Practical guide

Microsoft Excel Shortcuts for Faster Spreadsheet Work

A small set of dependable shortcuts makes spreadsheet work faster without changing your data. Try these in a copy of a workbook if you are new to Excel.

What to do

  1. Use Ctrl + Arrow to jump to the edge of a contiguous data region. Press Ctrl + Home to return to the first worksheet cell.
  2. Press Ctrl + Shift + Arrow to extend a selection through a data region; Shift + Space selects a row.
  3. Press F2 to edit the active cell. Use Alt + Enter to insert a line break while editing a cell.
  4. Use Ctrl + 1 to open Format Cells and Ctrl + Shift + L to toggle filters on a data range.

Checks and limitations

  • Some laptop keyboards require the Fn key for function keys such as F2.
  • Confirm the selected range before applying a shortcut that formats or changes multiple cells.