Keyboard shortcuts are the easiest way to work faster in Excel. Instead of hunting through menus, you can copy, format, navigate, and build formulas in seconds. Below is a practical, grouped cheat sheet you can bookmark and revisit anytime.
Download the PDF cheat sheet: Excel Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet (PDF)
Jump to a section
- General essentials
- Worksheet & workbook
- Navigation
- Selection & editing
- Formatting
- Formulas
- Rows & columns
- Pivot tables
- Dialog boxes
- Tips to remember shortcuts
- FAQ
General essentials
These are the shortcuts most people use daily. Master these first.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Copy | Ctrl + C |
| Cut | Ctrl + X |
| Paste | Ctrl + V |
| Paste Special | Ctrl + Alt + V |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z |
| Redo | Ctrl + Y |
| Find | Ctrl + F |
| Replace | Ctrl + H |
| Spellcheck | F7 |
| Repeat last action | F4 |
Quick tip
If you only learn Ctrl + Alt + V (Paste Special), you’ll instantly reduce cleanup work—values-only pasting and formatting control become much easier.
Worksheet & workbook
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| New workbook | Ctrl + N |
| Open workbook | Ctrl + O |
| Save | Ctrl + S |
| Save As | F12 |
| Ctrl + P | |
| Insert new worksheet | Shift + F11 |
| Next worksheet | Ctrl + PgDn |
| Previous worksheet | Ctrl + PgUp |
| Close workbook | Ctrl + F4 |
| Close Excel | Alt + F4 |
Navigation
Use these to move around large datasets without scrolling.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Move one cell | Arrow keys |
| Edge of data region | Ctrl + Arrow |
| Top of sheet (A1) | Ctrl + Home |
| Last used cell | Ctrl + End |
| Next screen | PgDn |
| Previous screen | PgUp |
| Screen right | Alt + PgDn |
| Screen left | Alt + PgUp |
Selection & editing
These shortcuts make cleanup and data prep dramatically faster.
Select faster
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Select row | Shift + Space |
| Select column | Ctrl + Space |
| Select current region / table area | Ctrl + A (press again to expand) |
| Extend selection | Shift + Arrow |
| Extend to edge of data | Ctrl + Shift + Arrow |
| Select visible cells only | Alt + ; |
Edit faster
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Edit active cell | F2 |
| New line in same cell | Alt + Enter |
| Insert hyperlink | Ctrl + K |
| Fill down | Ctrl + D |
| Fill right | Ctrl + R |
| Insert today’s date | Ctrl + ; |
| Insert current time | Ctrl + Shift + : |
| Flash Fill | Ctrl + E |
Formatting
Formatting shortcuts help you standardize sheets quickly (especially when cleaning exported data).
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Format Cells dialog | Ctrl + 1 |
| Bold | Ctrl + B |
| Italic | Ctrl + I |
| Underline | Ctrl + U |
| Wrap text | Alt + H, W |
| Center align | Alt + H, A, C |
| Add border around selection | Ctrl + Shift + & |
| Remove borders | Ctrl + Shift + – |
Number formats
| Format | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| General | Ctrl + Shift + ~ |
| Number | Ctrl + Shift + ! |
| Date | Ctrl + Shift + # |
| Time | Ctrl + Shift + @ |
| Currency | Ctrl + Shift + $ |
| Percentage | Ctrl + Shift + % |
Formulas
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Start a formula | = or + |
| Toggle absolute/relative refs | F4 |
| AutoSum | Alt + = |
| Insert Function dialog | Shift + F3 |
| Show formulas (toggle) | Ctrl + ` |
| Calculate workbook | F9 |
| Force full calculation | Ctrl + Alt + F9 |
Rows & columns
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Insert row/column | Ctrl + + |
| Delete row/column | Ctrl + – |
| Hide column | Ctrl + 0 |
| Hide row | Ctrl + 9 |
| Unhide row | Ctrl + Shift + 9 |
| Group rows/cols | Alt + Shift + → |
| Ungroup rows/cols | Alt + Shift + ← |
Pivot tables
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Create pivot table | Alt + N, V |
| Select entire pivot table | Ctrl + A |
| Group pivot items | Alt + Shift + → |
| Ungroup pivot items | Alt + Shift + ← |
Dialog boxes
These work across many Excel popups and settings windows.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Next control | Tab |
| Previous control | Shift + Tab |
| Next tab | Ctrl + Tab |
| Previous tab | Ctrl + Shift + Tab |
| Confirm | Enter |
| Cancel/close | Esc |
Tips to remember shortcuts
- Learn in sets of 5: pick 5 shortcuts you’ll use this week and ignore the rest.
- Pair a shortcut with a habit: e.g., every paste becomes Paste Special until it’s automatic.
- Practice on real work: shortcuts stick faster when tied to your daily tasks.
- Print or save a cheat sheet: keep it visible until you don’t need it.
FAQ
Do these shortcuts work on Mac?
Many do, but Mac uses different modifier keys and some combinations vary. If your audience uses Macs, consider adding a separate “Mac equivalents” section.
What are the top 10 shortcuts to start with?
Copy (Ctrl+C), Paste (Ctrl+V), Paste Special (Ctrl+Alt+V), Undo (Ctrl+Z), Find (Ctrl+F), Replace (Ctrl+H), Select Column (Ctrl+Space), Select Row (Shift+Space), Jump to Edge (Ctrl+Arrow), and AutoSum (Alt+=).
How do I avoid breaking formulas when pasting?
Use Paste Special and paste Values when you want the results only, not the underlying formulas.
Download the PDF cheat sheet: Excel Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet (PDF)
