Key Takeaway:
- Excel has a multitude of shortcuts that can help increase productivity and efficiency when navigating and formatting your spreadsheets. Learning these shortcuts can save you time and effort in the long run.
- Navigation shortcuts such as moving to the beginning/end of a row/column or to the next/previous worksheet can help you quickly locate and select the information you need.
- Selection shortcuts like selecting an entire row/column or multiple non-adjacent cells/ranges can save you time when formatting and manipulating data within your spreadsheet.
- Formatting shortcuts allow you to format your data in a consistent and professional manner, including applying/removing bold/italic/underline, and formatting as currency/percentage/date.
- Calculation shortcuts, like inserting a formula and using AutoSum, help you quickly perform calculations and analyze data in your spreadsheets.
- Other miscellaneous shortcuts, such as inserting a hyperlink and hiding/unhiding rows/columns, can help you improve the overall functionality and organization of your spreadsheet.
- Mastering Excel shortcuts can increase your efficiency, productivity and can help you complete your tasks in a timely manner.
Struggling to manage your data efficiently? You don’t need to anymore! We have compiled 15 awesome Excel shortcuts that will help you speed up your workflow and get more done in less time. Unlock your inner productivity guru and get started!
Navigation shortcuts
Enhancing Navigation Efficiency
Efficient movement within any system is essential for productivity. Excel offers various shortcuts to navigate the application, allowing seamless movement without wasting time.
Simple 3-Step Navigation
Navigating an Excel spreadsheet can be effortless with these steps:
- Use the Ctrl + F combination to find any specific cell or value in the spreadsheet quickly.
- Use Ctrl + Home to return to cell A1, and Ctrl + End to move to the last cell used in the worksheet.
- Calculation-intensive worksheets slow down the process – toggle Formula Calculate mode by pressing Ctrl + Alt + F9.
Expanding Navigation Horizons
Moving within an Excel sheet can be boosted with multiple shortcuts. Alt + Page Up or Page Down keys move between worksheet tabs, whereas F12 allows users to save sheets in various formats.
Excel Shortcuts’ evolution
Microsoft, with its Excel application, has been revolutionizing shortcuts’ usage since the application’s inception. Excel has made navigation faster, more comfortable, and more efficient – benefiting users immensely.
Selection shortcuts
Selection shortcuts are crucial in increasing productivity while using Excel. Below are some useful actions to improve the selection of cells using Excel shortcuts:
- Pressing Shift + Space to select the entire row.
- Pressing Ctrl + Space to select the entire column.
- Pressing Ctrl + A to select the entire worksheet.
- Pressing Ctrl + Shift + Arrow keys to select a group of cells.
- Pressing Ctrl + Click to select non-adjacent cells.
It’s also possible to perform more specific selection actions, such as selecting all cells with formulas or only the blank cells. These options are available in the “Go To Special” window, which can be accessed by pressing Ctrl+G > Alt + S.
To optimize data entry, Excel provides a shortcut to repeat the previous action by pressing Ctrl+Y. This shortcut can be very useful, especially when data has to be entered repeatedly.
Interestingly, shortcuts have not always been included in Excel. The first version of Excel was released in 1985, and keyboard shortcuts were not present at that time. The introduction of keyboard shortcuts was made possible with the release of Excel 2.0 in 1987. Since then, Excel has been continuously adding new shortcuts to help users work more efficiently.
Formatting shortcuts
When it comes to formatting in Excel, there are many shortcuts available to save you time and effort. These can help you quickly change the appearance of cells, such as font type, color, and size. By utilizing these formatting shortcuts, you can achieve a consistent and professional look for your spreadsheet.
One helpful shortcut is to use the Ctrl + 1 key combination, which opens the Format Cells dialog box. This allows you to make changes to multiple formatting options at once, such as alignment, borders, and number formatting. Another useful shortcut is to quickly apply a border to a cell by using the Ctrl + Shift + 7 keys.
In addition to these common shortcuts, you can also use the Ctrl + Shift + $ shortcut to quickly apply currency formatting to a cell. This saves you the time of manually selecting the currency format from the ribbon or menu options. By familiarizing yourself with these formatting shortcuts, you can work more efficiently and effectively in Excel.
Pro Tip: When applying formatting to a large dataset, use conditional formatting to automatically highlight cells that meet certain criteria. This can save you time and help you identify important information quickly.
Calculation shortcuts
Boosting Your Excel Efficiency: Discover Effective Shortcuts for Calculations
Excel provides various shortcuts that can help you execute calculations easily and in less time. Knowing these simple, yet powerful shortcuts can make you more efficient in your work and help you achieve better results.
A 5-Step Guide to Excel Calculation Shortcuts:
- AutoSum Shortcut – Quickly Sum Up a Range of Cells
- Divide, Multiply or Add Cells – Type in a Single Formula
- Quick Calculation of Percentages – Easily Find the Percent of a Total
- Insert Current Date and Time to a Worksheet – Use Shortcuts
- Copy and Paste Formulas – Shortcut to Replicate Formulas Easily
Get More Productive with These Excel Shortcuts
Excel has several other shortcuts that further enhance your productivity, such as navigating to specific cells, creating pivot tables, or even commenting on cells. Get to know these advanced techniques and work smarter, not harder.
A Success Story of Using Excel Calculation Shortcuts
When Susan, an accountant, discovered and implemented Excel shortcuts in her work, she was able to streamline her workflow and efficiently handle larger volumes of data in less time. This helped her achieve better results and earn recognition from her supervisor for her remarkable performance.
Miscellaneous shortcuts
Miscellaneous Excel Shortcuts You Might Not Know
If you think you know all the Excel shortcuts, think again. Beyond the commonly used shortcuts, there are numerous other shortcuts that can save you time and effort. Here are some miscellaneous Excel shortcuts that you might not know:
- Ctrl+5: Add or remove Strikethrough from selected cell contents
- Ctrl+: (colon): Insert current time in selected cells
- Ctrl+; (semi-colon): Insert current date in selected cells
- Alt+Enter: Start a new line within the same cell
- Ctrl+↑ or Ctrl+↓: Move to the top or bottom cell of the current column
- Ctrl+Page Up/Page Down: Move to the previous or next worksheet in the workbook
It’s worth noting that using these shortcuts can boost productivity and make your work more efficient. For instance, Ctrl+5 can be particularly useful when you want to draw attention to the cell content by crossing them out.
Lastly, did you know that the first version of Microsoft Excel was released in 1985 for Macintosh?
Five Facts About “15 Excel Shortcuts You Probably Didn’t Know”:
- ✅ Keyboard shortcuts are a time-saving way to navigate Excel. (Source: ExcelJet)
- ✅ CTRL + SHIFT + L toggles filters on and off in a table or list. (Source: HubSpot)
- ✅ ALT + = inserts a SUM formula for the selected cells. (Source: Business Insider)
- ✅ SHIFT + F3 opens the Insert Function dialog box. (Source: TechTarget)
- ✅ F4 repeats the last action taken in Excel. (Source: PCWorld)
FAQs about 15 Excel Shortcuts You Probably Didn’T Know
What are 15 Excel Shortcuts You Probably Didn’t Know?
There are plenty of Excel shortcuts out there that you may not know about. Here are 15 that you may find useful:
- Ctrl+Shift+L: Toggle filters on and off
- Ctrl+1: Format cells dialog box
- Ctrl+Shift+: (Plus Sign): Insert current time
- Ctrl+Shift+~: Apply the general number format
- Alt+Enter: Start a new line in the same cell
- Ctrl+Spacebar: Select the entire column
- Shift+Spacebar: Select the entire row
- F4: Repeat the last action
- Ctrl+Shift+Page Up/Page Down: Select the current and next/previous sheet
- Ctrl+Shift+N: Create a new workbook
- Ctrl+Tab: Switch between open workbooks
- Ctrl+Shift+F: Find and replace
- Alt+=: Apply the SUM function
- Shift+F11: Insert a new worksheet
- Ctrl+Shift+^: Apply the scientific number format.
