Keyboard shortcuts help you work faster in Excel by reducing mouse clicks. Below is a complete basic set most Excel users actually use in real work.
Table of Contents
Navigation Shortcuts
Move quickly without scrolling.
- Ctrl + Arrow keys: Jump to the edge of a data range
- Home: Go to the first cell of the current row
- Ctrl + Home: Go to cell A1
- Ctrl + End: Go to the last used cell in the worksheet
Selection Shortcuts
Select data efficiently.
- Ctrl + A: Select data range (press again for whole sheet)
- Shift + Arrow keys: Extend selection
- Ctrl + Shift + Arrow keys: Select large blocks of data
- Ctrl + Space: Select entire column
- Shift + Space: Select entire row
Editing Shortcuts
Edit cell content faster.
- F2: Edit active cell
- Delete: Clear cell contents
- Ctrl + Enter: Fill selected cells with the same value
- Alt + Enter: Insert line break inside a cell
Copy, Paste & Fill
Speed up repetitive work.
- Ctrl + C / X / V: Copy / Cut / Paste
- Ctrl + D: Fill down
- Ctrl + R: Fill right
- Ctrl + Alt + V: Paste Special
Formula Shortcuts
Essential for calculations.
- Alt + =: AutoSum
- Ctrl + `: Show or hide formulas
- F4: Toggle absolute/relative references ($A$1)
Formatting Shortcuts
Quick formatting without the ribbon.
- Ctrl + 1: Format Cells dialog
- Ctrl + B: Bold
- Ctrl + I: Italic
- Ctrl + U: Underline
- Ctrl + Shift + $: Currency format
- Ctrl + Shift + %: Percentage format
- Ctrl + Shift + #: Date format
Rows & Columns
Modify worksheet structure.
- Ctrl + Shift + +: Insert row or column
- Ctrl + –: Delete row or column
- Ctrl + 9: Hide selected rows
- Ctrl + 0: Hide selected columns
Workbook & Worksheet Shortcuts
Workbooks
- Ctrl + N: New workbook
- Ctrl + O: Open workbook
- Ctrl + S: Save
- F12: Save As
- Ctrl + W: Close workbook
- Alt + F4: Exit Excel
Worksheets
- Ctrl + Page Down: Next sheet
- Ctrl + Page Up: Previous sheet
- Shift + F11: Insert new worksheet
Search & Control
Find data and control Excel faster.
- Ctrl + F: Find
- Ctrl + H: Replace
- Ctrl + G: Go To
- Ctrl + Z: Undo
- Ctrl + Y: Redo
Why These Shortcuts Matter
- Reduce repetitive actions
- Work faster with large datasets
- Look and work like a professional Excel user
👉 If you master just 10–15 shortcuts, your Excel speed improves immediately.