50 Lesser-Known Excel Shortcuts That Can Save You Hours
50 Lesser-Known Excel Shortcuts That Can Save You Hours
50 Lesser-Known Excel Shortcuts That Can Save You Hours
Most Excel users know Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V. But these 50 shortcuts can make your work much faster.
1. Ctrl + E – Automatically fill patterns using Flash Fill 2. Ctrl + Q – Open Quick Analysis for selected data 3. Ctrl + Alt + V – Open Paste Special 4. Ctrl + Shift + V – Paste values only (supported Excel versions) 5. Alt + = – Automatically insert a SUM formula 6. Ctrl + ` – Show or hide formulas instead of results 7. F4 – Switch between absolute and relative cell references while editing a formula 8. Ctrl + [ – Select cells directly referenced by a formula 9. Ctrl + ] – Select cells containing formulas that directly reference the active cell 10. Ctrl + Shift + Enter – Enter a legacy array formula 11. Ctrl + Shift + U – Expand or collapse the formula bar 12. Shift + F3 – Open the Insert Function dialog 13. Ctrl + A – Open Function Arguments when the cursor is inside a function name in a formula 14. F9 – Evaluate a selected part of a formula while editing 15. Shift + F9 – Recalculate the active worksheet 16. Ctrl + Alt + F9 – Force recalculation of all open workbooks 17. Ctrl + Shift + L – Turn AutoFilter on or off 18. Alt + Down Arrow – Open a filter dropdown or data validation list, depending on the active cell 19. Ctrl + Shift + * – Select the current data region 20. Ctrl + . – Move between the corners of a selected range 21. Ctrl + Shift + Space – Select the current region or entire worksheet 22. Ctrl + Backspace – Scroll to bring the active cell into view 23. Ctrl + Shift + End – Extend selection to the last used cell 24. Ctrl + Shift + Home – Extend selection to the beginning of the worksheet 25. Alt + Page Down – Move one screen to the right 26. Alt + Page Up – Move one screen to the left 27. Ctrl + Page Down – Move to the next worksheet 28. Ctrl + Page Up – Move to the previous worksheet 29. Shift + F11 – Insert a new worksheet 30. Alt + F1 – Create an embedded chart from selected data 31. F11 – Create a chart on a separate chart sheet 32. Ctrl + 6 – Show or hide objects 33. Ctrl + 8 – Show or hide outline symbols 34. Alt + Shift + Right Arrow – Group selected rows or columns 35. Alt + Shift + Left Arrow – Ungroup selected rows or columns 36. Ctrl + 9 – Hide selected rows 37. Ctrl + Shift + 9 – Unhide rows within the selected range 38. Ctrl + 0 – Hide selected columns 39. Ctrl + Shift + 0 – Unhide columns (may be blocked by Windows keyboard settings) 40. Ctrl + Shift + & – Apply an outline border 41. Ctrl + Shift + _ – Remove outline borders 42. Ctrl + Shift + ~ – Apply General number format 43. Ctrl + Shift + ! – Apply Number format with two decimal places 44. Ctrl + Shift + ^ – Apply Scientific number format 45. Ctrl + Shift + # – Apply Date format 46. Ctrl + Shift + @ – Apply Time format 47. Ctrl + D – Fill selected cells down from the top cell 48. Ctrl + R – Fill selected cells right from the leftmost cell 49. Ctrl + Enter – Enter the same value or formula into all selected cells 50. Alt + Enter – Start a new line within the same cell
✨ Quick Tip: Try Ctrl + E (Flash Fill). If you have a column containing full names and manually type a first name in the next column, Excel can recognise the pattern and extract the remaining first names automatically.
📌 Save this list. You may not need all 50 today, but some could save you hours later.
Note: These shortcuts primarily apply to Microsoft Excel desktop for Windows. Some depend on the Excel version, keyboard layout or system settings.