70 Excel Keyboard Shortcuts to Save Time

One thing that I love to do more than anything is save time. So, here is a collection of some of the most useful Excel Keyboard shortcuts. These should help you become much more efficient and leave more time to analyze and visualize your data. These 70 tips range from general to data operation. If you are looking for an way to improve your Excel skills sets, Check out some of the Best Excel Courses Online for less than $20

1. To do “File” operations:

Ctrl + N: To create new excel workbook

Ctrl + O: To open required excel workbook

Ctrl + S: To save current active excel workbook

F12: This shortcut key is used for directly access the “Save As” option. Using this option user can save the file at the required folder location

Ctrl + F4: This is used to close the current active excel workbook

2. To perform “General” operations in excel sheet

Ctrl + Z: Use this shortcut to “undo” the last change made in the excel sheet

Ctrl + Y: Use this shortcut to “redo” the last change made in the excel sheet

F4: To repeat the last performed action

Ctrl + X: To cut the values of selected cells

Ctrl + C: To copy the values of selected cells. The copied values are get stored in clipboard

Ctrl + V: To paste the copied values in the selected cells

Ctrl + Alt + V: This shortcut key displays the “Paste Special Box”. “Paste Special Box” contains different types of paste option like paste values only, paste values with formatting, paste values with formula etc.

Ctrl + F: This key display “find and replace” option using which user can search a particular keyword in the excel sheet

Ctrl + H: This key display replace option using which user can replace a particular with another word

Alt + A + T: Using this shortcut key user can place the “filter” option directly on the data table

Alt + A + C: This shortcut key clears all the applied filter from the data table

Alt + A + M: This is used to remove the duplicates from the selected data table

Alt + A + S + S: Use this shortcut key to sort the selected data table based on the required fields

Alt + H + M + M: This is the shortcut key to merge the multiple selected cells into one cell

Alt + H + O + I: To adjust the width of the columns of selected cells

Alt + H + E + A: This is used to clear all the contents in the selected cells. Please note this shortcut key also clears all the formatting of the cells along with content

Shift + Spacebar: Use to select the whole row

Ctrl + Spacebar: Use to select the whole column

Alt + I + R: Insert a row

Alt + I + C: Insert a column

3. To navigate between excel sheets:

Ctrl + PgDn: To navigate through the excel sheets on right side

Ctrl + PgUp: To navigate through the excel sheets on left side

PgDn: Use this key to navigate to down rows within active excel sheet

Ctrl + Right Arrow: To navigate to extreme right end of data table

Ctrl + Left Arrow: To navigate to extreme left end of data table

Ctrl + Up Arrow: To navigate to extreme top end of data table

Ctrl + Right Arrow: To navigate to extreme bottom end of data table

Ctrl + Home: To move cursor to first cell in active excel sheet

Ctrl + End: To move cursor to end cell in active excel sheet

4. To select the data in the excel sheet:

Shift + Left/Right Arrow: To extend selection of one additional cell on left/right from the current selected cell

Shift + Up/Down Arrow: To extend selection of one additional cell on up/down from the current selected cell

Ctrl + Shift + Left/Right Arrow: To extend the cell selection till extreme right/left end of data table from the current selected cell

Ctrl + Shift + Up/Down Arrow: To extend the cell selection till last cells up/down of data table from the current selected cell

Shift + Home: This shortcut key selects all the cells starting from current cell to beginning of cell

Shift + End: This shortcut key selects all the cells starting from current cell to end of cell

5. To select special type of cells:

Ctrl + Shift + O: Using this key user can directly select cells with comments

Ctrl + /: This key selects current array

Alt + ; : This shortcut key selects cells which are visible

6. To edit the selected cell directly:

F2: This allows user to edit the current active cell

Shift + F2: Using this shortcut key user can directly access to edit mode of comments present in the cell

Alt + Enter: To start a new line in a same active cell

7. To enter the data in the cells:

Ctrl + ; : To enter the current date in the selected cell

Ctrl + Shift + : : To enter the current time in the selected cell

Ctrl + D: This shortcut key fills the top cell value till end of selected cells

Ctrl + ‘ : This shortcut key copy the top cell formula and paste that till end of selected cells

Ctrl + Shift + “ : This shortcut key copy the top cell value and paste that till end of selected cell

8. To do formatting number formatting and cell formatting like borders:

Ctrl + B: To apply or remove bold formatting in the text of a cell

Ctrl + I: To apply or remove italic formatting in the text of a cell

Ctrl + U: To apply or remove underline formatting in the text of a cell

Alt + H + A + C: To apply center align the text of a cell

Alt + H + A + R/L: To apply right/left align the text of a cell

Ctrl + Shift + % : To convert the number of cell into percentage i.e. to apply percentage formatting

Ctrl + Shift + # : To apply date formatting to a selected cell

Ctrl + Shift + @ : To apply time formatting to a selected cell

Ctrl + Shift + ! : To apply number formatting to a selected cell

Alt + H + B + A: To apply “All Borders” formatting to the current selected cells

Alt + H + B + T: To apply “Thick Outside Borders” formatting to the current selected cells

Alt + H + B + H: To apply “Thick Bottom Border” formatting to the current selected cells

Alt + H + B + N: To remove any type of border formatting from the current selected cells

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