Excel vs Google Sheets: the shortcuts that match and the ones that change
Google Sheets deliberately copied most of Excel's keyboard layer, so navigation, selection, fill, date/time insertion, F2, F4 and Ctrl + ` are identical in both. The first half of the table is the part you do not have to relearn. The second half is where they part ways, and the pattern is consistent: Excel binds number formats to Ctrl + Shift plus the symbol on the number key (! $ % #), while Google Sheets binds them to Ctrl + Shift plus the digit itself (1 4 5 3). Same keys, different shift state.
| Task | Excel | Google Sheets |
|---|---|---|
| Edit cell | F2 | F2 |
| Go to A1 | Ctrl + Home | Ctrl + Home |
| Last cell | Ctrl + End | Ctrl + End |
| Go to cell / range | Ctrl + G | Ctrl + G |
| Select column | Ctrl + Space | Ctrl + Space |
| Select row | Shift + Space | Shift + Space |
| Insert rows/columns | Ctrl + Shift + + | Ctrl + Shift + + |
| Delete rows/columns | Ctrl + - | Ctrl + - |
| Fill down | Ctrl + D | Ctrl + D |
| Fill right | Ctrl + R | Ctrl + R |
| Today's date | Ctrl + ; | Ctrl + ; |
| Current time | Ctrl + Shift + : | Ctrl + Shift + : |
| Toggle absolute reference | F4 | F4 |
| Show formulas | Ctrl + ` | Ctrl + ` |
| Find / Replace | Ctrl + H | Ctrl + H |
| Bold / Italic / Underline | Ctrl + B | Ctrl + B |
| Strikethrough | Ctrl + 5 | Alt + Shift + 5 |
| Number format | Ctrl + Shift + ! | Ctrl + Shift + 1 |
| Currency format | Ctrl + Shift + $ | Ctrl + Shift + 4 |
| Percent format | Ctrl + Shift + % | Ctrl + Shift + 5 |
| Date format | Ctrl + Shift + # | Ctrl + Shift + 3 |
| Paste values only | — | Ctrl + Shift + V |
| Array formula | — | Ctrl + Shift + Enter |
| Smart fill | — | Ctrl + E |
| Format Cells dialog | Ctrl + 1 | — |
| AutoSum | Alt + = | — |
| Create table | Ctrl + T | — |
| Toggle filter | Ctrl + Shift + L | — |
| Hide columns | Ctrl + 0 | Ctrl + Shift + 0 |
| New sheet | Shift + F11 | — |
Some features exist on only one side. Excel's Format Cells dialog (Ctrl + 1), AutoSum (Alt + =), table creation (Ctrl + T), filter toggle (Ctrl + Shift + L) and new-sheet key (Shift + F11) have no single-shortcut equivalent in Sheets; Sheets' paste-values-only (Ctrl + Shift + V), Smart Fill (Ctrl + E) and array-formula entry (Ctrl + Shift + Enter) are the ones Excel users ask about when they switch. Strikethrough is Ctrl + 5 in Excel and Alt + Shift + 5 in Sheets.
Hiding rows and columns is the one place the two tables disagree in a way that is easy to get wrong: Excel hides columns with Ctrl + 0 and rows with Ctrl + 9, with Ctrl + Shift added to unhide; Sheets lists Ctrl + Shift + 0 and Ctrl + Shift + 9 for hiding, and browser keyboard handling can intercept some of these combinations. The full tables on each tool's page list the rest of the formatting, workbook and formula shortcuts.
Full references: Excel (90) · Google Sheets (44) · all comparisons