Excel Keyboard Shortcuts

If you use Excel regularly, one of the best ways to save time is by learning a few Excel keyboard Shortcuts. Instead of clicking around with your mouse, you can perform many tasks in seconds with just a few key presses.

Let’s make Excel feel faster, smarter, and easier

Table of Contents

Why Use Excel Shortcuts?

Save a lot of time
Avoid repetitive mouse clicks
Look professional and confident
Get work done efficiently

And don’t worry — you don’t need to learn them all in one day. Just pick a few and start using them regularly!

Most Useful Excel Shortcuts (Organized by Category)

Basic File Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
New Workbook	`Ctrl + N`
Open Workbook	`Ctrl + O`
Save Workbook	`Ctrl + S`
Print	`Ctrl + P`
Close Workbook	`Ctrl + W`
Undo	`Ctrl + Z`
Redo	`Ctrl + Y`

Data Entry & Editing

Action	Shortcut
Cut	`Ctrl + X`
Copy	`Ctrl + C`
Paste	`Ctrl + V`
Paste Values Only	`Ctrl + Alt + V` then `V`
Fill Down	`Ctrl + D`
Fill Right	`Ctrl + R`
Insert Current Date	`Ctrl + ;`
Insert Current Time	`Ctrl + Shift + ;`
Go To Cell	`Ctrl + G`
Open Find Dialog	`Ctrl + F`
Open Replace Dialog	`Ctrl + H`

Text & Cell Formatting

Action	Shortcut
Bold	`Ctrl + B`
Italic	`Ctrl + I`
Underline	`Ctrl + U`
Open Format Cells	`Ctrl + 1`
Wrap Text	`Alt + H + W`
Center Align Text	`Alt + H + A + C`

Working with Data

Action	Shortcut
AutoSum (Insert SUM formula)	`Alt + =`
Insert Filter	`Ctrl + Shift + L`
Open Filter Dropdown	`Alt + ↓` (Down Arrow)
Select/Deselect Filter Options	`Spacebar`
Sort A to Z	`Alt + A + S + A`
Sort Z to A	`Alt + A + S + D`
Text to Columns	`Alt + A + E`
Remove Duplicates	`Alt + A + M`

Navigation Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
Go to First Cell	`Ctrl + Home`
Go to Last Used Cell	`Ctrl + End`
Move to Next Sheet	`Ctrl + Page Down`
Move to Previous Sheet	`Ctrl + Page Up`
Select Entire Column	`Ctrl + Space`
Select Entire Row	`Shift + Space`

Inserting & Deleting

Action	Shortcut
Insert New Row/Col	`Ctrl + Shift + +`
Delete Row/Col	`Ctrl + -`
Clear Cell Content	`Delete`

Pro Tip: ALT Key Unlocks Secret Shortcuts!

When you press the Alt key, Excel shows letters on the ribbon. This helps you use almost any ribbon feature with just the keyboard. Try it now!

Final Words

Using keyboard shortcuts might feel slow at first, but once you get used to them — there’s no going back. It’s like discovering Excel’s secret superpower

Start by picking just 5–6 shortcuts that you use often in your daily work.
With a little practice, you’ll be working faster in Excel like a pro!