Excel Shortcuts & Commands — Complete Cheat Sheet (89)

Complete Microsoft Excel keyboard shortcuts for navigation, editing, formatting, and formula operations. Essential reference for spreadsheet power users.

Excel has more documented shortcuts than any other office application, and most of them are not worth memorising. The ones that are fall into three groups: moving and selecting across large ranges without scrolling, entering data without reaching for the mouse, and the format toggles you apply dozens of times a day. Everything below is the Windows keymap; Excel for Mac remaps a large share of these, not just the modifier key.

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Cell Editing & Input

Shortcut	Action	Description
`F2`	Edit Cell	Enter edit mode for selected cell.
`Enter`	Confirm & Move Down	Confirm input and move down.
`Shift` + `Enter`	Confirm & Move Up	Confirm input and move up.
`Tab`	Confirm & Move Right	Confirm input and move right.
`Shift` + `Tab`	Confirm & Move Left	Confirm input and move left.
`Ctrl` + `D`	Fill Down	Copy top cell content down to selected range.
`Ctrl` + `R`	Fill Right	Copy left cell content right to selected range.
`Ctrl` + `;`	Today's Date	Insert current date as fixed value.
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `:`	Current Time	Insert current time as fixed value.
`Alt` + `Enter`	New Line in Cell	Insert line break within same cell.
`Ctrl` + `Enter`	Fill Selection	Fill all selected cells with same value.
`Ctrl` + `Delete`	Delete to End	Delete from cursor to end of cell.
`Delete`	Delete Content	Delete content of selected cells.
`Ctrl` + `-`	Delete Cells/Rows/Columns	Delete selected cells, rows, or columns.
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + +	Insert Cells/Rows/Columns	Insert new cells, rows, or columns.

Cell Formatting

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Ctrl` + `1`	Format Cells	Open Format Cells dialog for all formatting options.
`Ctrl` + `B`	Bold	Make selected text bold or unbold.
`Ctrl` + `I`	Italic	Make selected text italic or remove italic.
`Ctrl` + `U`	Underline	Add or remove underline from text.
`Ctrl` + `5`	Strikethrough	Add or remove strikethrough from text.
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `&`	Apply Border	Apply border to selected cells.
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `_`	Remove Border	Remove borders from selected cells.
`Alt` + `H` + `H`	Fill Color	Change cell background color.
`Alt` + `H` + `F` + `C`	Font Color	Change font color.

Number Formatting

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `!`	Thousand Separator	Add thousand separator to numbers.
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `$`	Currency Format	Apply currency format.
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `%`	Percentage Format	Apply percentage format.
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `^`	Scientific Format	Apply scientific notation format.
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `#`	Date Format	Apply date format (day-month-year).
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `@`	Time Format	Apply time format.
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `~`	General Format	Apply general number format.

Navigation & Movement

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Ctrl` + `Home`	Go to A1	Jump to cell A1 (start of worksheet).
`Ctrl` + `End`	Last Cell	Jump to last used cell.
`Ctrl` + `Arrow`	Jump to Edge	Jump to edge of data region in arrow direction.
`Home`	Start of Row	Go to first column of current row.
`Ctrl` + `Page Up`	Previous Sheet	Move to previous worksheet.
`Ctrl` + `Page Down`	Next Sheet	Move to next worksheet.
`Ctrl` + `G`	Go To	Open Go To dialog to jump to specific cell.
`F5`	Go To	Same as Ctrl+G - opens Go To dialog.
`Ctrl` + `Backspace`	Show Active Cell	Scroll to make active cell visible.
`Page Up/Down`	Screen Navigation	Move one screen up or down.

Selection

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Ctrl` + `A`	Select All	Select entire worksheet.
`Ctrl` + `Space`	Select Column	Select entire current column.
`Shift` + `Space`	Select Row	Select entire current row.
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Space`	Select Data Region	Select entire current data region.
`Shift` + `Arrow`	Extend Selection	Extend selection in arrow direction.
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Arrow`	Extend to Edge	Extend selection to edge of data.
`Shift` + `Home`	Select to Row Start	Extend selection to start of row.
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Home`	Select to A1	Select from current cell to A1.
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `End`	Select to Last	Select from current cell to last used cell.

Formulas & Functions

Shortcut	Action	Description
`=`	Start Formula	Begin entering a formula.
`Alt` + `=`	AutoSum	Automatically insert SUM function.
`F4`	Toggle Reference	Toggle between absolute/relative reference types ($A$1, A$1, $A1, A1).
`Ctrl` + `	Show Formulas	Toggle between showing values and formulas.
`F9`	Calculate All	Calculate all worksheets in all open workbooks.
`Shift` + `F9`	Calculate Sheet	Calculate only active worksheet.
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `F9`	Force Calculate	Force recalculation of all formulas.

Data Management

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Ctrl` + `T`	Create Table	Convert selected range to Excel table.
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `L`	Toggle Filter	Add or remove AutoFilter.
`Alt` + `Down`	Open Filter	Open filter dropdown for selected column.
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `O`	Select Comments	Select all cells with comments.
`F3`	Paste Name	Paste defined name into formula.
`Ctrl` + `F3`	Name Manager	Open Name Manager to define/edit names.

Find & Replace

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Ctrl` + `F`	Find	Open Find dialog to search for data.
`Ctrl` + `H`	Replace	Open Find and Replace dialog.
`Shift` + `F4`	Find Next	Find next occurrence of search term.
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `F4`	Find Previous	Find previous occurrence of search term.

Row/Column Management

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Ctrl` + `9`	Hide Rows	Hide selected rows.
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `9`	Unhide Rows	Unhide rows in selection.
`Ctrl` + `0`	Hide Columns	Hide selected columns.
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `0`	Unhide Columns	Unhide columns in selection.
`Alt` + `H` + `O` + `I`	AutoFit Column	Auto-fit column width to content.
`Alt` + `H` + `O` + `A`	AutoFit Row	Auto-fit row height to content.

Workbook Management

Shortcut	Action	Description
`Ctrl` + `N`	New Workbook	Create new workbook.
`Ctrl` + `O`	Open	Open existing file.
`Ctrl` + `S`	Save	Save current workbook.
`F12`	Save As	Open Save As dialog.
`Ctrl` + `P`	Print	Open Print dialog.
`Ctrl` + `W`	Close	Close current workbook or document.
`Ctrl` + `F4`	Close Window	Close current window.
`Alt` + `F4`	Exit Excel	Quit Excel application.
`Ctrl` + `F6`	Next Window	Switch to next window.
`Ctrl` + `Tab`	Switch Workbooks	Switch between open workbooks.
`Alt` + `F11`	VBA Editor	Open Visual Basic Editor.
`Ctrl` + `F1`	Toggle Ribbon	Show or hide the ribbon.
`Alt` + `F1`	Chart	Create chart from selected data.
`F2`	Edit Cell	Edit active cell.
`Ctrl` + `F9`	Minimize	Minimize workbook window.
`Ctrl` + `F10`	Maximize	Maximize/restore workbook window.
`Shift` + `F11`	New Sheet	Insert new worksheet.

📜 Source: Microsoft Support — Keyboard shortcuts in Excel. Windows keymap for current Microsoft 365 Excel; ribbon key-tip sequences (Alt + H …) follow the same article. Checked 2026-09-04. How we verify ›

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Moving across a sheet the way Excel expects

The single most useful key in Excel is Ctrl + Arrow: it jumps to the edge of the current block of data in that direction, so Ctrl + Down lands on the last filled row of a column no matter how long it is. Hold Shift as well — Ctrl + Shift + Arrow — and the same jump becomes a selection, which is how you grab an entire column of data in one keystroke. Ctrl + Home returns to A1 and Ctrl + End goes to the last used cell, which is also a quick way to discover that a sheet has stray formatting far below the real data. Ctrl + Page Up and Ctrl + Page Down move between sheets; there is no default shortcut to jump to a sheet by name.

Entering data without leaving the keyboard

F2 puts the active cell into edit mode with the cursor at the end, which is what you need to fix a formula without retyping it. Alt + Enter inserts a line break inside a cell — the answer to the most common "how do I make a new line" question. Ctrl + Enter fills every selected cell with what you typed, so selecting a range and typing a formula once is faster than fill-down; Ctrl + D and Ctrl + R copy the top or left cell across a selection when the source already exists. Ctrl + ; enters today's date as a fixed value, unlike a TODAY() formula that changes tomorrow.

The F4 shortcut does two unrelated things

While editing a formula, F4 cycles the reference under the cursor through the four absolute/relative forms (A1, $A$1, A$1, $A1). Outside edit mode it repeats the last action, so after applying a border to one range you can select another and press F4 to apply the same border. Both behaviours are useful; the confusion comes from expecting one and getting the other. The related number-format shortcuts all use Ctrl + Shift with the symbol printed on the key — Ctrl + Shift + $ for currency, Ctrl + Shift + % for percent, Ctrl + Shift + # for a date — which is easier to remember than it looks.

Tables, filters and the shortcuts that only work inside them

Ctrl + T converts the current region into a structured Table, which changes what several other shortcuts do: Ctrl + A inside a table selects the table first and the whole sheet on a second press, and Ctrl + Space selects the table column rather than the sheet column. Ctrl + Shift + L toggles AutoFilter on any range, and Alt + Down on a header cell opens that column's filter dropdown so you can filter without the mouse.

Frequently asked questions

Why do the Alt + H shortcuts have several letters?

Those are ribbon key tips, not chords. Press Alt, then H for the Home tab, then the letters shown on screen in sequence. They work in any ribbon tab, which is why Alt + H + O + I autofits a column.

Do these shortcuts work in Excel for Mac?

Only partly. Mac Excel uses Cmd for many of them but also assigns different keys to a number of actions, so use the Mac shortcut list from Microsoft rather than substituting Cmd for Ctrl.

What is the fastest way to select a whole column of data?

Put the cursor on the first cell and press Ctrl + Shift + Down. That selects to the last filled cell, unlike clicking the column header, which selects a million empty rows too.

How do I insert a line break inside a cell?

Alt + Enter while editing the cell. Enter alone confirms the entry and moves down.

Why does F9 recalculate but my formulas still look stale?

Shift + F9 recalculates only the active sheet and F9 the whole workbook, but neither forces cells Excel believes are already current. Ctrl + Alt + F9 recalculates everything unconditionally.

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