Excel Shortcuts for Windows and Mac

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Using Excel efficiently is an important skill. This guide will show the basics of using Excel shortcuts. Using Excel shortcuts is faster than a mouse.

Many users use a full keyboard to use these Excel shortcuts. The full keyboard also includes a numeric keypad which is important for entering numbers in Excel.

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Excel Keyboard Shortcuts

Excel uses several modifier keys to perform different functions. These are great to be a proficient user of Excel.

Modifier Keys

Special Key	Mac	Windows
Alt or Option	⌥	Alt
Cancel	Esc	Esc
Command	⌘	Cmd
Control	⌃	Ctrl
Enter or Return	⏎	Enter
Function	fn	Fn
Shift	⇧	Shift

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For a list of all the keyboard symbols, see What are the Keyboard Symbol Names?

File Shortcuts

The following keyboard shortcuts relate to opening, saving, and printing files.

Action	Mac	Windows
New workbook	⌘ N	Ctrl N
Open workbook	⌘ O	Ctrl O
Save workbook	⌘ S	Ctrl S
Save as	⌘ ⇧ S	F12
Print	⌘ P	Ctrl P
Close workbook	⌘ W	Ctrl F4
Quit Excel	⌘ Q	Alt F4

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Data Entry Keys

The following shortcuts allow for rapid data entry. When you enter data and hit ⏎ (Enter), Excel will save the data and move to the cell directly below. With the following shortcuts, you can force the cell to move in any direction.

Action	Arrows	Mac	Windows
Enter and cell down	↓	⏎	Return
Enter and cell up	↑	⇧ ⏎	Shift Return
Enter and cell right	→	Tab	Tab
Enter and cell left	←	⇧ Tab	Shift Tab

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Learn to use Excel shortcuts instead of the mouse or trackpad. The keyboard is mightier than the mouse!

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Here is a top rated wireless keyboard with a number keypad for both Windows and Mac (Amazon affiliate link).

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Editing Shortcuts

The following shortcuts are used to edit in Excel. Excel shortcuts are much faster than using a mouse or trackpad to use the menu. 

You need to know Copy, Cut, Paste, and Undo. You will use them all the time.

Action	Mac	Windows
Help	⌘ /	F1
Undo	⌘ Z	Ctrl Z
Redo	⌘ Y	Ctrl Y
Copy	⌘ C	Ctrl C
Cut	⌘ X	Ctrl X
Paste	⌘ V	Ctrl V
Paste Special	⌃ ⌘ V	Ctrl Alt V
Find	⌘ F	Ctrl F
Select All	⌘ A	Ctrl A
Edit cell	⌃ U	F2
Open the Replace dialog	⌃ H	Ctrl H
Bold	⌘ B	Ctrl B
Italics	⌘ I	Ctrl I
Underline	⌘ U	Ctrl U

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Advanced Shortcuts

Action	Mac	Windows
Insert Comment	Fn ⇧ F2	Shift F2
Add Hyperlink	⌘ K	Ctrl K
Calculate Formulas	F9	F9
Absolute Address	F4	F4
Repeat Last Action	F4	F4
Show Formulas	^ `	Ctrl `
Enter Current Date	⌃ ;	Ctrl ;
Enter Current Time	⌘ ;	Ctrl Shift :
Format Cells (dialog box)	⌘ 1	Ctrl 1
Delete (dialog box)	⌘ –	Ctrl –
Insert (dialog box)	⌘ +	Ctrl Shift +
Flash Fill	⌃ E	Ctrl E
AutoSum	⌘ ⇧ T	Alt =
Select Tab to the Right	⌥ →	Ctrl PgDn
Select Tab to the Left	⌥ ←	Ctrl PgUp

Note that F4 can do two separate but important things: 

1. absolute address for cells in formulas
2. repeat last action.

Some keyboards have multimedia functions for the F1-F12 keys. To use these keys as standard F1, F2, and F3 keys, combine them with the Fn key.

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Selection Shortcuts

The following shortcuts select entire rows, columns, or tables. These shortcuts are much faster then dragging the mouse or highlighting cells.

Action	Mac	Windows
Select Entire Row	⇧ Space	Shift Space
Select Entire Column	⌃ Space	Ctrl Space
Extend Last Cell Right	⌘ ⇧ →	Ctrl Shift →
Extend Last Cell Left	⌘ ⇧ ←	Ctrl Shift ←
Extend Last Cell Up	⌘ ⇧ ↑	Ctrl Shift ↑
Extend Last Cell Down	⌘ ⇧ ↓	Ctrl Shift ↓
Top Cell	⌘ ↑	Ctrl ↑
Bottom Cell	⌘ ↓	Ctrl ↓
Left Cell	⌘ ←	Ctrl ←
Right Cell	⌘ →	Ctrl →

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Number Formatting Shortcuts

Action	Mac	Windows	Result
General	⌃ ⇧ ~	Ctrl Shift ~	43650.63
Number	⌃ ⇧ 1	Ctrl Shift 1	43,650.63
Time	⌃ ⇧ 2	Ctrl Shift 2	3:07 PM
Date	⌃ ⇧ 3	Ctrl Shift 3	4-Jul–19
Currency	⌃ ⇧ 4	Ctrl Shift 4	$43,650.63
Percent	⌃ ⇧ 5	Ctrl Shift 5	4365063%
Scientific	⌃ ⇧ 6	Ctrl Shift 6	4.37E+04
Outside Borders	⌃ ⇧ 7	Ctrl Shift 7	Cell Borders

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