15 Excel Keyboard Shortcuts That Will Make You Super Powerful

Microsoft Excel for Data Analysis is without a doubt the world’s most widely used productivity tool. It boasts an array of tools that allow users from different industries to rapidly analyze large volumes of data in mere seconds, saving them countless hours every year.

In today’s blog we’re doing a deeper dive into 15 Excel Shortcuts that will turbo charge your workflow… we’re talking lightning speeds!

And stick around to the end – I’m going to also share a powerful secret shortcut that not many people know about.

Excel already does a very good job of arranging commands within the ribbon or the context menu which is accessible by right-clicking on the mouse, however when you’re busy typing away on your keyboard – these commands require you to grab the mouse and then houdini your way through 4 or 5 clicks before you get to the tool or command you want. Sound familiar? 

Why not just access the command you need directly from the keyboard, using a keyboard shortcut and save yourself 2-3 seconds in the process? 

Now I know what you’re thinking. 2-3 seconds doesn’t sound like a lot of time, but if you spend loads of time using Excel every day, repeating the same tasks over and over again will add up over time - it’s the definition of insanity. 

Keyboard shortcuts will significantly speed up daily tasks and turn you into an Excel superhero – so much so that your colleagues will be blown away by the speed you operate at.

We’re not exaggerating, but before we break down what they are, here’s a shameless plug: Need training for your team? We offer Excel Training for all Levels as well as group training – obtain a quotation for group Excel training. These are all Excel Certification Programs with Advanced Excel Tutorials included. 

Okay, so I I’ll break down the list of my favorite 15 Excel Keyboard Shortcuts into 3 groups:

Basic Shortcuts, Navigational Shortcuts and Selection & Editing Shortcuts.

Let’s look at each of these shortcuts to Excel Functions and Formulas separately.

Basic Excel Shortcuts

1. Ctrl + C (Copy) and Ctrl + V (Paste)

Once you work in Excel for a while, you will find that you’re constantly copying and pasting data. With this shortcut you can quickly copy (Ctrl+C) and paste (Ctrl+V) your data without ever reaching for your mouse.

A slight variation of this is Ctrl + X which is Cut command. This is when you want to remove data from one position before pasting it in another position.

2. Ctrl + Z (Undo)

Made a mistake – well the easiest way to undo your last action is to hit Ctrl + Z. This is a live saver.

Tip: You can hit Ctrl + Z multiple times to undo multiple previous actions!

3. Ctrl + Y (Redo)

If you’ve previously hit Ctrl + Z too many times you can Redo the last action by clicking Ctrl + Y. 

4. Ctrl + S (Save)

Nothing is more frustrating than losing your work. Get in the habit of clicking Ctrl + S to save your data regularly.

5. Ctrl + A (Select All)

If you need to select all the data in your worksheet Ctrl + A is the shortcut for that!

Navigational Excel Shortcuts

6. Ctrl + Arrow Keys (Jumps to end of data)

By clicking Ctrl along with one of the arrow keys you will jump to the last filled cell in a row or column to find data endpoints.

This is useful when navigating large datasheets and will save you needing to scroll through large datasets.

7. Ctrl + Home (Move to cell A1)

This shortcut will quickly return you to the starting point of your worksheet. This is useful if you’ve become ‘disorientated’ 
and need to reset your view.

8. Ctrl + End (Jumps to the last used cell in the worksheet)

This shortcut is useful if you need to jump to the end of your spreadsheet to continue adding records.

9. Ctrl + Page Up/Page Down (Navigate Between Sheets)

This shortcut allows you to quickly switch between worksheets (tabs) in an Excel workbook without using the mouse.

Page Down takes you to the next worksheet whilst Page Up takes you to the previous worksheet.

10. Alt + Tab (Switches between open Excel workbooks (or other programs)

The last Navigational Excel shortcut is Alt + Tab – this will allow you to switch between other Excel Workbooks or even other open programs.

This is particularly useful when you are copying and pasting data from other programs into Excel.

Selection & Editing Shortcuts

11. Ctrl + D (Fill Down)

This shortcut allows you to copy data/formulas down a column. Excel automatically fills the content from the top cell to all selected cells below.

12. Ctrl + R (Fill Right)

Similarly, Ctrl + R fills data or formulas to the right, based on your left-most cell.

13. Alt + Enter (Insert Line Break)

Alt + Enter is used to insert line breaks into a single cell. This will improve the readability of large amounts of text. 

14. Ctrl + Shift + Arrow Keys (Extend Selection)

Use Ctrl + Shift allow with an arrow key when you want to select a large range of data without dragging the mouse.

15. Ctrl + Space (Selecting Entire Column) or Shift + Space (Select Entire Row)

Simply use one of these shortcuts from any active cell to select the entire column or row.

These selection of shortcuts are great for quick formatting, deleting, or applying functions to entire rows or columns without using the mouse.

How to Memorize These Excel Shortcuts?

Learning to master shortcuts is all about practice. Start by picking three or four shortcuts and incorporate them into your daily workflow until they become second nature. Then, gradually introduce new ones as you become comfortable.

For an exhaustive list of Excel shortcuts, check out Microsoft’s official guide: Microsoft Excel Keyboard Shortcuts

Secret Excel Shortcut - Hidden Clipboard History

As promised, I'm going to share a shortcut that I only recently discovered myself but wish I had known years ago.

One of the limitations in Excel is every time you copy and paste something new in Excel – it wipes over the previous item you had just copied onto your clipboard.

But by clicking Ctrl + C twice (quickly) this opens the Clipboard History. This Clipboard History contains a list of the last 24 items you previously copied – so they can be easily accessed and pasted again.

Unfortunately this feature is only available in the Windows version of Excel.  

There you have it – 15 easy but powerful Excel shortcuts! 

And here they are in a simple Table for you: 

Essential Excel Shortcuts 

Navigational Shortcuts

Selection & Editing Shortcuts

Happy Data Processing! Till next time...