Create new workbook
Ctrl+N
N for New.
63 shortcuts
MS Excel shortcuts
Work with cells, formulas and data. Here are the most useful key combinations, each with a short explanation. Practise them in the AlphaType trainer afterwards.
Practise these shortcuts nowAll MS Excel shortcuts
Open workbook
Ctrl+O
O for Open.
Save workbook
Ctrl+S
S for Save.
Save as
F12
Opens Save As.
Print workbook
Ctrl+P
Opens the print view.
Close active workbook
Ctrl+W or Ctrl+F4
Closes the current workbook.
Close Excel
Alt+F4
Practice this one only with the on-screen keyboard.
Toggle ribbon
Ctrl+F1
Hides or shows the Excel ribbon.
Open context menu
Shift+F10
The keyboard alternative to right-clicking.
Go to beginning of worksheet
Ctrl+Home
Jumps to cell A1.
Go to last used cell
Ctrl+End
Jumps to the end of the used range.
Jump to next data range boundary
Ctrl+↓ or Ctrl+↑ / Ctrl+← / Ctrl+→
The arrow direction sets the direction of movement.
Switch to previous worksheet
Ctrl+PageUp
Moves one sheet to the left.
Switch to next worksheet
Ctrl+PageDown
Moves one sheet to the right.
Select entire column
Ctrl+Space
Selects the column of the active cell.
Select entire row
Shift+Space
Selects the row of the active cell.
Select current data range
Ctrl+A
Pressing a second time selects the whole sheet.
Expand selection by one cell
Shift+→ or Shift+← / Shift+↑ / Shift+↓
The arrow direction sets the direction of the extension.
Expand selection to range boundary
Ctrl+Shift+→ or Ctrl+Shift+← / Ctrl+Shift+↑ / Ctrl+Shift+↓
Selects to the next range boundary.
Go to cell or name
Ctrl+G or F5
Opens Go To.
Edit active cell
F2
Edits the content of the active cell.
Insert line break in same cell
Alt+Enter
Creates a new line within the cell.
Clear cell content
Del
Deletes the content, not the cell itself.
Undo action
Ctrl+Z
Undoes the last action.
Redo action
Ctrl+Y
Restores the last undone action.
Copy
Ctrl+C
Copies the selection.
Cut
Ctrl+X
Cuts the selection.
Paste
Ctrl+V
Pastes the clipboard.
Insert cells, rows, or columns
Ctrl++
Opens the Insert dialog.
Delete cells, rows, or columns
Ctrl+-
Opens the Delete dialog.
Fill formula right
Ctrl+R
Fills the formula to the right.
Fill formula down
Ctrl+D
Fills the formula down.
Insert current date
Ctrl+;
Inserts today's date as a fixed value.
Insert current time
Ctrl+Shift+;
On a German keyboard this corresponds to Ctrl + Shift + ;. Inserts the current time as a fixed value.
Toggle absolute or relative cell reference
F4
While editing a formula.
Open Format Cells dialog
Ctrl+1
Opens the formatting options.
Format italic
Ctrl+Shift+K
Turns italic on or off.
Underline
Ctrl+Shift+U
Turns underline on or off.
Apply standard number format
Ctrl+Shift+1
Formats as a number.
Apply time format
Ctrl+Shift+2
Formats as time.
Apply date format
Ctrl+Shift+3
Formats as a date.
Apply currency format
Ctrl+Shift+4
Formats as currency.
Apply percentage format
Ctrl+Shift+5
Formats as a percentage.
Apply scientific format
Ctrl+Shift+6
Formats as scientific notation.
Apply outside border
Ctrl+Shift+7
Applies an outside border.
Hide column
Ctrl+0
Hides the selected column.
Hide row
Ctrl+9
Hides the selected row.
Toggle AutoFilter
Ctrl+Shift+L
Turns filters on or off in a data list.
Open filter dropdown
Alt+↓
In a table header.
Insert AutoSum
Alt++
Inserts a SUM formula.
Insert function
Shift+F3
Opens the Function Wizard.
Open Name Manager
Ctrl+F3
Manages defined names.
Insert defined name
F3
Inserts a name into a formula.
Find
Ctrl+F
Opens the search.
Find next
Shift+F4
Repeats the search forward.
Edit or insert note
Shift+F2
Opens a cell note.
Open comment thread
Ctrl+Shift+F2
Opens a modern comment.
Format as table
Ctrl+T
Creates an Excel table.
Insert chart
Alt+F1
Inserts a chart on the current sheet.
Create default chart on new sheet
F11
Creates a chart sheet.
Insert new worksheet
Shift+F11
Inserts a sheet before the current sheet.
Zoom in
Ctrl+Alt++
Zooms the view in.
Zoom out
Ctrl+Alt+-
Zooms the view out.
Learning MS Excel efficiently
Start with a few combinations you use often and repeat them in context. AlphaType shows the task, lets you practise the keys and gives immediate feedback.