Many businesses and professions utilize Microsoft Excel because it is a potent data organization and analysis tool. Excel can assist you in managing and making sense of complicated data sets whether you are a student, business professional, or data analyst. However, acquiring sophisticated strategies and shortcuts is crucial to grasp Excel and realizing its potential.
This article will examine some of the most practical Excel shortcut keys for expert users and beginners. People also take advanced excel training to learn about Excel shortcut keys and the various features of Excel, we have compiled a list of all you need to know in this blog.
Basic Excel Shortcut Keys
Let’s examine some fundamental shortcuts that every Excel user should be familiar with before we go into advanced Excel shortcut keys:
- Ctrl + C: Copy selected cells or text
- Ctrl + V: Paste copied cells or text
- Ctrl + X: Cut selected cells or text
- Ctrl + Z: Undo the last action
- Ctrl + Y: Redo the last action
- Ctrl + S: Save the current workbook
- Ctrl + A: Select all cells in the current worksheet
- Ctrl + F: Open the Find and Replace dialog box
- Ctrl + H: Open the Find and Replace dialog box with the Replace tab selected
- Ctrl + N: Create a new workbook
When used often, these shortcuts may help you save a lot of time and work.
Advanced Excel Shortcut Keys
Let’s move on to some sophisticated shortcuts for Excel that might increase your knowledge of the program:
1. Ctrl + Shift + Arrow keys: Select a range of cells
With this shortcut, you may rapidly choose a group of cells facing any direction. Using Ctrl + Shift + Down Arrow, you may similarly pick every cell in a column, starting with the one you are now in.
2. Ctrl + “;”: Insert the current date
You may quickly enter the current date in a cell using this shortcut. To input the date, pick the cell and press Ctrl + “.” This is helpful for data tracking or producing reports that must be ready quickly.
3. Ctrl + Shift + $: Apply currency formatting
Using this shortcut, you may rapidly apply currency formatting to a specified cell or range of cells. By pressing Ctrl + Shift + $, you may quickly pick a cell or range of cells. If you need to format several cells with money, this may save you a ton of time.
4. Ctrl + Shift + %: Apply percentage formatting
This shortcut allows you to rapidly apply % formatting to a specified cell or range of cells, just like the currency formatting shortcut. By pressing Ctrl + Shift + %, you may quickly pick a cell or range of cells. This might be helpful when showing statistics as percentages, such as sales growth or market share.
5. Alt + =: AutoSum
With the help of this shortcut, you can swiftly add up several cells. To see the total, pick the cell and press Alt + =. Excel will automatically calculate the total of the cells above the selected cell and show it there.
6. Ctrl + Shift + L: Apply filters
Using this shortcut, you may easily apply filters to a specified range of cells. Press Ctrl + Shift + L after selecting the desired range of cells. You may filter the data in Excel by using the filter drop-down arrows that will show in the headers of the chosen cells.
7. Ctrl + Shift + #: Apply date formatting
Using this shortcut, you may easily format dates for a specified cell or range of cells. By pressing Ctrl + Shift + #, you may quickly pick a cell or range of cells. Then, you will use your default date format to format the chosen cells into dates.
8. Ctrl + 1: Format cells
With the help of this shortcut, you may access the Format Cells dialog box and apply several formatting settings to the currently selected cell or range of cells. With the help of this shortcut, you can change the size, color, alignment, and much more of the typeface.
9. F4: Repeat the last action
You may rapidly carry out the previous action you took in Excel by using this shortcut. For instance, you may quickly repeat an operation on another cell or set of cells by pressing F4 after applying a given formatting or formula to a cell.
10. Ctrl + Page Up/Down: Switch between worksheets
You may easily navigate between worksheets in a workbook with this shortcut. To implement this function, press Ctrl + Page Up or Page Down to switch between the previous or next worksheet.
11. Ctrl + Shift + Enter: Enter an array formula
Using this shortcut, you may enter an array formula in a specific cell or group of cells. An array formula is an advanced excel formula for complex data processing since it can compute several values simultaneously. To input an array formula, select the cell or range of cells, type the formula, then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter.
12. Ctrl + Shift + “:” : Insert current time
Similar to the shortcut for inputting the current date, this one allows you to insert the current time in a cell. Select the cell and press Ctrl + Shift + “:” to add the time.
Conclusion
Shortcut keys are a useful tool for increasing productivity and efficiency when dealing with data in Excel. You can fully utilize Excel and develop your abilities by learning these cutting-edge shortcuts.
