Excel 2016 for Windows keyboard shortcuts.

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Excel keyboard shortcuts and function keys

This article describes keyboard shortcuts, function keys, and some other
common shortcut keys for Microsoft Excel 2016 for Windows. This includes
the shortcuts that you can use to access the ribbon.

Tip To keep this reference available when you work, you may want to print
this topic. To print this topic, press CTRL+P.

Notes

 · These shortcuts refer to the US keyboard layout. Keys for other

layouts might not correspond exactly to the keys on a US keyboard.
 · If a shortcut requires pressing two or more keys at the same time,
this topic separates the keys with a plus sign (+). If you have to
 press one key immediately after another, the keys are separated by
a comma (,).
Frequently used shortcuts
This table lists the most frequently used shortcuts in Excel 2016.

To do this Press

Close a spreadsheet Ctrl+W

Open a spreadsheet Ctrl+O

Go to the Home tab Alt+H

Save a spreadsheet Ctrl+S

Copy Ctrl+C

Paste Ctrl+V

Undo Ctrl+Z

Remove cell
Delete key
contents

Choose a fill color Alt+H, H

Cut Ctrl+X

Go to Insert tab Alt+N

Bold Ctrl+B

Center align cell Alt+H, A,

contents then C

Go to Page Layout
Alt+P
tab

Go to Data tab Alt+A

Go to View tab Alt+W

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To do this Press
 Format a cell from Shift+F10, or
context menu Context key

Add borders Alt+H, B

Alt+H,D,
Delete column
then C

Go to Formula tab Alt+M

Keyboard shortcuts to navigate the Ribbon

If you're new to the Ribbon, the information in this section can help you
understand the Ribbon's keyboard shortcut model. The Ribbon comes with
new shortcuts, called Access Keys. To see visible key tips for the access
keys, just press the Alt key.

To display a tab on the Ribbon, press the Alt key plus the letter for the tab—
for example, press Alt+ N for the Insert tab or Alt+M for the Formulas tab.
When you display a tab this way, the Key Tip badges for that tab's buttons
also appear. Then, press the key for the button you want.

 · To go to the Ribbon, press Alt, and then, to move between tabs,

use the Right Arrow and Left Arrow keys.
 · To hide the Ribbon so you have more room to work, press Ctrl+F1.
Repeat to display the Ribbon again.
Go to the access keys for the Ribbon
To go directly to a tab on the Ribbon, press one of the following access keys:

To do this Press

Alt+Q, and
Open the Tell me box on the Ribbon and type
then enter the
a search term for assistance or Help content.
search term.

Open the File page and use Backstage view. Alt+F

Open the Home tab and format text and

Alt+H
numbers and use the Find tool.

Open the Insert tab and insert PivotTables,

charts, add-ins, Sparklines, pictures, shapes, Alt+N
headers, or text boxes.
 Open the Draw tab to select a drawing tool,
Alt+JI
color and line thickness.

Open the Page Layout tab and work with

Alt+P
themes, page setup, scale, and alignment.

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Pres
To do this
s

Open the Formulas tab and insert, trace, and customize Alt+
functions and calculations. M

Open the Data tab and connect to, sort, filter, analyze, and Alt+
work with data. A

Open the Review tab and check spelling, add comments, Alt+
and protect sheets and workbooks. R

Open the View tab and preview page breaks and layouts,
show and hide gridlines and headings, set zoom Alt+
magnification, manage windows and panes, and view W
macros.

Work in the Ribbon tabs and menus with the keyboard

To do this Press

Alt or F10. To move to a

Select the active tab of the Ribbon,
different tab, use access keys or
and activate the access keys.
the arrow keys.

Move the focus to commands on

Tab or Shift+Tab
the Ribbon.

Move down, up, left, or right,

The Down Arrow, Up Arrow, Left
respectively, among the items on
Arrow, or Right Arrow key
the Ribbon.

Activate a selected button. Spacebar or Enter

 Open the list for a selected
The Down Arrow key
command.

Open the menu for a selected

Alt+Down Arrow
button.

When a menu or submenu is open,

Down Arrow key
move to the next command.

Expand or collapse the Ribbon. Ctrl+F1

Shift+F10 or
Open a context menu. Context key (Windows keyboard
only)

Move to the submenu when a main

Left Arrow key
menu is open or selected.

Reference: Keyboard shortcuts in Excel 2016

Navigate in cells: keyboard shortcuts

To do this Press

Move to the previous cell in a worksheet or the

Shift+Tab
previous option in a dialog box.

Up Arrow
Move one cell up in a worksheet.
key

Down
Move one cell down in a worksheet.
Arrow key

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To do this Press

Move one cell left in a worksheet. Left Arrow key

Move one cell right in a worksheet. Right Arrow key

 Move to the edge of the current data region in a
Ctrl+Arrow key
worksheet.

Enter End mode, move to the next nonblank cell

in the same column or row as the active cell, and
End, Arrow key
turn off End mode. If the cells are blank, move to
the last cell in the row or column.

Move to the last cell on a worksheet, to the

Ctrl+End
lowest used row of the rightmost used column.

Extend the selection of cells to the last used cell

Ctrl+Shift+End
on the worksheet (lower-right corner).

Move to the cell in the upper-left corner of the Home+Scroll L

window when Scroll Lock is turned on. ock

Move to the beginning of a row in a worksheet.

Ctrl+Home
Home Move to the beginning of a worksheet.

Move one screen down in a worksheet. Page Down

Ctrl+Page Dow
Move to the next sheet in a workbook.
n

Move one screen to the right in a worksheet. Alt+Page Down

Move one screen up in a worksheet. Page Up

Move one screen to the left in a worksheet. Alt+Page Up

Move to the previous sheet in a workbook. Ctrl+Page Up

Move one cell to the right in a worksheet. Or, in a

protected worksheet, move between unlocked Tab
cells.

Format in cells: keyboard shortcuts

To do this Press

Format a cell by using the Format Cells dialog box. Ctrl+1

Format fonts in the Format Cells dialog box. Ctrl+Shift+F

 or Ctrl+Shift+P

Edit the active cell and put the insertion point at the
end of its contents. Or, if editing is turned off for the
cell, move the insertion point into the formula bar. If F2
editing a formula, toggle Point mode off or on so you
can use arrow keys to create a reference.

Add or edit a cell comment. Shift+F2

Ctrl+Shift+Plus
Insert blank cells with the Insert dialog box.
(+)

Display the Delete dialog box to delete selected cells. Ctrl+Minus (-)

Ctrl+Shift+colo
Enter the current time.
n (:)

Ctrl+semi-colon
Enter the current date.
(;)

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To do this Press

Switch between displaying cell values or

Ctrl+grave accent (`)
formulas in the worksheet.

Copy a formula from the cell above the active

Ctrl+apostrophe (')
cell into the cell or the Formula Bar.

Move the selected cells. Ctrl+X

Copy the selected cells. Ctrl+C

Paste content at the insertion point, replacing

Ctrl+V
any selection.

Paste content by using the Paste Special

Ctrl+Alt+V
dialog box.

Italicize text or remove italic formatting. Ctrl+I or Ctrl+3

Bold text or remove bold formatting. Ctrl+B or Ctrl+2

Underline text or remove underline. Ctrl+U or Ctrl+4

Apply or remove strikethrough formatting. Ctrl+5

Switch between hiding objects, displaying

objects, and displaying placeholders for Ctrl+6
objects.

Ctrl+Shift+ampersand (
Apply an outline border to the selected cells.
&)

Remove the outline border from the selected

Ctrl+Shift+underline (_)
cells.

Display or hide the outline symbols. Ctrl+8

Hide the selected rows. Ctrl+9

Hide the selected columns. Ctrl+0

Use the Fill Down command to copy the

contents and format of the topmost cell of a Ctrl+D
selected range into the cells below.

Use the Fill Right command to copy the

contents and format of the leftmost cell of a Ctrl+R
selected range into the cells to the right.

Apply the General number format. Ctrl+Shift+tilde (~)

Apply the Currency format with two decimal

Ctrl+Shift+dollar sign ($)
places (negative numbers in parentheses).

Apply the Percentage format with no decimal

Ctrl+Shift+percent (%)
places.

Apply the Scientific number format with two

Ctrl+Shift+caret (^)
decimal places.

Apply the Date format with the day, month, Ctrl+Shift+number

and year. sign (#)

Apply the Time format with the hour and

Ctrl+Shift+at sign (@)
minute, and AM or PM.

Apply the Number format with two decimal Ctrl+Shift+exclamation p

 places, thousands separator, and minus sign
oint (!)
(-) for negative values.

Create or edit a hyperlink. Ctrl+K

Check spelling in the active worksheet or

F7
selected range.

Display the Quick Analysis options for selected

Ctrl+Q
cells that contain data.

Display the Create Table dialog box. Ctrl+L or Ctrl+T

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Make selections and perform actions: keyboard shortcuts

To do this Press

Ctrl+A or
Select the entire worksheet.
Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar

Select the current and next sheet in a

Ctrl+Shift+Page Down
workbook.

Select the current and previous sheet

Ctrl+Shift+Page Up
in a workbook.

Extend the selection of cells by one

Shift+arrow key
cell.

Extend the selection of cells to the

last nonblank cell in the same column
or row as the active cell, or if the Ctrl+Shift+arrow key
next cell is blank, to the next
nonblank cell.

Turn extend mode on and use the Turn extend mode on and
arrow keys to extend a selection. use the arrow keys to extend
Press again to turn off. a selection. Press again to
 turn off. F8

Add a non-adjacent cell or range to a

selection of cells by using the arrow Shift+F8
keys.

Start a new line in the same cell. Alt+Enter

Fill the selected cell range with the

Ctrl+Enter
current entry.

Complete a cell entry and select the

Shift+Enter
cell above.

Select an entire column in a

Ctrl+Spacebar
worksheet.

Select an entire row in a worksheet. Shift+Spacebar

Select all objects on a worksheet

Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar
when an object is selected.

Extend the selection of cells to the

Ctrl+Shift+Home
beginning of the worksheet.

Select the current region if the

worksheet contains data. Press a
second time to select the current Ctrl+A or
region and its summary rows. Press a Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar
third time to select the
entire worksheet.

Select the current region around the

active cell or select an entire Ctrl+Shift+asterisk (*)
PivotTable report.

Select the first command on the menu

Home
when a menu or submenu is visible.

Repeat the last command or action, if

Ctrl+Y
possible.

Undo the last action. Ctrl+Z

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Work with data, functions, and the formula bar: keyboard shortcuts

To do this Press

Select an entire PivotTable report. Ctrl+Shift+asterisk (*)

Edit the active cell and put the insertion point

at the end of its contents. Or, if editing is
turned off for the cell, move the insertion point
F2
into the formula bar. If editing a formula,
toggle Point mode off or on so you can use
arrow keys to create a reference.

Expand or collapse the formula bar. Ctrl+Shift+U

Cancel an entry in the cell or Formula Bar. Esc

Complete an entry in the formula bar and

Enter
select the cell below.

Move the cursor to the end of the text when in

Ctrl+End
the formula bar.

Select all text in the formula bar from the

Ctrl+Shift+End
cursor position to the end.

Calculate all worksheets in all open

F9
workbooks.

Calculate the active worksheet. Shift+F9

Calculate all worksheets in all open

workbooks, regardless of whether they have Ctrl+Alt+F9
changed since the last calculation.

Check dependent formulas, and then calculate

all cells in all open workbooks, including cells Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F9
not marked as needing to be calculated.

Display the menu or message for an Error

Alt+Shift+F10
Checking button.
 Display the Function Arguments dialog box
when the insertion point is to the right of a Ctrl+A
function name in a formula.

Insert argument names and parentheses when

the insertion point is to the right of a function Ctrl+Shift+A
name in a formula.

Invoke Flash Fill to automatically recognize

patterns in adjacent columns and fill the Ctrl+E
current column

Cycle through all combinations of absolute

and relative references in a formula if a cell F4
reference or range is selected.

Insert a function. Shift+F3

Copy the value from the cell above the active Ctrl+Shift+straight quota
cell into the cell or the formula bar. tion mark (")

Create an embedded chart of the data in the

Alt+F1
current range.

Create a chart of the data in the current range

F11
in a separate Chart sheet.

Define a name to use in references. Alt+M, M, D

Paste a name from the Paste Name dialog box

F3
(if names have been defined in the workbook.

Move to the first field in the next record of a

Enter
data form.

Create, run, edit, or delete a macro. Alt+F8

Open the Microsoft Visual Basic For

Alt+F11
Applications Editor.

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Function keys
Ke
Description
y

Displays the Excel Help task pane.

Ctrl+F1 displays or hides the ribbon.

F1
Alt+F1 creates an embedded chart of the data in the current range.

Alt+Shift+F1 inserts a new worksheet.

Edit the active cell and put the insertion point at the end of its
contents. Or, if editing is turned off for the cell, move the insertion
point into the formula bar. If editing a formula, toggle Point mode off
or on so you can use arrow keys to create a reference.
F2
Shift+F2 adds or edits a cell comment.

Ctrl+F2 displays the print preview area on the Print tab in the
Backstage view.

Displays the Paste Name dialog box. Available only if names have
been defined in the workbook (Formulas tab, Defined
F3 Names group, Define Name).

Shift+F3 displays the Insert Function dialog box.

Repeats the last command or action, if possible.

When a cell reference or range is selected in a formula, F4 cycles

through all the various combinations of absolute and relative
F4 references.

Ctrl+F4 closes the selected workbook window.

Alt+F4 closes Excel.

Displays the Go To dialog box.

F5
Ctrl+F5 restores the window size of the selected workbook window.

F6 Switches between the worksheet, ribbon, task pane, and Zoom

controls. In a worksheet that has been split (View menu, Manage
This Window, Freeze Panes, Split Window command), F6
includes the split panes when switching between panes and the
ribbon area.

Shift+F6 switches between the worksheet, Zoom controls, task pane,

 and ribbon.

Ctrl+F6 switches to the next workbook window when more than one
workbook window is open.

Displays the Spelling dialog box to check spelling in the active

F7
worksheet or selected range.

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Ke
Description
y

Ctrl+F7 performs the Move command on the workbook window

when it is not maximized. Use the arrow keys to move the window,
and when finished press Enter, or Esc to cancel.

Turns extend mode on or off. In extend mode, Extended

Selection appears in the status line, and the arrow keys extend the
selection.

Shift+F8 enables you to add a nonadjacent cell or range to a

F8 selection of cells by using the arrow keys.

Ctrl+F8 performs the Size command (on the Control menu for the
workbook window) when a workbook is not maximized.

Alt+F8 displays the Macro dialog box to create, run, edit, or delete a
macro.

Calculates all worksheets in all open workbooks.

Shift+F9 calculates the active worksheet.

Ctrl+Alt+F9 calculates all worksheets in all open workbooks,

regardless of whether they have changed since the last calculation.
F9
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F9 rechecks dependent formulas, and then
calculates all cells in all open workbooks, including cells not marked
as needing to be calculated.

Ctrl+F9 minimizes a workbook window to an icon.

F1 Turns key tips on or off. (Pressing Alt does the same thing.)
0
 Shift+F10 displays the shortcut menu for a selected item.

Alt+Shift+F10 displays the menu or message for an Error Checking

button.

Ctrl+F10 maximizes or restores the selected workbook window.

Creates a chart of the data in the current range in a separate Chart

sheet.

F1 Shift+F11 inserts a new worksheet.

1
Alt+F11 opens the Microsoft Visual Basic For Applications Editor, in
which you can create a macro by using Visual Basic for Applications
(VBA).

F1
Displays the Save As dialog box.
2

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Other useful shortcut keys

Key Description

Displays the Key Tips (new shortcuts) on the ribbon.

For example,

Alt Alt, W, P switches the worksheet to Page Layout view.

Alt, W, L switches the worksheet to Normal view.

Alt, W, I switches the worksheet to Page Break Preview view.

Arrow Ke Move one cell up, down, left, or right in a worksheet.

ys
Ctrl+Arrow Key moves to the edge of the current data region
in a worksheet.

Shift+Arrow Key extends the selection of cells by one cell.

Ctrl+Shift+Arrow Key extends the selection of cells to the last

nonblank cell in the same column or row as the active cell, or
if the next cell is blank, extends the selection to the next
 nonblank cell.

Left Arrow or Right Arrow selects the tab to the left or right
when the ribbon is selected. When a submenu is open or
selected, these arrow keys switch between the main menu and
the submenu. When a ribbon tab is selected, these keys
navigate the tab buttons.

Down Arrow or Up Arrow selects the next or previous

command when a menu or submenu is open. When a ribbon
tab is selected, these keys navigate up or down the tab group.

In a dialog box, arrow keys move between options in an open

drop-down list, or between options in a group of options.

Down Arrow or Alt+Down Arrow opens a selected drop-down

list.

Deletes one character to the left in the Formula Bar.

Backspac Also clears the content of the active cell.

e
In cell editing mode, it deletes the character to the left of the
insertion point.

Removes the cell contents (data and formulas) from selected

Delete
cells without affecting cell formats or comments.

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Key Description

In cell editing mode, it deletes the character to the right of the

insertion point.

End End turns End mode on or off. In End mode, you can press an arrow
key to move to the next nonblank cell in the same column or row as
the active cell. End mode turns off automatically after pressing the
arrow key. Make sure to press End again before pressing the next
arrow key. End mode is shown in the status bar when it is on.

If the cells are blank, pressing End followed by an arrow key moves
to the last cell in the row or column.

End also selects the last command on the menu when a menu or
 submenu is visible.

Ctrl+End moves to the last cell on a worksheet, to the lowest used

row of the rightmost used column. If the cursor is in the formula
bar, Ctrl+End moves the cursor to the end of the text.

Ctrl+Shift+End extends the selection of cells to the last used cell

on the worksheet (lower-right corner). If the cursor is in the formula
bar, Ctrl+Shift+End selects all text in the formula bar from the
cursor position to the end—this does not affect the height of the
formula bar.

Completes a cell entry from the cell or the Formula Bar, and selects
the cell below (by default).

In a data form, it moves to the first field in the next record.

Opens a selected menu (press F10 to activate the menu bar) or

performs the action for a selected command.
Ente
In a dialog box, it performs the action for the default command
r
button in the dialog box (the button with the bold outline, often
the OK button).

Alt+Enter starts a new line in the same cell.

Ctrl+Enter fills the selected cell range with the current entry.

Shift+Enter completes a cell entry and selects the cell above.

Cancels an entry in the cell or Formula Bar.

Closes an open menu or submenu, dialog box, or message window.

Esc
It also closes full screen mode when this mode has been applied,
and returns to normal screen mode to display the ribbon and status
bar again.