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Frequently used Excel 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
Shift+F10, or
Open context menu
Context key
Add borders Alt+H, B
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 Alt+Q, then enter
for assistance or Help content. 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,
Alt+N
pictures, shapes, headers, or text boxes.
Open the Page Layout tab and work with themes, page setup, scale, and
Alt+P
alignment.
Open the Formulas tab and insert, trace, and customize functions and
Alt+M
calculations.
Open the Data tab and connect to, sort, filter, analyze, and work with data. Alt+A
Open the Review tab and check spelling, add notes and threaded
Alt+R
comments, and protect sheets and workbooks.
Open the View tab and preview page breaks and layouts, show and hide
gridlines and headings, set zoom magnification, manage windows and Alt+W
panes, and view macros.

Work in the ribbon with the keyboard

To do this Press
Select the active tab on the ribbon, and Alt or F10. To move to a different tab, use
activate the access keys. access keys or the arrow keys.
Move the focus to commands on the
Tab key or Shift+Tab
ribbon.
Move down, up, left, or right, respectively,
Arrow keys
among the items on the Ribbon.
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
Down arrow key
the next command.
Expand or collapse the ribbon. Ctrl+F1
Open a context menu. Shift+F10

Or, on a Windows keyboard, the Context key

 To do this Press

(between the right Alt and right Ctrl keys)

Move to the submenu when a main menu is
Left arrow key
open or selected.

Keyboard shortcuts for navigating in cells

To do this Press
Move to the previous cell in a worksheet or the previous
Shift+Tab
option in a dialog.
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
End, Arrow key
mode. If the cells are blank, move to the last cell in the row
or column.
Move to the last cell on a worksheet, to the lowest used row
Ctrl+End
of the rightmost used column.
Extend the selection of cells to the last used cell on the
Ctrl+Shift+End
worksheet (lower-right corner).
Move to the cell in the upper-left corner of the window when
Home+Scroll Lock
Scroll Lock is turned on.
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
Tab key
worksheet, move between unlocked cells.
Open the list of validation choices on a cell that has data
Alt+Down arrow key
validation option applied to it.
Ctrl+Alt+5, then the Tab key
Cycle through floating shapes, such as text boxes or images.
repeatedly
Exit the floating shape navigation and return to the normal
Esc
navigation.
Ctrl+Shift, then scroll your
Scroll horizontally. mouse wheel up to go left,
down to go right
Zoom in. CTRL+ALT+=
Zoom out. CTRL+ALT+-
Keyboard shortcuts for formatting cells
To do this Press
Open the Format Cells dialog. Ctrl+1
Ctrl+Shift+F or
Format fonts in the Format Cells dialog.
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
F2
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.
Insert a note Shift+F2

Open and edit a cell note Shift+F2

Insert a threaded comment Ctrl+Shift+F2

Open and reply to a threaded comment Ctrl+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
Ctrl+grave accent (`)
worksheet.
Copy a formula from the cell above the active cell into the cell or
Ctrl+apostrophe (')
the Formula Bar.
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
Ctrl+6
placeholders for objects.
Ctrl+Shift+ampersand
Apply an outline border to the selected cells.
(&)
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
Ctrl+D
the topmost cell of a selected range into the cells below.
Apply the General number format. Ctrl+Shift+tilde sign (~)
Apply the Currency format with two decimal places (negative
Ctrl+Shift+dollar sign ($)
numbers in parentheses).
Ctrl+Shift+percent sign
Apply the Percentage format with no decimal places.
(%)
Apply the Scientific number format with two decimal places. Ctrl+Shift+caret sign (^)
 To do this Press
Ctrl+Shift+number sign
Apply the Date format with the day, month, and year.
(#)
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 Ctrl+Shift+exclamation
separator, and minus sign (-) for negative values. 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
Ctrl+Q
data.
Display the Create Table dialog. Ctrl+L or Ctrl+T
Open the Workbook Statistics dialog. Ctrl+Shift+G

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 and notes 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
 To do this Press
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 Ctrl+Shift+Arrow key
cell is blank, to the next nonblank cell.
Turn extend mode on and use the arrow keys to extend a
F8
selection. Press again to turn off.
Add a non-adjacent cell or range to a selection of cells by
Shift+F8
using the arrow keys.
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
Select all objects on a worksheet when an object is
Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar
selected.
Extend the selection of cells to the beginning of the
Ctrl+Shift+Home
worksheet.
Select the current region if the worksheet contains data.
Press a second time to select the current region and its
Ctrl+A or Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar
summary rows. Press a third time to select the entire
worksheet.
Select the current region around the active cell. Ctrl+Shift+Asterisk (*)
Select the first command on the menu when a menu or
Home
submenu is visible.
Repeat the last command or action, if possible. Ctrl+Y
Undo the last action. Ctrl+Z
While hovering over the collapsed
Expand grouped rows or columns. items, hold SHIFT and scroll
down.
While hovering over the expanded
Collapse grouped rows or columns.
items, hold SHIFT and scroll up.
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
F2
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.
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
Ctrl+Alt+F9
whether they have changed since the last calculation.
Check dependent formulas, and then calculate all cells in all open
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F9
workbooks, including cells not marked as needing to be calculated.
Display the menu or message for an Error Checking button. Alt+Shift+F10
Display the Function Arguments dialog when the insertion point is
Ctrl+A
to the right of a function name in a formula.
Insert argument names and parentheses when the insertion point is to
Ctrl+Shift+A
the right of a function name in a formula.
Insert the AutoSum formula Alt+=
Invoke Flash Fill to automatically recognize patterns in adjacent
Ctrl+E
columns and fill the current column
Cycle through all combinations of absolute and relative references in
F4
a formula if a cell reference or range is selected.
Insert a function. Shift+F3
Copy the value from the cell above the active cell into the cell or the Ctrl+Shift+Straight
formula bar. 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
F11
sheet.
Define a name to use in references. Alt+M, M, D
Paste a name from the Paste Name dialog (if names have been
F3
defined in the workbook.
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

Keyboard shortcuts for refreshing external data

Use the following keys to refresh data from external data sources.
 To do this Press
Stop a refresh operation Esc
Refresh data in the current worksheet Ctrl+F5
Refresh all data in the workbook Ctrl+Alt+F5

Power Pivot keyboard shortcuts

Use the following shortcuts keyboard shortcuts with Power Pivot in Microsoft 365, Excel
2019, Excel 2016, and Excel 2013.

Key
Description
combination
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.
Move to the last cell in the lower right corner of selected table (the last row
Ctrl+End
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.
Recalculate all formulas in the Power Pivot window. For more
F9
information.

Keyboard shortcuts in Office Add-ins task panes

The following shortcuts apply to working in an Office Add-in task pane.
 To do this Press
Open the context menu. Ctrl+Shift+F10
Open the task pane options menu. Ctrl+Spacebar
Close the task pane. Ctrl+Spacebar, then select Close

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Function keys
Key Description
 F1 alone: displays the Excel Help task pane.

 Ctrl+F1: displays or hides the ribbon.

F1
 Alt+F1: creates an embedded chart of the data in the current range.

 Alt+Shift+F1: inserts a new worksheet.

 F2 alone: 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
 Shift+F2: adds or edits a cell note.

 Ctrl+F2: displays the print preview area on the Print tab in the Backstage view.

 F3 alone: displays the Paste Name dialog. Available only if names have been

defined in the workbook.
F3
 Shift+F3: displays the Insert Function dialog.

 F4 alone: repeats the last command or action, if possible.

When a cell reference or range is selected in a formula, F4 cycles through all the
various combinations of absolute and relative references.
F4
 Ctrl+F4: closes the selected workbook window.

 Alt+F4: closes Excel.

 F5 alone: displays the Go To dialog.

F5
 Ctrl+F5: restores the window size of the selected workbook window.

F6  F6 alone: switches between the worksheet, ribbon, task pane, and Zoom
controls. In a worksheet that has been split , F6 includes the split panes when
switching between panes and the ribbon area.
Key Description

 Shift+F6: switches between the worksheet, Zoom controls, task pane, and
ribbon.

 Ctrl+F6: switches between 2 Excel windows.

 Ctrl+Shift+F6: switches between all Excel windows.

 F7 alone: Opens the Spelling dialog to check spelling in the active worksheet or

selected range.

F7  Ctrl+F7: performs the Move command on the workbook window when it is not

maximized. Use the arrow keys to move the window, and when finished press
Enter, or Esc to cancel.

 F8 alone: turns extend mode on or off. In extend mode, Extended

Selection appears in the status line, and the arrow keys extend the selection.

 Shift+F8: enables you to add a non-adjacent cell or range to a selection of cells

by using the arrow keys.
F8
 Ctrl+F8: performs the Size command when a workbook is not maximized.

 Alt+F8: displays the Macro dialog to create, run, edit, or delete a macro.

 F9 alone: calculates all worksheets in all open workbooks.

 Shift+F9: calculates the active worksheet.

 Ctrl+Alt+F9: calculates all worksheets in all open workbooks, regardless of

whether they have changed since the last calculation.
F9
 Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F9: rechecks dependent formulas, and then calculates all cells in
all open workbooks, including cells not marked as needing to be calculated.

 Ctrl+F9: minimizes a workbook window to an icon.

 F10 alone: Turns key tips on or off. (Pressing Alt does the same thing.)

 Shift+F10: displays the shortcut menu for a selected item.

F10
 Alt+Shift+F10: displays the menu or message for an Error Checking button.

 Ctrl+F10: maximizes or restores the selected workbook window.

F11  F11 alone: Creates a chart of the data in the current range in a separate Chart
sheet.
Key Description

 Shift+F11: inserts a new worksheet.

 Alt+F11: opens the Microsoft Visual Basic For Applications Editor, in which
you can create a macro by using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).

 F12 alone: displays the Save As dialog.

F12

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Other useful shortcut keys

Key Description
 Displays the Key Tips (new shortcuts) on the ribbon.

For example,

 Alt, W, P switches the worksheet to Page Layout view.

Alt
 Alt, W, L switches the worksheet to Normal view.

 Alt, W, I switches the worksheet to Page Break Preview view.

Arrow  Move one cell up, down, left, or right in a worksheet.

keys
 Ctrl+Arrow key moves to the edge of the current data region in a
worksheet.

 Shift+Arrow key extends the selection of cells by one cell.

 Ctrl+Shift+Arrow key extends 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, extends the selection to the next nonblank cell.

 Left or Right arrow key selects the tab to the left or right when the ribbon
is selected. When a submenu is open or selected, these arrow keys switch
between the main menu and the submenu. When a ribbon tab is selected,
these keys navigate the tab buttons.

 Down or Up arrow key selects the next or previous command when a

menu or submenu is open. When a ribbon tab is selected, these keys
navigate up or down the tab group.

 In a dialog, arrow keys move between options in an open drop-down list,

or between options in a group of options.
 Key Description

 Down or Alt+Down arrow key opens a selected drop-down list.

 Deletes one character to the left in the Formula Bar.

 Also clears the content of the active cell.

Backspace
 In cell editing mode, it deletes the character to the left of the insertion
point.

 Removes the cell contents (data and formulas) from selected cells without
affecting cell formats, threaded comments or notes.
Delete
 In cell editing mode, it deletes the character to the right of the insertion
point.

End  End turns End mode on or off. In End mode, you can press an arrow key
to move to the next nonblank cell in the same column or row as the active
cell. End mode turns off automatically after pressing the arrow key. Make
sure to press End again before pressing the next arrow key. End mode is
shown in the status bar when it is on.

 If the cells are blank, pressing End followed by an arrow key moves to the
last cell in the row or column.

 End also selects the last command on the menu when a menu or submenu
is visible.

 Ctrl+End moves to the last cell on a worksheet, to the lowest used row of
the rightmost used column. If the cursor is in the formula bar, Ctrl+End
moves the cursor to the end of the text.

 Ctrl+Shift+End extends the selection of cells to the last used cell on the
worksheet (lower-right corner). If the cursor is in the formula bar,
Ctrl+Shift+End selects all text in the formula bar from the cursor position
to the end—this does not affect the height of the formula bar.

Enter  Completes a cell entry from the cell or the Formula Bar, and selects the
cell below (by default).

 In a data form, it moves to the first field in the next record.

 Opens a selected menu (press F10 to activate the menu bar) or performs
the action for a selected command.

 In a dialog, it performs the action for the default command button in the
dialog (the button with the bold outline, often the OK button).
 Key Description

 Alt+Enter starts a new line in the same cell.

 Ctrl+Enter fills the selected cell range with the current entry.

 Shift+Enter completes a cell entry and selects the cell above.

 Cancels an entry in the cell or Formula Bar.

 Closes an open menu or submenu, dialog, or message window.

Esc
 It also closes full screen mode when this mode has been applied, and
returns to normal screen mode to display the ribbon and status bar again.

 Moves to the beginning of a row in a worksheet.

 Moves to the cell in the upper-left corner of the window when Scroll Lock
is turned on.

 Selects the first command on the menu when a menu or submenu is

Home visible.

 Ctrl+Home moves to the beginning of a worksheet.

 Ctrl+Shift+Home extends the selection of cells to the beginning of the

worksheet.

 Moves one screen down in a worksheet.

 Alt+Page Down moves one screen to the right in a worksheet.

Page
Down  Ctrl+Page Down moves to the next sheet in a workbook.

 Ctrl+Shift+Page Down selects the current and next sheet in a workbook.

 Moves one screen up in a worksheet.

 Alt+Page Up moves one screen to the left in a worksheet.

Page Up
 Ctrl+Page Up moves to the previous sheet in a workbook.

 Ctrl+Shift+Page Up selects the current and previous sheet in a workbook.

 Hold the Shift key while you drag a selected row, column, or selected
Shift cells to move the selected cells and drop to insert them in a new location.

Spacebar  In a dialog, performs the action for the selected button, or selects or clears
a check box.
 Key Description

 Ctrl+Spacebar selects an entire column in a worksheet.

 Shift+Spacebar selects an entire row in a worksheet.

 Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar selects the entire worksheet.

 If the worksheet contains data, Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar selects the current

region. Pressing Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar a second time selects the current
region and its summary rows. Pressing Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar a third time
selects the entire worksheet.

 When an object is selected, Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar selects all objects on a

worksheet.

 Alt+Spacebar displays the Control menu for the Excel window.

 Moves one cell to the right in a worksheet.

 Moves between unlocked cells in a protected worksheet.

 Moves to the next option or option group in a dialog.

 Shift+Tab moves to the previous cell in a worksheet or the previous

Tab key option in a dialog.

 Ctrl+Tab switches to the next tab in a dialog, or (if no dialog is open)

switches between 2 Excel windows. 

 Ctrl+Shift+Tab switches to the previous tab in a dialog, or (if no dialog is

open) switches between all Excel windows.