Best Keyboard Shortcuts for Excel Beginners | Tips and Tricks

CTRL + S

To Save your file. F12 for Save As 

CTRL + Z

To Undo. CTRL + Y will Redo

CTRL + C

To Copy the selected data

CTL + X

To Cut the selected data

CTRL + V

To Paste the data you recently Cut or Copied

CTRL + P

To go to the File, Print screen

CTRL + O

To go to the File, Open screen

CTRL + N

To create a New workbook (file)

ALT + I, C

To insert a new column

ALT + I, R

To insert a new row

CTRL + –

(minus symbol)

To delete a row or column. Use after you have selected the row or column to be deleted

CTRL + Page Up

or Page Down

Move to the previous worksheet or next worksheet. Include SHIFT to select at the same time

CTRL + (arrow keys)

Move to the edge of the current table of data, in the direction of the arrow pressed

CTRL + Home

CTRL + END

Move to the beginning and the end of the worksheet

Home

Move to column A on the row you are currently on

Page Up

Move one screen up

Page Down

Move one screen down

ALT + Page Down

Move one screen right

ALT + Page Up 

Move one screen left

F5

To open the Go To dialog box. Enter the cell address you want to move to.Press ENTER.

CTRL + SPACEBAR

To select the entire column

SHIFT + Spacebar

To select the entire row

SHIFT + click

Select from the current cell to the cell you click

SHIFT + (arrowkeys)

Select one cell at a time in the direction of the arrow key pressed

SHIFT + CTRL (arrow keys)

SHIFT + CTRL(arrow keys)

CTRL + Click

CTRL + A

CTRL + .

Press CTRL while clicking on additional ranges to include them in the one selection

Select a cell inside a data table then press to select the entire table.Outside of a table use to select the entire worksheet

Move to the corners of a selected area

SHIFT + CTRL + End

SHIFT + CTRL + Home

Select to the last cell in the worksheet

Select to the first cell in the worksheet

SHIFT + CTRL + Page Up or Page Down

Select and group worksheets to the left or right

CTRL + F

Locate data within your workbook quickly using Find

CTRL + H

Find and Replace data

CTRL + D

CTRL + R

Fill data down or to the right through selected cells. Select the cell and the range you want to copy to first

F4

Repeat the last thing you did. For example if you have just inserted a row press F4 to continue inserting more rows

CTRL + 9

CTRL + 0

Hide entire row

Hide entire column

SHIFT + CTRL + 9

ALT, H, O, U, L

Unhide rows. Select rows on either side of hidden row(s) first

Unhide columns. Select columns on either side of hidden column(s) first

CTRL + B

Bold

CTRL + I

Italics

CTRL + U

Underline

CTRL + ~

Apply the General number format

CTRL + !

Apply the Number format with 2 decimal places & thousands separator

CTRL + #

Apply a dd-mmm-yy date format

CTRL + $

Apply the Currency format with 2 decimal places & thousands separator

CTRL + %

Apply a Percentage format, no decimal places

CTRL + 1

Open the Format Cells dialog box

ALT + H, B, A

Apply ‘All Borders’ to the selected area

ALT + H, B, N

Remove Borders from the selected area

ALT + SHIFT + F1

Inserts a new worksheet

ALT + ENTER

Add another line inside a cell, i.e. wrap to another line

F2

Press to edit directly inside a cell

ESC

Press to cancel a selected area when using Copy or press to cancel an entry in the cell or Formula bar

F4 (to lock a cell reference and make it absolute)

In the Formula bar, highlight the cell address and then press F4. Keep pressing until you have the absolute setting you require, e.g. $A$3

CTRL + ;

CTRL + ‘

(semi colon) Insert today’s date. +SHIFT inserts the time.

(apostrophe) Copy the cell above

ALT + V, F, F

Turn on/off Freeze Panes. Freezes from the selected cell

CTRL + ALT + V, V, ENTER

Paste Values. Use CTRL + C to copy prior to using this shortcut

ALT + ;

Selects visible cells only. Use to quickly locate hidden rows/columns or to select and copy only visible cells without including hidden data

CTRL + F1

Hide and display the Ribbon

SHIFT + CTRL + L

Turn Filtering on/off

ALT + down arrow

Access a drop-down list of content options within the same column

F5

To open the Go To dialog box. Enter the cell address you want to move to

ALT + = 

SUM a range. Be sure that you have selected ALL of the cells to be included in the total

ALT + Q

Press to access the Search box. Type what you want to do. Let Excel take over. Available in newer versions of Excel only

Screen tip key combinations

Move your mouse over any button on the Ribbon to see the keyboard shortcut combination that will activate it. Not all buttons have this

ALT

Press ALT to display onscreen shortcuts to access Ribbon tabs and buttons, e.g. ALT, H, B will access the Border gallery

Add buttons to the QAT to create your own shortcuts

Click the Customize Quick AccessToolbar button > More Commands, or right-click any button on the Ribbon to add buttons to the Quick AccessToolbar. Now press ALT and the QAT number to use it.

Windows button + period (full-stop)

To insert an emoji, press the Windows button + period (full stop). Use your arrow key to select the emoji you want and press ENTER. To search for an emoji, start typing what you are searching for and Windows will try to find a match 🙂