Microsoft Excel keyboard shortcuts
This searchable reference gathers the Excel shortcuts that analysts and spreadsheet users rely on most, with the correct keys for both Windows and macOS. It covers workbook commands, fast navigation, selection techniques, cell editing, formatting, and the formula and data tools that make Excel quick to drive from the keyboard.
How Excel shortcut categories work
Excel shortcuts cluster around a small number of modifier patterns:
- Ctrl (Windows) / Command (Mac): most primary commands — copy, paste, save, bold, navigate to end.
- Ctrl Shift / Command Shift: extends navigation and selection (select to end, select whole column).
- Alt (Windows) / Option (Mac): menu access and less-frequent commands.
- Function keys (F1–F12): context-dependent actions — F2 enters edit mode, F4 repeats the last action or cycles reference types, F5 opens Go To.
Number formatting shortcuts follow a consistent pattern on Windows: Ctrl Shift plus a symbol key applies a common format — Ctrl Shift $ applies currency, Ctrl Shift % applies percentage, Ctrl Shift ! applies comma with two decimals.
Essential shortcuts for spreadsheet work
| Action | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| AutoSum | Alt = | ⌘ ⇧ T |
| Edit active cell | F2 | ⌃ U |
| Fill down | Ctrl D | ⌃ D |
| Fill right | Ctrl R | ⌃ R |
| Format cells dialog | Ctrl 1 | ⌘ 1 |
| Insert today’s date | Ctrl ; | ⌃ ; |
| Insert current time | Ctrl Shift ; | ⌃ ⇧ ; |
| Toggle absolute reference | F4 | ⌘ T |
| Jump to last filled cell | Ctrl Arrow | ⌘ Arrow |
| Select to last filled cell | Ctrl Shift Arrow | ⌘ ⇧ Arrow |
| Select entire column | Ctrl Space | ⌃ Space |
| Select entire row | Shift Space | ⇧ Space |
| Select all | Ctrl A | ⌘ A |
| Go To (named range or cell) | Ctrl G or F5 | ⌘ G |
| Find and replace | Ctrl H | ⌘ H |
| Repeat last action | Ctrl Y or F4 | ⌘ Y |
| Undo | Ctrl Z | ⌘ Z |
Tips for faster spreadsheet work
Jump and select: hold Shift while pressing Ctrl Arrow (Windows) or Command Arrow (Mac) to select from the current cell to the last filled cell in a data block. This is faster than clicking and dragging across large datasets.
Reference cycling: while typing or editing a formula, place the cursor on a cell reference and press F4 (Windows) or Command T (Mac) to cycle through A1, $A$1, A$1, $A1. Knowing the pattern — absolute, mixed row-lock, mixed column-lock, relative — avoids manual dollar-sign typing.
Fill series: select a starting value, then hold Ctrl while dragging the fill handle (the small square at the bottom-right of a selection) to fill with numbers or dates in sequence rather than copying the same value.
Named ranges: Ctrl G (Windows) or Command G (Mac) opens Go To. This is the fastest way to navigate to a named range in a large workbook without scrolling.
Some shortcuts depend on the active selection or cell mode. Fill commands need a source cell highlighted; array formulas need a selected range. The whole reference and its search run in your browser; nothing you type is uploaded.