MS Excel is not an easy software and don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise. And during its usage, the workload can be strenuous to the point that it might demand additional hours for completion.
When such is the case, learning Excel shortcuts can cut down on your time by a significant margin. It’s popularly stated among Excel specialists that an intermediate Excel user can cut down 30% of their time only by frequently using the shortcuts!
It’s a guaranteed increase of productivity and efficiency, not to mention the relief from all the struggle of finding the appropriate program button under the menu and sub-sections.
With that in mind, I’m introducing you to all the MS Excel shortcuts, both for Windows and MacOS so that you can easily implement them in your daily Excel routine and allow yourself some breathing space.
Why Are Excel Keyboard Shortcuts Necessary?
You might wonder why you should take the trouble of learning Excel keyboard shortcuts when you can get the job done in alternative ways. Here are three good reasons for you to learn these tricks to boost up your Excel expertise.
Saves Time
Using shortcuts in MS Excel saves tons of time! Imagine, you won’t have to find the menu, click through the drop down or sub-section to find your desired command, instead you can just press two or three buttons on the keyboard to get that done for you immediately!
Allows Quick Adjustments
There are certain scenarios when Excel adjustments feel lengthy and troublesome. Having selected the required cells and going through the adjustment buttons often fend people off from reaching perfection. With Excel shortcut knowledge, you’ll find it to be pleasing to make such adjustments and it’ll encourage you to refine your work frequently.
Renders Efficient Employee
As mentioned earlier, Excel shortcuts save time and lets you make quick adjustments. In the broader picture, this will mark you as one of the most efficient and neat employees in the workfield. It’ll help you get an increment, better position and climb up to the top faster than the ones who don’t have shortcut prowess in their skill set.
Keyboard Shortcuts In Excel
The way I’ve classified these shortcuts are connected to the Excel interface. If you’re familiar with Excel and want to endorse the keyboard shortcuts, my way of organizing will make learning them much easier than just memorizing them.
The provided shortcuts are sitting alongside how you would access them in the interface with your mouse. These shortcuts are divided into two categories, one is – Excel shortcuts for Mac and the other is for Windows.
Shortcuts From ‘Files’ Tab
Here are a total of 14 shortcuts from the ‘Files’ tab, 7 each for Windows and MacOS.
| Action | Shortcuts (Windows) | Shortcuts (Mac) | Manual Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Workbook | Ctrl+N / Alt+Shift+F1 | ⌘+N / Alt+Shift+F1 | File > New |
| Open | Ctrl+O / Ctrl+F12 | ⌘+O / ⌘+F12 | File > Open |
| Ctrl+P / Ctrl+Shift+F12 | ⌘+P / ⌘+Shift+F12 | File > Print | |
| Save | Ctrl+S / Shift+F12 / Alt+Shift+F2 | ⌘+S / Shift+F12 / Alt+Shift+F2 | File > Save |
| Close | Ctrl+W / Ctrl+F4 | ⌘+W / ⌘+F4 | File > Close |
| Save As | F12 / Alt+F2 | F12 / Alt+F2 | File > Save As |
| Exit | Alt+F4 | Alt+F4 | File > Exit |
Shortcuts From ‘Edit’ Tab
A total of 28 shortcuts (14 each from Windows and MacOS) are enlisted below from the Excel ‘Edit’ tab.
| Action | Shortcuts (Windows) | Shortcuts (Mac) | Manual Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copy | Ctrl+C | ⌘+C | Edit > Copy |
| Paste | Ctrl+V | ⌘+V | Edit > Paste |
| Cut | Ctrl+X | ⌘+X | Edit > Cut |
| Repeat | Ctrl+Y | ⌘+Y | Edit > Repeat |
| Undo | Ctrl+Z | ⌘+Z | Edit > Undo |
| Fill Down | Ctrl+D | ⌘+D | Edit > Fill > Down |
| Find | Ctrl+F / Shift+F5 | ⌘+F / Shift+F5 | Edit > Find |
| Find Next | Shift+F4 | Shift+F4 | Edit > Find > Find Next |
| Goto | Ctrl+G | ⌘+G | Edit > Goto |
| Replace | Ctrl+H | ⌘+H | Edit > Replace |
| Fill Right | Ctrl+R | ⌘+R | Edit > Fill Right |
| Copy Value from Cell Above | Ctrl+” | ⌘+” | Edit > Paste Special > Value |
| Copy Formula from Cell Above | Ctrl+’ | ⌘+’ | Edit > Copy |
| Select the current region around the active cell | Ctrl+Shift+* | ⌘+Shift+* | Edit > Goto > Special > Current Region |
Shortcuts From ‘Format’ Tab
‘Format’ tab’s total of 44 keyboard shortcuts, 22 from each OS, are provided here for your convenience.
| Action | Shortcuts (Windows) | Shortcuts (Mac) | Manual Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bold | Ctrl+B / Ctrl+2 | ⌘+B / ⌘+2 | Format> Cells> Font> Font Style> Bold |
| Italic | Ctrl+I / Ctrl+3 | ⌘+I / ⌘+3 | Format> Cells> Font> Font Style> Italic |
| Underline | Ctrl+U / Ctrl+4 | ⌘+U / ⌘+4 | Format> Cells> Font> Font Style> Underline |
| Strikethrough | Ctrl+5 | ⌘+5 | Format> Cells> Font, Effects> Strikethrough |
| Format Style dialog box | Alt+’ | Alt+’ | Format> Style |
| General format | Ctrl+Shift+~ | ⌘+Shift+~ | Format> Cells> Number> Category> General |
| Comma format | Ctrl+Shift+! | ⌘+Shift+! | Format> Cells> Number> Category> Number |
| Time format | Ctrl+Shift+@ | ⌘+Shift+@ | Format> Cells> Number> Category> Time |
| Date format | Ctrl+Shift+# | ⌘+Shift+# | Format> Cells> Number> Category> Date |
| Currency format | Ctrl+Shift+$ | ⌘+Shift+$ | Format> Cells> Number> Category> Currency |
| Percent format | Ctrl+Shift+% | ⌘+Shift+% | Format> Cells> Number> Category> Percentage |
| Exponential format | Ctrl+Shift+^ | ⌘+Shift+^ | Format> Cells> Number> Category> Exponential |
| Place outline border around selected cells | Ctrl+Shift+& | ⌘+Shift+& | Format> Cells> Border |
| Remove outline border | Ctrl+Shift+_ | ⌘+Shift+_ | Format> Cells> Border |
| Format cells dialog box | Ctrl+1 | ⌘+1 | Format> Cells |
| Hide rows | Ctrl+9 | ⌘+9 | Format> Row> Hide |
| Hide columns | Ctrl+0 | ⌘+0 | Format> Column> Hide |
| Unhide rows | Ctrl+Shift+( | ⌘+Shift+( | Format> Row> Unhide |
| Unhide columns | Ctrl+Shift+) | ⌘+Shift+) | Format> Column> Unhide |
| Font Drop Down List | Shift+Ctrl+F | Shift+⌘+F | Format> Cells> Font |
| Font tab of Format Cell Dialog box | Shift+Ctrl+F+F | Shift+⌘+F+F | Format> Cells> Font |
| Point size Drop Down List | Shift+Ctrl+P | Shift+⌘+P | Format> Cells> Font |
Shortcuts From ‘Insert’ Tab
With Windows and Mac, there are a combined total of 16 shortcuts from the ‘Insert’ tab listed hereafter.
| Action | Shortcuts (Windows) | Shortcuts (Mac) | Manual Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insert Hyperlink | Ctrl+K | ⌘+K | Insert> Hyperlink |
| Paste Name | F3 | F3 | Insert> Name> Paste |
| New Chart | F11 | F11 | Insert> Chart |
| Edit cell comment | Shift+F2 | Shift+F2 | Insert> Edit Comments |
| Paste function into formula | Shift+F3 | Shift+F3 | Insert> Function |
| New worksheet | Shift+F11 / Alt+Shift+F1 | Shift+F11 / Alt+Shift+F1 | Insert> Worksheet |
| Define name | Ctrl+F3 | ⌘+F3 | Insert> Names> Define |
| Create name by using names of row and column labels | Ctrl+Shift+F3 | ⌘+Shift+F3 | Insert> Name> Create |
Shortcuts From ‘Tools’ Tab
6 of the most important Excel ‘Tools’ shortcuts are listed down below, adding Windows and MacOS add them up to a total of 12 shortcuts.
| Action | Shortcuts (Windows) | Shortcuts (Mac) | Manual Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spell check | F7 | F7 | Tools> Spelling |
| Recalculate all workbooks | F9 | F9 | Tools> Options> Calculation> Calc Now |
| Calculate active worksheet | Shift+F9 | Shift+F9 | Tools> Options> Calculation> Calc Sheet |
| Macro dialog box | Alt+F8 | Alt+F8 | Tools> Macro> Macros |
| Visual Basic Editor | Alt+F11 | Alt+F11 | Tools> Macro> Visual Basic Editor |
| Toggle Value / Formula display | Ctrl+` | ⌘+` | Tools> Options> View> Formulas |
Other Shortcuts
46 more shortcuts in Excel that aren’t part of any drop-down menu are listed here, with 23 from each of the operating systems.
| Action | Shortcuts (Windows) | Shortcuts (Mac) |
|---|---|---|
| Select All | Ctrl+A | ⌘+A |
| Next Pane | F6 | F6 |
| Previous Pane | Shift+F6 | Shift+F6 |
| Extend mode | F8 | F8 |
| Activate Menu Bar | F10 | F10 |
| Insert Current Time | Ctrl+: | ⌘+: |
| Insert Current Date | Ctrl+; | ⌘+; |
| What’s This? | Shift+F1 | Shift+F1 |
| Add to selection | Shift+F8 | Shift+F8 |
| Display shortcut menu | Shift+F10 | Shift+F10 |
| Insert argument names into formula | Ctrl+Shift+A | ⌘+Shift+A |
| Display AutoComplete list | Alt+Down arrow | Alt+Down arrow |
| Toggle Outline symbols | Ctrl+8 | ⌘+8 |
| Activate the menu | Alt / F10 | Alt / F10 |
| Next tool | Tab | Tab |
| Previous tool | Shift+Tab | Shift+Tab |
| Do the command | Enter | Enter |
| Start a new line in the same cell | Alt+Enter | Alt+Enter |
| Fill the selected cell range with the current entry | Ctrl+Enter | ⌘+Enter |
| Select the entire column | Ctrl+Spacebar | ⌘+Spacebar |
| Select the entire row | Shift+Spacebar | Shift+Spacebar |
| Select the array containing the active cell | Ctrl+/ | ⌘+/ |
| Select all cells that contain comments | Ctrl+Shift+O | ⌘+Shift+O |
How To Memorize Excel Shortcut Keys?
If you feel burdened with so many shortcut keys and don’t believe you won’t be able to memorize them all, here are three easy techniques you can apply to get past that fear.
Practice, Practice & Practice
Nothing beats practicing in order to obtain something new in your skill set. No matter what, you must practice all the Excel keys mentioned above in your daily work to get acquainted and then habituated with them. Once you practice enough, you’ll find the shortcuts automatically being used by your fingertips.
Keep Our Shortcuts Printed
The shortcuts we’ve provided above, you can easily have it printed out and pinned at your desk or in your cubicle wall. Having a quick glance at these everyday and during your work will have them sealed down in your consciousness to the point of never forgetting.
Take Time To Look For The Shortcuts
While starting out, you may feel lethargic to look for shortcuts for the task and do it manually anyway. It’s a bad practice and you must give yourself enough time and room to find out your required shortcuts. This way, you’ll practically be able to endorse these shortcuts and in due time, you won’t have to search anymore!
FAQ
This section answers a few frequently asked questions about Excel shortcuts to help you better understand the relevance of these keys to the overall Excel journey.
Q: How many Excel shortcuts are there?
A: The number of Excel shortcuts isn’t specifically known to the people, but it’s estimated to sit around 300, maybe a few more or less.
Q: Are the shortcuts the same for every Excel version?
A: The answer may confuse you, so let me break it down. First and foremost, yes, the shortcuts are the same across every Excel version. However, new shortcuts have been added to the latest installments that won’t work on the previous ones because they simply don’t exist. Other than that, they remain all the same.
Q: Do Excel experts use shortcuts frequently?
A: Of course! About 2% of the expert Excel users refrain from using Excel shortcuts. The rest have mastered these keys and get the job done in the fastest possible time!
Thoughts
You have now reached the very end of this article on Excel shortcuts. I’ve given it my best to sort the shortcuts down logically so that you can memorize them using the interface since it’s the most familiar to you.
Having the task name, shortcut buttons and the manual method sitting side by side will create an automatic bridge within your mind between task and action.
With this approach, I’m certain that you’ll be able to speed up your Excel shortcuts learning curve and become a frequent user of these live-saving buttons.
No matter which job sector you invest into, these Excel shortcuts will serve you a lifetime by making your work more efficient and less time consuming.