Comprehensive List of Excel Keyboard Shortcuts

Few weeks back I have invited all of you to share your excel keyboard shortcuts in a open thread. More than 50 people commented on that post and shared a hundred excel keyboard shortcuts with us. There were so many wonderful keyboard shortcuts and tricks buried in the comments section of that post. During the weekend, I spent sometime to collect all these beautiful shortcuts and arranged them neatly so that you can easily learn them.
Special thanks to all the commenters on the original post. Without you I couldn’t have learned these shortcuts.

Here is the complete list of excel keyboard shortcuts.

• Shortcuts for Selection
• Shortcuts for Editing
• Shortcuts for Navigation
• Shortcuts for Formatting
• Shortcuts for Formulas
• Shortcuts for Excel Options
• Shortcuts for Auto Complete
• Shortcuts for Everything Else

Note: I have *ed some of the most important shortcuts. These are very useful and extremely time saving ones. You may want to remember a few to boost your productivity.

Select the whole column Selection CTRL + SPACE

Select the whole row Selection SHIFT + SPACE

Select table Selection SHIFT + CTRL + SPACE bar

Save Selection CTRL + s

Select visible cells only Selection ALT + ;

Select entire region Selection CTRL + A

Select range from start cell to far left Selection SHIFT + Home

Select range from start cell to end in direction of arrow Selection SHIFT + End + arrow

Select a continuous range of data (e.g. pivot), no matter where your cursor is. Selection CTRL + *

Select blank cells Selection F5 + ALT + S + K + ENTER

Select all cells with comments Selection CTRL + SHIFT + O

Select all cells that are directly or indirectly referred to by formulas in the selection Selection CTRL + SHIFT + {

Select all cells with formulas that refer directly or indirectly to the active cell Selection CTRL + SHIFT + }

Selects all the way to a1 from cursor position Selection CTRL + SHIFT + HOME

Select cells in the direction of arrow Selection CTRL + SHIFT + Arrow

Previous sheet Navigation CTRL + Page Up

Next sheet Navigation CTRL + Page Down

Launch GO TO Dialog (from here you can select special or jump to a cell or range) Navigation F5

Go to top left (will go to top left of freezed pane if set) Navigation CTRL + Home

Go to last non-blank cell Navigation CTRL + end

Go to previous sheet Navigation CTRL + PgUp

Go to next sheet Navigation CTRL + PgDn

Print Navigation CTRL + p

Toggle between workbooks in a given session of excel. Navigation CTRL + TAB

Change the type of cell reference from relative to absolute or semi-absolute Formulas F4

Repeat whatever you did last Formulas F4

Debug portions of a formula (select and press) Formulas F9

Sum range Formulas ALT + =

Enter array formula Formulas CTRL + SHIFT + Enter

Select array formula range Formulas CTRL + /

Display range names (can be used when typing formulas) Formulas F3

Evaluate formulas. (its easy to remember when working with some “tuf” formulas!) Formulas ALT + TUF

Copy a formula from above cell and edit Formulas CTRL + '

Display the formula palette after you type a valid function name in a formula Formulas CTRL + A (while writing a formula)

Alternate between displaying cell values and displaying cell formulas Formulas CTRL + ` (Single Left Quotation Mark)

Calculate formulas Formulas F9

Select all precedent cells Formulas CTRL + [

Select all dependent cells Formulas CTRL + ]

Format Selection (cells, objects, charts) Formatting CTRL + 1

Bold a cell’s content Formatting CTRL + B

Format Painter – Paste formats from selection Formatting ALT + EST

Format as number with 2 dp Formatting CTRL + SHIFT + 1

Format as local currency Formatting CTRL + SHIFT + 4

Format as percentage with 0 dp Formatting CTRL + SHIFT + 5

Hide row Formatting CTRL + 9

Hide column Formatting CTRL + 0

Unhide row Formatting CTRL + SHIFT + 9

Unhide column Formatting CTRL + SHIFT + 0

Display the style command format menu Formatting ALT + '

Sets/removes strikeout in current cell Formatting CTRL + 5

Show/hide the top bar when you have a group Formatting Crtl + 8

Single border around selected cells Formatting CTRL + SHIFT + 7

Sort Formatting ALT + DS

Insert hyperlink Formatting CTRL + K

Freeze panes Formatting ALT + WFF

Remove grid lines or (alt+t)ov(alt+g)[enter] Formatting ALT + WVG (2007+)

To wrap lines Formatting ALT + HW (2007+)

Save as Excel Options F12

Collapse the ribbon (press again to expand) Excel Options CTRL + F1

Opens print preview Excel Options CTRL + F2

Maximize the current window Excel Options ALT + SPACE X

Activate next window Excel Options ALT + TAB

Activate previous window Excel Options ALT + SHIFT + TAB

Close an excel workbook Excel Options crtl + F4

Split screens Excel Options ALT + W + S

Create a pivot table in new sheet (of course after selecting the range) Everything Else ALT + DPF

Create a pivot table in the same sheet. Everything Else ALT + DPN

Show visual basic editor Everything Else ALT + F11

Macro dialog Everything Else ALT + F8

Apply/remove filter Everything Else ALT + DFF

Keep filter on columns, but show all rows Everything Else ALT + DFS

Insert pivot table Everything Else ALT + NVT

Turn filter on or off Everything Else CTRL + SHIFT + L

Paste values only Editing ALT + ESV

Edit a cell, place cursor at the end Editing F2

Show in-cell drop down with previously entered values Editing ALT + Down arrow

Fills down value from cell above Editing CTRL + D

Add a comment or Edit comment Editing SHIFT + F2

Insert new sheet Editing SHIFT + F11

Insert row Editing CTRL + +

Delete row Editing CTRL + -

Copy Editing CTRL + C

Paste Editing CTRL + V

Cut Editing CTRL + X

Undo Editing CTRL + Z

Get a line break inside the cell Editing ALT + Enter (while editing the cell)

Clear all contents Editing ALT + EAA

Copy Editing CTRL + insert

Paste Editing SHIFT + Insert

Make chart/pivot chart Editing F11

Edit a cell in Apple Macs Editing CTRL + U

Copy the value from the cell above the active cell into the cell or the formula bar Editing CTRL + SHIFT + "

Copies whatever is in the cell to the left of it. Editing CTRL + R

Delete box (cell, row, column) Editing ALT + ED

Insert box (cell, row, column) Editing ALT + IE

Enter current date Auto Complete CTRL + ;

Enter current time Auto Complete CTRL + :

Thanks to the contributors

Here is a list of people who contributed these shortcuts.
Vipul, Dau, Stružák, Paul, Eliavs, Pavel S, Fabrice, Noone, Clarity, Jp, Pascal, Jair, Yoav, Nimesh, Bill, Patricia, Mike, Iesmatauw, Chrisham, Harvey, Pranav, Rohit Choudhary, Rohit1409, Rickard, Sachin, Gerald Higgins, Ericlind, Zzz, Felipe, Sridhar, Halva, Catherine, Lavkesh Bhatia, Rick Rothstein, Vishal Haria, Ak, Daniel Ferry, Mehdi Raza.
Thank you

Share your shortcuts

I know this post is unusally lengthy. But I wanted the list to be as comprehensive as possible. If you know some shortcuts that are not listed, please share them using comments.