30 Essential shortcut keys of MS Excel for Seamless Work in 2024
Microsoft Excel is a powerful application for spreadsheet processing and also has a rich history. We have a lot of versions, with its first version emerging as early as 1984. With each new version, Excel introduces more shortcuts, and viewing the full list of over 200 might be a bit daunting.
No need to worry, i am here to help you, now we will see shortcut keys of ms excel, We will use only 20 to 30 shortcuts for regular tasks, while others are looking for highly specific tasks like writing VBA macros, outlining data, managing pivot tables, recalculating large workbooks, etc.
Below, I have listed 30 shortcuts that will make your work very easy especially for beginners.
Note for Beginners: For those who are new to Excel and computer systems, the plus sign "+" indicates that the keys should be pressed simultaneously. The Ctrl and Alt keys are located on the bottom left and bottom right sides of most keyboards.
Essential Excel Shortcuts Every Workbook Needs
Shortcut | Description |
Ctrl + N | Create a new workbook. |
Ctrl + O | Open an existing workbook. |
Ctrl + S | Save the active workbook. |
F12 | Save the active workbook under a new name, displays the Save as dialog box. |
Ctrl + W | Close the active workbook. |
Ctrl + C | Copy the contents of the selected cells to Clipboard. |
Ctrl + X | Cut the contents of the selected cells to Clipboard. |
Ctrl + V | Insert the contents of the Clipboard into the selected cell(s). |
Ctrl + Z | Undo your last action. Panic button :) |
Ctrl + P | Open the "Print" dialog. |
These shortcuts cover a range of basic and advanced Excel functions to enhance your efficiency and make your work more seamless.
Cell Formatting Shortcut Keys
Shortcut | Description |
F2 | To edit a cell |
Ctrl + Shift + # | Date format |
Alt + H + B | To add a border |
Tab | To move to the next cell |
Shift + Tab | To move to the previous cell |
Ctrl + Shift + Right arrow | To select all the cells on the right |
Ctrl + Shift + Left Arrow | To select all the cells on the left |
Ctrl + Shift + Down Arrow | To select the column from the selected cell to the end of the table |
Ctrl + Shift + Up Arrow | To select all the cells above the selected cell |
Ctrl + Shift + Down Arrow | To select all the cells below the selected cell |
Now we will learn how to add a comment to a cell. Comments are helpful when giving extra information about cell content. We will also learn how to find value and replace it with another value in the spreadsheet. After this, we will look into how to insert the current time, current date, activate a filter, and add a hyperlink to a cell. Finally, we will see how to apply a format to the data in a cell.
Shortcut | Description |
Shift + F2 | To add a comment to a cell |
Shift + F10 + D | To delete a cell comment |
Ctrl + H | To display find and replace |
Ctrl + ; | To insert the current date |
Ctrl + Shift + : | To insert current time |
Ctrl + k | To insert a hyperlink |
Ctrl + Shift + $ | To apply the currency format |
Ctrl + Shift + % | To apply the percent format |
Alt + Q | To go to the “Tell me what you want to do” box |
Didn't know all these hacks till now!
Nice