border to the left of the selection | +Option+Left arrow key |
Add an outline border to the top of the selection | +Option+Up arrow key |
Add an outline border to the bottom of the selection | +Option+Down arrow key |
Remove outline borders | +Option+Hyphen |
Apply or remove bold formatting | +B |
Apply or remove italic formatting | +I |
Apply or remove underscoring | +U |
Apply or remove strikethrough formatting | +Shift+X |
Hide a column | +Right parenthesis ()) |
Unhide a column | +Shift+Right parenthesis ()) |
Hide a row | +Left parenthesis (() |
Unhide a row | +Shift+Left parenthesis (() |
Edit the active cell | Control+U |
Cancel an entry in the cell or the formula bar | ESC |
Edit the active cell and then clear it, or delete the preceding character in the active cell as you edit the cell contents | Delete |
Paste text into the active cell | +V |
Complete a cell entry | Return |
Give selected cells the current cell's entry | +Return |
Enter a formula as an array formula | +Shift+Return |
Display the Formula Builder after you type a valid function name in a formula | Control+A |
Select cells, columns, or rows
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Extend the selection by one cell | Shift+Arrow key |
Extend the selection to the last nonblank cell in the same column or row as the active cell | +Shift+Arrow key |
Extend the selection to the beginning of the row | Shift+Home |
Extend the selection to the beginning of the sheet | Control+Shift+Home |
Extend the selection to the last cell used | Control+Shift+End |
Select the entire column | Control+Spacebar |
Select the entire row | Shift+Spacebar |
Select the entire sheet | +A |
Select only visible cells | +Shift+Asterisk (*) |
Select only the active cell when multiple cells are selected | Shift+Delete |
Extend the selection down one screen | Shift+Page Down |
Extend the selection up one screen | Shift+Page Up |
Alternate between hiding objects, displaying objects, | Control+6 |
Turn on the capability to extend a selection | F8 |
Add another range of cells to the selection | Shift+F8 |
Select the current array, which is the array that the | Control+Forward slash (/) |
Select cells in a row that don't match the value | Control+Backward slash () |
Select only cells that are directly referred to by formulas in the selection | Control+Shift+Left bracket ([) |
Select all cells that are directly or indirectly referred to by formulas in the selection | Control+Shift+Left brace ({) |
Select only cells with formulas that refer directly to the active cell | Control+Right bracket (]) |
Select all cells with formulas that refer directly or indirectly to the active cell | Control+Shift+Right brace (}) |
Work with a selection
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Copy | +C |
Paste | +V |
Cut | +X |
Clear | Delete |
Delete the selection | Control+Hyphen |
Undo the last action | +Z |
Hide a column | +Right parenthesis ()) |
Unhide a column | +Shift+Right parenthesis ()) |
Hide a row | +Left parenthesis (() |
Unhide a row | +Shift+Left parenthesis (() |
Move from top to bottom within the selection (down) * | Return |
Move from bottom to top within the selection (up) * | Shift+Return |
Move from left to right within the selection, | Tab key |
Move from right to left within the selection, | Shift+Tab |
Move clockwise to the next corner of the selection | Control+Period |
Group selected cells | +Shift+K |
Ungroup selected cells | +Shift+J |
* These shortcuts may move in another direction other than down or up. If you'd like to change the direction of these shortcuts using the mouse, on the Excel menu, click Preferences, click Edit, and then, under. After pressing Return, move selection, select the direction you want to move in.
Use charts
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Insert a new chart sheet. * | F11 |
Cycle through chart object selection | Arrow keys |
Sort, filter, and use PivotTable reports
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Open the Sort dialog | +Shift+R |
Add or remove a filter | +Shift+F |
Display the Filter list or PivotTable page | Option+Down arrow key |
Outline data
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Display or hide outline symbols | Control+8 |
Hide selected rows | Control+9 |
Unhide selected rows | Control+Shift+Left parenthesis ( ( ) |
Hide selected columns | Control+Zero |
Unhide selected columns | Control+Shift+Right parenthesis ( ) ) |
Use function key shortcuts
Excel for Mac uses the function keys for common commands, including Copy and Paste. For quick access to these shortcuts, you can change your Apple system preferences so you don't have to press the FN key every time you use a function key shortcut.
Note: Changing system function key preferences affects how the function keys work for your Mac, not just Excel for Mac. After changing this setting, you can still perform the special features printed on a function key. Just press the FN key. For example, to use the F12 key to change your volume, you would press FN+F12.
If a function key doesn't work as you expect it to, press the FN key in addition to the function key. If you don't want to press the FN key each time, you can change your Apple system preferences. For instructions, go to Change function key preferences with the mouse
The following table provides the function key shortcuts for Excel for Mac.
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Display the Help window | F1 |
Edit the selected cell | F2 |
Insert or edit a cell comment | Shift+F2 |
Open the Save dialog | Option+F2 |
Open the Formula Builder | Shift+F3 |
Open the Define Name dialog | +F3 |
Close | +F4 |
Display the Go To dialog | F5 |
Display the Find dialog | Shift+F5 |
Move to the Search Sheet dialog | Control+F5 |
Check spelling | F7 |
Open the thesaurus | Shift+F7 |
Extend the selection | F8 |
Add to the selection | Shift+F8 |
Display the Macro dialog | Option+F8 |
Calculate all open workbooks | F9 |
Calculate the active sheet | Shift+F9 |
Minimize the active window | Control+F9 |
Display a contextual menu, or 'right click' menu | Shift+F10 |
Maximize or restore the active window | Control+F10 |
Insert a new chart sheet* | F11 |
Insert a new sheet* | Shift+F11 |
Insert an Excel 4.0 macro sheet | +F11 |
Open Visual Basic | Option+F11 |
Display the Save As dialog | F12 |
Display the Open dialog | +F12 |
Change function key preferences with the mouse
On the Apple menu, press System Preferences.
Select Keyboard.
On the Keyboard tab, select the check box for Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys.
Drawing
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Toggle Drawing mode | +Control+Z |
See also
This article describes the keyboard shortcuts in Excel for iOS.
Notes:
If you're familiar with keyboard shortcuts on your MacOS computer, the same key combinations work with Excel for iOS using an external keyboard, too. The shortcuts listed in this article are the only ones that will work in this version of Excel.
To quickly find a shortcut, you can use the Search. Press Command+F and then type your search words.
In this topic
Navigate the worksheet
To | Press |
---|---|
Move one cell to the right | Tab |
Move one cell up, down, left, or right | Arrow keys |
Work with cells
To | Press |
---|---|
Moves to the cell to the right | Tab key |
Move within cell text | Arrow keys |
Copy | +C |
Paste | +V |
Cut | +X |
Undo | +Z |
Redo | +Y or +Shift+Z |
Bold | +B |
Italic | +I |
Underline | +U |
Select all | +A |
Select a range of cells | Shift+Left or Right arrow key |
Insert a line break within a cell | Alt+Return |
Move cursor to the beginning of the current line within a cell | +Left arrow key |
Move cursor to the end of the current line within a cell | +Right arrow key |
Move cursor to the beginning of the current cell | +Up arrow key |
Move cursor to the end of the current cell | +Down arrow key |
Within a cell that contains a line break, move cursor up by one paragraph | Option+Up arrow key |
Within a cell that contains a line break, move cursor down by one paragraph | Option+Down arrow key |
Move cursor right by one word | Option+Right arrow key |
Move cursor left by one word | Option+Left arrow key |
See also
This article describes the keyboard shortcuts in Excel for Android.
Notes:
If you're familiar with keyboard shortcuts on your Windows computer, the same key combinations work with Excel for Android using an external keyboard, too. The shortcuts listed in this article are the only ones that will work in this version of Excel.
To quickly find a shortcut, you can use the Search. Press Ctrl+F and then type your search words.
In this topic
Navigate the worksheet
To | Press |
---|---|
Move one cell to the right | Tab key |
Move one cell up, down, left, or right | Arrow keys |
Work with cells
To | Press |
---|---|
Save | Control+S |
Copy | Control+C |
Paste | Control+V |
Copy formatting | Control+Shift+C |
Cut | Control+X |
Undo | Control+Z |
Redo | Control+Y or |
Bold | Control+B |
Italic | Control+I |
Underline | Control+U |
Select all | Control+A |
Find | Control+F |
Insert a line break within a cell | Alt+Enter |
See also
This article describes the keyboard shortcuts in Excel Mobile.
Notes:
If you're familiar with keyboard shortcuts on your Windows computer, the same key combinations work with Excel Mobile using an external keyboard, too. The shortcuts listed in this article are the only ones that will work in this version of Excel.
To quickly find a shortcut, you can use the Search. Press Ctrl+F and then type your search words.
In this topic
Navigate the worksheet
To | Press |
---|---|
Move one cell to the right | Tab key |
Move one cell up, down, left, or right | Arrow keys |
Extend selection left one cell | Shift+Left arrow key |
Extend selection right one cell | Shift+Right arrow key |
Extend selection left to the first cell | Shift+Control+Left arrow key |
Extend selection right to the last cell | Shift+Control+Right arrow key |
Move one character to the left | Control+Left arrow key (after tapping in the formula bar) |
Move one character to the right | Control+Right arrow key (after tapping in the formula bar) |
Move cursor one word to the left | Control+Left arrow key (after tapping in the formula bar) |
Move cursor one word to the right | Control+Right arrow key (after tapping in the formula bar) |
Select or cancel the selection of one character to the left | Shift+Left arrow key (after tapping in the formula bar) |
Select or cancel the selection of one character to the right. | Shift+Right arrow key (after tapping in the formula bar) |
Display shortcut menu | Shift+F10 |
Next Pane | F6 |
Cycle through floating shapes, such as text boxes or images. | Ctrl+Alt+5, and then the Tab key repeatedly |
Exit the floating shape navigation and return to the normal navigation. | Esc |
Work with cells
To | Press |
---|---|
Save | Control+S |
Copy | Control+C |
Cut | Control+X |
Paste | Control+V |
Undo | Control+Z |
Redo | Control+Y |
Bold | Control+B |
Italic | Control+I |
Underline | Control+U |
Select all | Control+A |
Find | Control+F |
Repeat | Control+Y |
Replace | Control+H |
Insert table | Control+T |
Insert a line break within a cell | Alt+Enter |
Clear selected cell | Delete |
See also
This article describes the keyboard shortcuts in Excel Online on Windows.
Notes:
To quickly find a shortcut, you can use the Search. Press Ctrl+F and then type your search words.
When you use Excel Online, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because Excel Online runs in your web browser, the keyboard shortcuts are different from those in the desktop program. For example, you’ll use Ctrl+F6 instead of F6 for jumping in and out of the commands. Also, common shortcuts like F1 (Help) and Ctrl+O (Open) apply to the web browser – not Excel Online.
If you use Narrator with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, you have to turn off scan mode in order to edit documents, spreadsheets, or presentations with Office Online. For more information, refer to Turn off virtual or browse mode in screen readers in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.
In this article
Quick tips for using keyboard shortcuts with Excel Online
You can find any command quickly by pressing Alt+Windows logo key+Q to jump to Tell Me, In Tell Me, you can just type a word or the name of a command you want (available only in Editing view). Tell Me searches for related options, and provides a list. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to select a command, and then press Enter.
To jump to a particular cell in a workbook, use the Go To option: press Ctrl+G, type the cell reference (such as B14), and then press Enter.
If you use a screen reader, see Common tasks in Excel Online.
Frequently used shortcuts
These are the most frequently used shortcuts for Excel Online.
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Go to a specific cell | Ctrl+G |
Move down | Page Down or Down arrow key |
Move up | Page Up or Up arrow key |
Ctrl+P | |
Copy | Ctrl+C |
Paste | Ctrl+V |
Cut | Ctrl+X |
Undo | Ctrl+Z |
Open workbook | Ctrl+O |
Close workbook | Ctrl+W |
Save As | Alt+F2 |
Find | Ctrl+F |
Bold | Ctrl+B |
Open context menu |
|
Tell me | Alt+Q |
Find | Ctrl+F or Shift+F3 |
Repeat Find, downward | Shift+F4 |
Repeat Find, upward | Ctrl+Shift+F4 |
Insert chart | Alt+F1 |
Access keys: Shortcuts for using the ribbon
Excel Online offers access keys, keyboard shortcuts to navigate the ribbon. If you’ve used access keys to save time on Excel for desktop computers, you’ll find access keys very similar in Excel Online.
In Excel Online, access keys all start with Alt+Windows logo key, then add a letter for the ribbon tab. For example, to go to the Review tab, press Alt+Windows logo key+R.
If you're using Excel Online on a Mac computer, press Control+Option to start.
To get to the ribbon, press Alt+Windows logo key, or press Ctrl+F6 until you reach the Home tab
To move between tabs on the ribbon, press the Tab key.
To hide the ribbon so you have more room to work, press Ctrl+F1. Repeat to display the ribbon again.
Go to the access keys for the ribbon
To go directly to a tab on the Ribbon, press one of the following access keys:
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Go to the Tell Me field on the ribbon and type a search term. | Alt+Windows logo key, Q |
Open the File tab and use the Backstage view | Alt+Windows logo key, F |
Open the Home tab and format text and numbers, or use other tools such as Find. | Alt+Windows logo key, H |
Open the Insert tab and insert a function, table, chart, hyperlink, or comment. | Alt+Windows logo key, N |
Open the Data tab and refresh connections or use data tools. | Alt+Windows logo key, A |
Open the Review tab and use the Accessibility Checker or work with comments. | Alt+Windows logo key, R |
Open the View tab to choose a view, freeze rows or columns in your worksheet, or show gridlines and headers | Alt+Windows logo key, W |
Work in the ribbon tabs and menus
The shortcuts in this table can save time when you work with the ribbon tabs and ribbon menus
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Select the active tab of the Ribbon, and activate the access keys. | Alt+Windows logo key. To move to a different tab, use an access key or the Tab key. |
Move the focus to commands on the Ribbon. | Enter, then the Tab key or Shift+Tab |
Activate a selected button. | Spacebar or Enter |
Open the list for a selected command | Spacebar or Enter |
Open the menu for a selected button. | Alt+Down arrow key |
When a menu or submenu is open, move to the next command. | Esc |
Keyboard shortcuts for editing cells
Tips: If a spreadsheet opens in the Reading view, editing commands won’t work. To switch to Edit view, do the following:
To move the focus out of the worksheet, press Ctrl+F6.
Press the Tab key until you reach the Edit Workbook list, and then press Spacebar.
Press the Down arrow key until you reach the Edit in Excel Online option, and then press Enter to select it.
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Insert a row above the current row | Alt+Windows logo key+H, I, R |
Insert a column to the left of the current column | Alt+Windows logo key+H, I, C |
Cut | Ctrl+X |
Copy | Ctrl+C |
Paste | Ctrl+V |
Undo | Ctrl+Z |
Redo | Ctrl+Y |
Start a new line in the same cell | Alt+Enter |
Insert hyperlink | Ctrl+K |
Insert Table | Ctrl+L |
Insert function | Shift+F3 |
Increase font size | Ctrl+Shift+Right angle bracket (>) |
Decrease font size | Ctrl+Shift+Left angle bracket (<) |
Apply a Filter | Alt+Windows logo key+A, T |
Re-apply a Filter | Ctrl+Alt+L |
Keyboard shortcuts for entering data
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Complete cell entry and select the cell below | Enter |
Complete cell entry and select the cell above | Shift+Enter |
Complete cell entry and select the next cell in the row | Tab key |
Complete cell entry and select the previous cell in the row | Shift+Tab |
Cancel cell entry | Esc |
Keyboard shortcuts for editing data within a cell
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Edit selected cell | F2 |
Cycle through all the various combinations of absolute and relative references when a cell reference or range is selected in a formula. | F4 |
Clear selected cell | Delete |
Clear selected cell and start editing | Backspace |
Go to beginning of cell line | Home |
Go to end of cell line | End |
Select right by character | Shift+Right arrow key |
Select to beginning of cell data | Shift+Home |
Select to end of cell data | Shift+End |
Select left by character | Shift+Left arrow key |
Extend selection to the last nonblank cell in the same column or row as the active cell, or if the next cell is blank, to the next non-blank cell. | Ctrl+Shift+Right arrow key or Ctrl+Shift+Left arrow key |
Keyboard shortcuts for formatting cells
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Bold | Ctrl+B |
Italics | Ctrl+I |
Underline | Ctrl+U |
Paste formatting | Shift+Ctrl+V |
Apply the outline border to selected cells | Ctrl+Shift+Ampersand (&) |
Keyboard shortcuts for moving and scrolling within worksheets
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Up one cell | Up arrow key, or Shift+Enter |
Down one cell | Down arrow key, or Enter |
Move right one cell | Right arrow key, or the Tab key |
Go to the beginning of the row | Home |
Go to cell A1 | Ctrl+Home |
Go to the last cell of used range | Ctrl+End |
Move down one screen (28 rows) | Page Down |
Move up one screen (28 rows) | Page Up |
Move to the edge of the current data region | Ctrl+Right arrow key or Ctrl+Left arrow key |
Move between ribbon and workbook content | Ctrl+F6 |
Move to a different ribbon tab | Tab key Press Enter to go to the ribbon for that tab. |
Insert new sheet | Shift+F11 |
Switch to next sheet | Alt+Control+Page Down |
Switch to previous sheet | Alt+Control+Page Up |
Keyboard shortcuts for working with objects
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Open menu/Drill down | Alt+Down arrow key |
Drill up | Alt+Up arrow key |
Follow hyperlink | Ctrl+Enter |
Open Comment pane while editing | Shift+F2 |
Keyboard shortcuts for selecting cells, rows, columns, and objects
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Select a range of cells | Shift+Arrow keys |
Select an entire column | Ctrl+Spacebar |
Select a entire row | Shift+Spacebar |
Extend selection to the last nonblank cell in the same column or row as the active cell, or if the next cell is blank, to the next nonblank cell. | Ctrl+Shift+Right arrow key or Ctrl+Shift+Left arrow key |
Excel Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts for moving within a selected range
To do this | Press |
---|---|
From top to bottom (or forward through selection) | Enter |
From bottom to top (or back through selection) | Shift+Enter |
Forward through a row (or down through a single-column selection) | Tab key |
Back through a row (or up through a single-column selection) | Shift+Tab |
Keyboard shortcuts for calculating data
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Calculate workbook (refresh) | F9 |
Full calculate | Ctrl+Shift+Alt+F9 |
Refresh external data | Alt+F5 |
Refresh all external data | Ctrl+Alt+F5 |
Auto Sum | Alt+Equals (=) |
Accessibility Shortcuts Menu (Alt+Shift+A)
Get easy access to common features by using the following shortcuts:
To do this | Press |
---|---|
Move among landmark regions | Ctrl+F6 or Ctrl+Shift+F6 |
Move within the landmark regions | Tab key or Shift+Tab |
Go to Tell Me box to run any command | Alt+Q |
Display or hide Key Tips or access the ribbon | Alt+Windows logo key |
Edit selected cell | F2 |
Go to a specific cell | Ctrl+G |
Move to a different worksheet in the workbook | Ctrl+Alt+Page Up or Ctrl+Alt+Page Down |
Open context menu | Shift+F10 |
Read row header | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+T |
Read row until active cell | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Home |
Read row from active cell | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+End |
Read column header | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+H |
Read column until active cell | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Page Up |
Read column from active cell | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Page Down |
Dialogs moving option | Ctrl+Alt+Spacebar |
See also
If you work with Excel on a daily basis, it’s worth spending an extra 10 minutes to sharpen and improve on your shortcut games, because this 10 minutes investment will pay back exponentially in no time. Without further ado let’s dive in.
Basic & General
Start with some basic and most frequently used ones in all kind Excel workflow. The key is to minimize the use of the mouse and do as much as you can with the keyboard to save you time and improve accuracy.
- F2 – Edit Cell, Show Formula (avoiding double-click)
- F2 + F9 – Show as input number *useful for checking numbers but press ESC after (or you’ll change formulas into an input)
- Alt + H + 0 – Add one decimal *requires pressing all keys at the same time
- Alt + H + 9 – Remove one decimal *requires pressing all keys at the same time
- Ctrl + Z – Undo Last Action
- Ctrl + Y – Redo (Reverse Undo)
- Ctrl + O – Open File
- Ctrl + S – Save File & F12 – Save As
- F9 – Recalculate Workbook
- Ctrl + ; – Insert Current Date
- Alt + W + Q – Zoom in (type in % zoom, helpful with large dataset)
- Ctrl X – Cut
- Ctrl C – Copy
- Ctrl + Alt + V – Paste special, will trigger the prompt for more options.
Selection & Navigation
Navigating through Excel spreadsheet could be time-consuming, especially if you are dealing with a large data-set.
- Ctrl + Arrowkey – Jump to Edge of Content
- Ctrl + Spacebar – Select Column
- Shift + Spacebar – Select Row
- Ctrl + Plus (# pad) – Insert Row / Insert Column
- Ctrl + Minus (# pad) – Delete Row / Delete Column
- Ctrl + F – Find
- Ctrl + H – Find & Replace
- Shift + Tab – Switch Workbooks (tabs)
- Ctrl + Pageup / Pagedown – Move to Next / Previous Worksheet Tab
- Ctrl + Home – Move to Cell A1 (top left)
- Ctrl + End – Move to Bottom Right Cell
Formatting
If your Excel sheet is full of color you might want to master this section of keyboard shortcuts.
- Ctrl + B – Bold
- Ctrl + I – Italics
- Alt + H + B + P – Top Border *for adding lines
- Alt + E + S + F – Paste Formula (after Ctrl + C ) * F4 repeats the same action to other cells after pasting once
- Alt + E + S + T – Paste Formatting (after Ctrl + C ) * F4 repeats the same action to other cells after pasting once
- Alt + E + S + V – Paste Values (after Ctrl + C ) * F4 repeats the same action to other cells after pasting once
- Alt + H + H – Fill Colour
- Alt + H + L + C + S – Delete Conditional Format
- Alt + H + F + C – Font Colour
- Alt + H + F + S – Font Size
- Ctrl + 1 – Open Formatting Dialogue
Data Manipulation
This is useful if you need to routinely working with columns and rows and Excel formulas.
Excel Shortcut List
- Shift + F2 – Add Comment
- Alt + R + D – Delete Comment
- Alt + D + G + G – Group Rows / Columns
- Alt + D + G + U – Ungroup Rows / Columns
- Alt + D + G + H – Hide Grouped Rows / Columns
- Alt + D + G + S – Show Grouped Rows / Columns
- Alt + = – Auto-sum Adjacent Cells
Other Miscellaneous
Apart from the above, here are few others shortcuts that you might find useful. Without going to Excel macro there are still quite a handful of keyboard shortcuts you can master.
- Ctrl + K – Edit Hyper Link
- Alt + T + U + T – Trace Precedents
- Alt + T + U + D – Trace Dependents
- Alt + T + U + A – Remove Precedent / Dependent Arrows
- Ctrl + Shift + [ – Highlight All Precedents *F5 + [Enter] – to go back
- Ctrl + Shift + ] – Highlight All Dependents
- Ctrl + [ – Highlight Direct Precedents *F5 + [Enter] – to go back
- Ctrl + ] – Highlight Direct Dependents
- Alt + ` – Show All Formula
- Alt + W + F + F – Freeze/Unfreeze Panes Around Current Cell