Excel Filter Shortcuts for Windows and Mac

The main filter shortcut in Excel is Ctrl+Shift+L on Windows and ⌘+Shift+F on a Mac. It adds filter buttons to your headers in one keystroke, and a few more keys let you open the menus, pick values, clear filters and copy the results without touching the mouse. This guide lists every useful filter shortcut and shows a full keyboard-only workflow.

Excel filter shortcuts at a glance#

Here are the keys worth learning, on both systems:

The examples use this order list in A1:C7:

How to turn filters on and off#

Click any cell inside your data and press Ctrl+Shift+L (Mac: ⌘+Shift+F). Excel finds the edges of the data, treats the first row as headers, and adds a drop-down arrow to each header. Press the same keys again to remove the buttons.

Removing the buttons also removes every filter, so all rows show again. That makes pressing the shortcut twice a quick way to reset a sheet.

Excel works out the range from the selected cell, so a fully empty row or column in the middle of your data cuts it short. If filter buttons only appear on part of the header, select the whole range first, including headers, then press the shortcut. The guide to selecting ranges fast shows how: Ctrl+Shift+Arrow (Mac: ⌘+Shift+Arrow) extends a selection to the end of the data.

How to filter a column without the mouse#

Once filters are on, you can choose values from the keyboard:

1. Move to a header cell, for example B1 (Region).
2. Press Alt+Down Arrow (Mac: Option+Down Arrow) to open its filter menu.
3. Use the arrow keys to move down to the list of values.
4. Press Space on (Select All) to untick everything.
5. Move to East and press Space to tick it.
6. Press Enter to apply.

Only the three East orders stay visible. The row numbers turn blue and the header shows a funnel icon, so you can see that a filter is active.

There's also a fast way to filter by one value you can already see. Select a cell that holds it, for example a cell that says West, then right-click and choose Filter > Filter by Selected Cell's Value. On Windows, Shift+F10 opens the same right-click menu from the keyboard. Excel turns filters on if needed and shows only the West rows.

In the same menu, you can type in the Search box to find a value in a long list, and the Text Filters or Number Filters options let you set conditions such as "greater than 300". The guide to filtering data in Excel covers these options in detail.

How to clear and reapply filters#

To show all rows again but keep the filter buttons, clear the filters. On Windows, press Alt, then A, then C, one key at a time. These are the ribbon key tips for Data > Clear. On a Mac, click Data > Clear. To clear only one column, open its menu and choose Clear Filter From "Region".

Filters don't update by themselves when you change the data. If you edit an amount or add new rows, rows that no longer match stay visible until you reapply. Press Ctrl+Alt+L on Windows, or click Data > Reapply.

Filtering hides rows rather than deleting them. If you need to hide rows by hand instead, see how to hide and unhide rows and columns.

How to copy or total only the filtered rows#

When you copy a filtered range, Excel copies only the visible rows. But if rows are hidden by hand rather than by a filter, a normal copy includes them. Press Alt+; (Mac: ⌘+Shift+Z) first to select only the visible cells, then copy with Ctrl+C (Mac: ⌘C).

Totals need care too. SUM adds every row, visible or not. SUBTOTAL with function number 109 adds only the visible rows:

=SUBTOTAL(109,C2:C7)

With no filter, the result is 1,745. Filter Region to East and it changes to 935 (250 + 175 + 510), while =SUM(C2:C7) stays at 1,745. Use 103 instead of 109 to count visible non-empty cells.

Filter shortcuts vs the FILTER function#

The shortcuts above control AutoFilter, which hides rows in place. Excel 2021 and Microsoft 365 also have a FILTER function, which copies matching rows to a new place with a formula, such as =FILTER(A2:C7,B2:B7="East"). The original data isn't touched, and the result updates automatically when the data changes.

Use AutoFilter for quick looks and one-off copies. Use FILTER for reports that must stay up to date. The comparison of the FILTER function vs AutoFilter explains when to use each.

A last tip: before you insert or delete rows in a filtered list, clear the filter first. Otherwise you can't see every row you're about to change. The guide to inserting and deleting rows covers the shortcuts for that.

Practise it#

Practise filtering a table in a live spreadsheet: you'll turn filters on, pick values and total the visible rows, with instant feedback. Then practise selection shortcuts so you can select, filter and copy data without reaching for the mouse. Start with the SUBTOTAL exercise on this page.