{"id":31869,"date":"2024-03-13T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-13T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/excelevate.co\/wp\/?p=31869"},"modified":"2024-03-14T13:04:01","modified_gmt":"2024-03-14T13:04:01","slug":"10-excel-keyboard-shortcuts-you-cant-live-without","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/excelevate.co\/wp\/2024\/03\/13\/10-excel-keyboard-shortcuts-you-cant-live-without\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Excel Keyboard Shortcuts You Can’t Live Without"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=\u201d1\u2033 admin_label=\u201dsection\u201d _builder_version=\u201d4.16\u2033 custom_padding=\u201d0px||0px|||\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d][et_pb_row admin_label=\u201drow\u201d _builder_version=\u201d4.16\u2033 background_size=\u201dinitial\u201d background_position=\u201dtop_left\u201d background_repeat=\u201drepeat\u201d custom_margin=\u201d||0px\u201d custom_padding=\u201d0|0px|0|0px|false|false\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d][et_pb_column type=\u201d4_4\u2033 _builder_version=\u201d4.16\u2033 custom_padding=\u201d|||\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d custom_padding__hover=\u201d|||\u201d][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u201d4.24.0\u2033 _module_preset=\u201ddefault\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d]

Overview<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Keyboard shortcuts are crucial for working efficiently, especially in apps like Excel where we tend to spend a ton of time.\u00a0 Most people learn a few of them as the only way to perform some actions, but don\u2019t give much thought into how much time they can save.\u00a0 Even fewer people realize you can customize the shortcuts you use and even make your own!<\/p>\n
I learned dozens of shortcuts early in my career out of sheer necessity.\u00a0 I was working on a large project out of town with 200+ colleagues, and we had an insanely small space to work in.\u00a0 I had about as much space as the middle seat on an airplane!\u00a0 I had no space to move my mouse and touchpads were terrible back then!\u00a0 I learned several shortcuts, and built many of my own by recording macros.\u00a0 I quickly gained a reputation for problem solving and working efficiently.<\/p>\n
In this article, we\u2019ll cover why keyboard shortcuts are so helpful, then I\u2019ll walk through my 10 favorite high-impact, underused keyboard shortcuts, including a video below, where you can see them in action.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u201d4.24.0\u2033 custom_margin=\u201d||0px|||\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d]
Why keyboard shortcuts are better than the mouse<\/strong><\/h3>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u201d4.24.2\u2033 _module_preset=\u201ddefault\u201d custom_padding=\u201d||0px|||\u201d hover_enabled=\u201d0\u2033 global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d sticky_enabled=\u201d0\u2033]
Keyboard shortcuts are 3x or more faster than using the mouse.\u00a0 Don\u2019t believe me?\u00a0 Try an exercise like the one in this video<\/a>.\u00a0 Keyboard shortcuts are quicker because:<\/p>\n
\n
It takes time just to move your hand to the mouse\/touchpad, then move the cursor, then click something.<\/li>\n
Using the mouse is a fine motor skill (ever clicked the wrong tiny arrow button?!?), while the keyboard is more of a gross motor skill.<\/li>\n
Mouse actions are often menu-driven, requiring multiple menu\/button clicks.<\/li>\n
It adds clarity to your data, making it easier to communicate to key stakeholders.<\/li>\n
Keyboard shortcuts often combine multiple steps into one.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
They may just save a few seconds at a time, but over the course of a year, that can add up to WEEKS<\/strong>!\u00a0 Are keyboard shortcuts the only way to get things done?\u00a0 Of course not.\u00a0 The mouse is still an integral tool (try living without one for a week!).\u00a0 It\u2019s great for scrolling, precise clicking\/selections, and for some actions, it may actually be quicker because of the muscle memory you\u2019ve built.\u00a0 But for most actions, you\u2019ll be amazed at how much quicker keyboard shortcuts can be.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u201d4.24.0\u2033 custom_margin=\u201d||0px|||\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d]
How you can learn keyboard shortcuts<\/strong><\/h3>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u201d4.24.2\u2033 _module_preset=\u201ddefault\u201d custom_padding=\u201d||0px|||\u201d hover_enabled=\u201d0\u2033 global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d sticky_enabled=\u201d0\u2033]
In addition to this article, we\u2019ve got two great resources you can use to learn keyboard shortcuts across several apps (Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, Google Chrome, and File Explorer):<\/p>\n
\n
A searchable list<\/a> of keyboard shortcuts<\/li>\n
Downloadable PDF and Excel lists<\/a> of keyboard shortcuts<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Use these to determine which keyboard shortcuts you should learn and practice.\u00a0 Focus on just a couple at a time.\u00a0 Pay attention to the actions you perform, especially the ones that take multiple clicks or that you find yourself repeatedly searching for.\u00a0 Those will free up time to learn others!<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re still struggling with what to learn, consider these areas in Excel:<\/p>\n
\n
Navigation<\/strong> \u2013 Moving about and selecting files, sheets, and ranges<\/li>\n
Structure<\/strong> \u2013 Inserting, deleting, moving, and writing formulas<\/li>\n
Formatting<\/strong> \u2013 Colors, numbers, fonts, sizes, borders, etc.<\/li>\n
Analysis<\/strong> \u2013 Filtering, sorting, finding, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Don\u2019t limit yourself to just learning keyboard shortcuts in Excel. Whichever apps you use most, find and learn the shortcuts for your most common commands. Many of them work the same way across apps.<\/p>\n
In addition to the shortcuts covered below, there are two keys worth learning that are gateways to hundreds of shortcuts: The Alt<\/strong> key and the Menu<\/strong> key.\u00a0 The Alt key activates the ribbon and other menus where you can press further keys in a sequence to run virtually any command.\u00a0 The sequences can be a little tough to memorize (that\u2019s why I built so many of my own!).\u00a0 The Menu key (usually to the right of the spacebar on Windows keyboards) usually mimics the right-click action.\u00a0 The right-click menu is great because it\u2019s context-based, and shows options based on what you\u2019re doing.\u00a0 You can also type letters to choose options off of the right-click menu (i.e. I for insert or F for format), much like the Alt key approach.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u201d4.24.2\u2033 custom_margin=\u201d||0px|||\u201d hover_enabled=\u201d0\u2033 global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d sticky_enabled=\u201d0\u2033]
Building your own shortcuts<\/strong><\/h3>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u201d4.24.0\u2033 _module_preset=\u201ddefault\u201d min_height=\u201d76.2px\u201d custom_margin=\u201d||0px|||\u201d custom_padding=\u201d||0px|||\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d]
Chances are for most of the actions you routinely perform, there\u2019s already a keyboard shortcut available.\u00a0 If not, you can your own shortcuts \u2013 within a specific application or at the operating system level.\u00a0 Lastly, within the XLEV8 Excel Add-in, you can specify which keyboard shortcuts you want to use for hundreds of custom tools.\u00a0 Be careful setting your own keyboard shortcuts \u2013 make sure not to overwrite the ones you already use (i.e. Ctrl+c to copy)!<\/p>\n
Building application-level keyboard shortcuts<\/strong><\/p>\n
The first keyboard shortcut I ever made (in the opening story) was to highlight the selected cells yellow in Excel.\u00a0 I found myself doing that over and over again, so I recorded my actions and assigned it to Ctrl+y as the shortcut.\u00a0 I made many similar small macros\/shortcuts after that, and you can do the same.\u00a0 Many apps allow you to record your actions and assign keyboard shortcuts to them, or assign keyboard shortcuts to existing commands.\u00a0 If you do this, make sure to save the macro in a place where it\u2019s available for all files (not just the active file), so you can reuse it, if you so desire.\u00a0 I highly recommend keeping a list of these in case you ever need to troubleshoot, or just so you know what keyboard shortcuts are left that you can assign!<\/p>\n
Building operating system-level keyboard shortcuts<\/strong><\/p>\n
There\u2019s some serious power here.\u00a0 Virtually anything can be scripted if you\u2019re up for it.\u00a0 For Windows, I\u2019ve dabbled a little with AutoHotKey (https:\/\/www.autohotkey.com\/<\/a>) and I\u2019ve had great results.\u00a0 It\u2019s much more than keyboard shortcuts but that\u2019s often what people do \u2013 script or combine many actions and assign them to a keyboard shortcut.\u00a0 It also works with the mouse keys!\u00a0 It\u2019s open source, free to use, and extremely well-documented internally and throughout the internet at large.\u00a0 For Mac users, Keyboard Maestro (http:\/\/www.keyboardmaestro.com\/main\/<\/a>) and similar solutions are available but full disclosure \u2013 I haven\u2019t used these.<\/p>\n
Defining XLEV8 Excel Add-in keyboard shortcuts<\/strong><\/p>\n
After a few years into my career, I ran out of available keys for shortcuts.\u00a0 I was also frustrated that every time I switched to a new computer, I had to reassign all the keyboard shortcuts.\u00a0 Those are two of the reasons I built the XLEV8 Excel Add-in \u2013 many shortcuts are pre-set and you can assign them in bulk (sharing with colleagues or reusing later!).\u00a0 There are hundreds of macros in the add-in \u2013 shortcuts that combine commands and high-volume automation tools.\u00a0 It\u2019s designed to save you 200+ hours a year in Excel by navigating, formatting, building, analyzing, and updating faster and reducing errors.\u00a0 Learn more on the Apps<\/a> page, or check out a quick demo<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/ul>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u201d4.24.2\u2033 custom_margin=\u201d||0px|||\u201d hover_enabled=\u201d0\u2033 global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d sticky_enabled=\u201d0\u2033]
The 10 keyboard shortcuts you need to know<\/strong><\/h3>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u201d4.24.2\u2033 _module_preset=\u201ddefault\u201d custom_padding=\u201d||0px|||\u201d hover_enabled=\u201d0\u2033 global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d sticky_enabled=\u201d0\u2033]Native Excel Shortcuts:<\/strong>\n
\n\t
Ctrl+Shift+Space<\/strong> \u2013 This is a 6-in-1 shortcut!\u00a0 Use it to select all cells in a region, then again to select all data in the sheet.\u00a0 If a shape\/picture is selected, use it to select all shapes on the sheet.\u00a0 If a table is selected, use once to select all data in the table, again to also include the table headers, then again to select all cells in the entire sheet.<\/li>\n\t
Alt+;<\/strong> \u2013 This will select only the visible<\/strong><\/em> cells in your selected range.\u00a0 If you have hidden columns\/rows, or you have filtered rows out, this is helpful for selecting only what is visible to ensure formatting or other updates only apply to those visible rows.<\/li>\n\t
Cltr+`<\/strong> \u2013 This will toggle displaying cell values and their underlying formulas.\u00a0 It can be very helpful for troubleshooting formulas.<\/li>\n\t
Alt+PageDown \/ Alt+PageUp<\/strong> \u2013 These will scroll one page right and left (horizontally), which is helpful when you have several columns of data in your worksheet.<\/li>\n\t
F4<\/strong> \u2013 This will repeat your last action when you are not editing a formula.\u00a0 When editing a formula, it will toggle the reference type between relative and absolute references.<\/li>\n<\/ul>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u201d4.24.2\u2033 _module_preset=\u201ddefault\u201d custom_padding=\u201d||0px|||\u201d hover_enabled=\u201d0\u2033 global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d sticky_enabled=\u201d0\u2033]Custom Shortcuts (defaults in the XLEV8 Excel Add-in):<\/strong>\n\n\t
Ctrl+Shift+W<\/strong> <\/a> \u2013 This displays the Macro Search box, which uses auto-complete to show macros to run as you type.\u00a0 It displays the description and other details, including the support page link.\u00a0 When a macro is selected, you can set it as a favorite, set a keyboard shortcut, or set a ribbon UI shortcut for it.\u00a0 It\u2019s a shortcut to hundreds of commands, including custom macros you\u2019ve saved or macros in your active workbook.<\/li>\n\t
Ctrl+Shift+O<\/strong> <\/a> \u2013 This displays the Search Recent Files box, which uses auto-complete to show your recent files as you type.\u00a0 This helps you find and open virtually any file in just seconds!\u00a0 You can mark your favorite files to restrict the search results.<\/li>\n\t
Ctrl+Shift+S<\/strong> <\/a> \u2013 This displays the Sheet Action Picker list.\u00a0 It offers several sheet-related shortcuts, including adding, deleting, renaming, hiding\/unhiding, moving, adding a linked table of contents, jumping to the first\/last sheet, and searching for sheets with auto-complete.\u00a0 It saves a significant amount of time in navigating and updating sheets.\u00a0 There are dozens of similar picklist-style macros for other common Excel actions available.<\/li>\n\t
Ctrl+Shift+Y<\/strong> <\/a> \u2013 This toggles through your five customizable favorite fill colors (and back to no fill color).\u00a0 It\u2019s six shortcuts in one!<\/li>\n\t
Ctrl+Shift+B<\/strong> <\/a> \u2013 This will select to the bottom of your selected columns, including over any blanks.\u00a0 It can cycle through three ranges \u2013 the bottom of the active column, the bottom of the left-adjacent column, and the bottom-most row used in the entire sheet.\u00a0 A similar macro works the same way but across the row to the right.<\/li>\n<\/ul>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u201d4.24.2\u2033 custom_margin=\u201d||0px|||\u201d hover_enabled=\u201d0\u2033 global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d sticky_enabled=\u201d0\u2033]
Video<\/strong><\/h3>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_video src=\u201dhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/DWCq8xkoN18\u2033 _builder_version=\u201d4.24.2\u2033 _module_preset=\u201ddefault\u201d hover_enabled=\u201d0\u2033 sticky_enabled=\u201d0\u2033][\/et_pb_video][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u201d4.20.4\u2033 _module_preset=\u201ddefault\u201d custom_padding=\u201d||0px|||\u201d global_colors_info=\u201d{}\u201d]
Summary<\/strong><\/h3>\n
If you want a surefire way to work more efficiently, keyboard shortcuts are crucial.\u00a0 They free up time for more important tasks, but it\u2019s easy to miss the massive impact because it\u2019s often just a few seconds saved, multiplied over hundreds of times a day.\u00a0 It\u2019s also about keeping your brain fresh.\u00a0 Every single micro thought (like where to move the mouse) takes away valuable brainpower, and there\u2019s only so much in the tank each day before we start to make things worse for ourselves.\u00a0 Commit to learning a couple of keyboard shortcuts a week, and you\u2019ll get so much more done!<\/p>\n
What keyboard shortcuts can you not live without?\u00a0 Have you built any custom shortcuts in Excel or beyond?\u00a0 Let us know in the comments below!<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n<\/body><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Discusses 10 keyboard shortcuts you probably aren’t using but should be: 5 native shortcuts, and 5 custom shortcuts that save you tons of time and reduce the risk of errors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31871,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,16],"tags":[34,12,93,28],"class_list":["post-31869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-efficiency","category-excel-tips","tag-efficiency","tag-excel","tag-keyboard-shortcuts","tag-macros"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/excelevate.co\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Keyboard-Shortcuts_Social-Cover_2024-03-13.png?fit=3200%2C1800&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/excelevate.co\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/excelevate.co\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/excelevate.co\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/excelevate.co\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/excelevate.co\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31869"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/excelevate.co\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31869\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31897,"href":"https:\/\/excelevate.co\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31869\/revisions\/31897"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/excelevate.co\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/excelevate.co\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/excelevate.co\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/excelevate.co\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}