Excel keyboard shortcuts.
Move through spreadsheets at speed — editing, selecting, filling, and formatting. Mac and Windows.
Navigation and selection come first
The shortcuts that transform how fast you work in Excel aren't the fancy ones — they're how you move and select. Ctrl + arrow key jumps to the edge of a block of data, so you can shoot to the bottom of a thousand-row column instantly instead of scrolling. Hold Shift as well and you select everything along the way. Ctrl + Shift + arrow is the combination you'll reach for dozens of times a day to grab a column or row of data in one motion. Master these three and large spreadsheets stop feeling unwieldy.
Entering and editing data
A few keys make data entry far less tedious. F2 puts you into edit mode in the active cell without retyping it. Ctrl + ; stamps today's date and Ctrl + Shift + ; the current time. Ctrl + D fills the cell above down into your selection — perfect for copying a formula down a column — and Alt + Enter adds a line break inside a cell. Ctrl + Enter confirms an entry while staying put, which is handy when you've selected a range and want to fill it all at once.
Formatting and formulas
For formatting, the number-format shortcuts save real time once they're in your fingers, and Alt (on Windows) lights up the ribbon with key tips so you can reach any button by keyboard. When building formulas, F4 toggles a reference between relative and absolute ($A$1) — one of those small tricks that quietly prevents a lot of broken-formula frustration when you copy cells around.
Build the habit
Don't try to absorb every shortcut at once. Start with Ctrl + arrow and Ctrl + Shift + arrow until they're automatic, then add F2, Ctrl + D and F4. Press / to search this page when you forget one. If you also work in Google Sheets, most of these carry over with minor differences — see the Google Sheets shortcuts — and the general shortcuts handle everything outside the spreadsheet.