Excel Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet for Windows and Mac

This Excel shortcuts list gives you the keys that matter for everyday work, side by side for Windows and Mac, grouped by job: moving, selecting, editing, formulas, formatting and data. Keep it open while you work. If you are short on time, start with the ten in the last table, because they save the most clicks in office work and timed job tests.

How to read this Excel shortcuts list#

A plus sign means "hold the first key, then press the next one". Ctrl+Shift+↓ means hold Ctrl and Shift together, then press the down arrow.

Three rules cover most Mac differences:

• ⌘ (Command) replaces Ctrl for most shortcuts: copy, paste, undo, fill, jump and select.
• Number formats use Control (⌃), not ⌘: Control+Shift+$ for currency, for example.
• F-keys need fn on most Mac laptops (and on many Windows laptops too). If F2 changes the screen brightness, hold fn and try again.

The differences between Excel on Mac and Windows go deeper if you switch between the two.

Navigation shortcuts: move around a sheet#

Moving with the keyboard is the first skill to build, because every other shortcut starts from the right cell.

Ctrl+Arrow stops at the last filled cell before a gap. That makes it a quick way to find blank cells in a column that should be complete.

Selection shortcuts: select ranges without the mouse#

Hold Shift with any movement key and Excel selects instead of moving. That one idea gives you most of the table below.

Press Ctrl+A a second time to select the whole sheet. For more tricks, see how to select ranges fast with the keyboard.

Editing shortcuts: enter and change data#

These shortcuts handle typing, copying and filling. Fill Down and Fill Right copy formulas with their references adjusted, just like dragging the fill handle.

Flash Fill fills a column from an example you type, such as first names from full names. Flash Fill in Excel shows when it works and when a formula is the safer choice.

Formula shortcuts: write and check formulas#

Formula shortcuts save the most time in job tests, where nearly every task is a formula.

F4 cycles through $A$1, A$1, $A1 and A1. Press it while the cursor is on a reference in the formula bar.

Ctrl+` is a fast way to review a sheet: every cell shows its formula, so a typed number hiding in a column of formulas stands out. For deeper checks, use Trace Precedents and Evaluate Formula.

Formatting shortcuts: make numbers readable#

Formatting changes how a value looks, not the value itself. The cell shows 5%, but formulas still use the stored 0.045.

The symbols are on the number row: $ is Shift+4, % is Shift+5, # is Shift+3 and ! is Shift+1.

Data, file and sheet shortcuts#

These cover tables, filters and the workbook itself.

On a Mac, ⌘T creates a table when you are not editing a cell. While you edit a formula, the same keys cycle the $ signs instead.

The 10 Excel shortcuts to learn first#

You don't need the whole list. These ten cover most of the moving, selecting and formula work in an admin, finance or data job. They are also the ones that interviewers notice in a timed test.

Learn them in two batches of five. Use the first batch on real work for a few days until your hands reach for them without thinking, then add the next five. If you work in an office role, the Excel skills for admin jobs guide shows where each one fits.

Practise it#

Shortcuts stick when you use them, not when you read them. Do the exercise on this page, then practise jumping to the edge of your data, select ranges with Shift and drill the formatting shortcuts in a live spreadsheet that checks every key press.