CTRL COMBINATION SHORTCUT KEYS

Key Description
CTRL+SHIFT+( Unhides any hidden rows
within the selection.
CTRL+SHIFT+) Unhides any hidden
columns within the
selection.
CTRL+SHIFT+& Applies the outline border
to the selected cells.
CTRL+SHIFT_ Removes the outline
border from the selected
cells.
CTRL+SHIFT+~ Applies the General
number format.
CTRL+SHIFT+$ Applies the Currency
format with two decimal
places (negative numbers
in parentheses).
CTRL+SHIFT+% Applies the Percentage
format with no decimal
places.
CTRL+SHIFT+^ Applies the Exponential
number format with two
decimal places.
CTRL+SHIFT+# Applies the Date format
with the day, month, and
year.
CTRL+SHIFT+@ Applies the Time format
with the hour and minute,
and AM or PM.
CTRL+SHIFT+! Applies the Number format
with two decimal places,
thousands separator, and
minus sign (-) for negative
values.
CTRL+SHIFT+* Selects the current region
around the active cell (the
data area enclosed by
blank rows and blank
columns).
In a PivotTable, it selects
the entire PivotTable
report.

CTRL+SHIFT+: Enters the current time.

CTRL+SHIFT+" Copies the value from the
cell above the active cell
into the cell or the Formula
Bar.
CTRL+SHIFT+Pl Displays the Insert dialog
us (+) box to insert blank cells.
CTRL+Minus (-) Displays the Delete dialog
box to delete the selected
cells.
CTRL+; Enters the current date.
CTRL+` Alternates between
displaying cell values and
displaying formulas in the
worksheet.
CTRL+' Copies a formula from the
cell above the active cell
into the cell or the Formula
Bar.
CTRL+1 Displays the Format Cells
dialog box.
CTRL+2 Applies or removes bold
formatting.
CTRL+3 Applies or removes italic
 formatting.
CTRL+4 Applies or removes
underlining.
CTRL+5 Applies or removes
strikethrough.
CTRL+6 Alternates between hiding
objects, displaying objects,
and displaying
placeholders for objects.
CTRL+8 Displays or hides the
outline symbols.
CTRL+9 Hides the selected rows.
CTRL+0 Hides the selected
columns.
CTRL+A Selects the entire
worksheet.
If the worksheet contains
data, CTRL+A selects the
current region. Pressing
CTRL+A a second time
selects the current region
and its summary rows.
Pressing CTRL+A a third
 time selects the entire
worksheet.
When the insertion point is
to the right of a function
name in a formula,
displays the Function
Arguments dialog box.
CTRL+SHIFT+A inserts the
argument names and
parentheses when the
insertion point is to the
right of a function name in
a formula.

CTRL+B Applies or removes bold

formatting.
CTRL+C Copies the selected cells.
CTRL+C followed by
another CTRL+C displays
the Clipboard.

CTRL+D Uses the Fill Down

command to copy the
contents and format of the
 topmost cell of a selected
range into the cells below.
CTRL+F Displays the Find and
Replace dialog box, with
the Find tab selected.
SHIFT+F5 also displays
this tab, while SHIFT+F4
repeats the last Find
action.
CTRL+SHIFT+F opens the
Format Cells dialog box
with the Font tab selected.

CTRL+G Displays the Go To dialog

box.
F5 also displays this dialog
box.

CTRL+H Displays the Find and

Replace dialog box, with
the Replace tab selected.
CTRL+I Applies or removes italic
formatting.
CTRL+K Displays the Insert
 Hyperlink dialog box for
new hyperlinks or the Edit
Hyperlink dialog box for
selected existing
hyperlinks.
CTRL+N Creates a new, blank
workbook.
CTRL+O Displays the Open dialog
box to open or find a file.
CTRL+SHIFT+O selects all
cells that contain
comments.

CTRL+P Displays the Print dialog

box.
CTRL+SHIFT+P opens the
Format Cells dialog box
with the Font tab selected.

CTRL+R Uses the Fill Right

command to copy the
contents and format of the
leftmost cell of a selected
range into the cells to the
right.
CTRL+S Saves the active file with
its current file name,
location, and file format.
CTRL+T Displays the Create Table
dialog box.
CTRL+U Applies or removes
underlining.
CTRL+SHIFT+U switches
between expanding and
collapsing of the formula
bar.

CTRL+V Inserts the contents of the

Clipboard at the insertion
point and replaces any
selection. Available only
after you have cut or
copied an object, text, or
cell contents.
CTRL+W Closes the selected
workbook window.
CTRL+X Cuts the selected cells.
CTRL+Y Repeats the last command
or action, if possible.
 CTRL+Z Uses the Undo command
to reverse the last
command or to delete the
last entry that you typed.
CTRL+SHIFT+Z uses the
Undo or Redo command to
reverse or restore the last
automatic correction when
AutoCorrect Smart Tags
are displayed.

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Function keys

Ke
y Description
F1 Displays the Microsoft Office Excel Help
task pane.
CTRL+F1 displays or hides the ribbon.
ALT+F1 creates a chart of the data in
the current range.
ALT+SHIFT+F1 inserts a new worksheet.
F2 Edits the active cell and positions the
insertion point at the end of the cell
contents. It also moves the insertion
point into the Formula Bar when editing
in a cell is turned off.
SHIFT+F2 adds or edits a cell comment.
CTRL+F2 displays the Print Preview
window.

F3 Displays the Paste Name dialog box.

SHIFT+F3 displays the Insert Function
dialog box.

F4 Repeats the last command or action, if

possible.
CTRL+F4 closes the selected workbook
window.

F5 Displays the Go To dialog box.

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.

F7 Displays the Spelling dialog box to

check spelling in the active worksheet or
selected range.
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.

F8 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 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.

F9 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.
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.

0
SHIFT+F10 displays the shortcut menu
for a selected item.
ALT+SHIFT+F10 displays the menu or
message for a smart tag. If more than
one smart tag is present, it switches to
the next smart tag and displays its
menu or message.
CTRL+F10 maximizes or restores the
selected workbook window.

F1 Creates a chart of the data in the

1 current range.
SHIFT+F11 inserts a new worksheet.
ALT+F11 opens the Microsoft Visual
Basic 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
ARROW Move one cell up, down, left, or
KEYS right in a worksheet.
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.

BACKSPA Deletes one character to the left

CE in the Formula Bar.
Also clears the content of the
active cell.
In cell editing mode, it deletes
the character to the left of the
 insertion point.

DELETE Removes the cell contents (data

and formulas) from selected cells
without affecting cell formats or
comments.
In cell editing mode, it deletes
the character to the right of the
insertion point.

END Moves to the cell in the lower-

right corner of the window when
SCROLL LOCK is turned on.
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, in 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.

ENTER 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.
In a dialog box, it performs the
action for the default command
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.

ESC Cancels an entry in the cell or

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

HOME Moves to the beginning of a row

in a worksheet.
Moves to the cell in the upper-
left corner of the window when
SCROLL LOCK is turned on.
 Selects the first command on the
menu when a menu or submenu
is visible.
CTRL+HOME moves to the
beginning of a worksheet.
CTRL+SHIFT+HOME extends the
selection of cells to the
beginning of the worksheet.

PAGE Moves one screen down in a

DOWN worksheet.
ALT+PAGE DOWN moves one
screen to the right in a
worksheet.
CTRL+PAGE DOWN moves to the
next sheet in a workbook.
CTRL+SHIFT+PAGE DOWN
selects the current and next
sheet in a workbook.

PAGE UP Moves one screen up in a

worksheet.
ALT+PAGE UP moves one screen
 to the left in a worksheet.
CTRL+PAGE UP moves to the
previous sheet in a workbook.
CTRL+SHIFT+PAGE UP selects
the current and previous sheet in
a workbook.

SPACEBA In a dialog box, performs the

R action for the selected button, or
selects or clears a check box.
CTRL+SPACEBAR selects an
entire column in a worksheet.
SHIFT+SPACEBAR selects an
entire row in a worksheet.
CTRL+SHIFT+SPACEBAR selects
the entire worksheet.
If the worksheet contains data,
CTRL+SHIFT+SPACEBAR
selects the current region.
Pressing
CTRL+SHIFT+SPACEBAR a
second time selects the
current region and its
 summary rows. Pressing
CTRL+SHIFT+SPACEBAR a
third time selects the entire
worksheet.
When an object is selected,
CTRL+SHIFT+SPACEBAR
selects all objects on a
worksheet.
ALT+SPACEBAR displays the
Control menu for the Microsoft
Office Excel window.

TAB Moves one cell to the right in a

worksheet.
Moves between unlocked cells in
a protected worksheet.
Moves to the next option or
option group in a dialog box.
SHIFT+TAB moves to the
previous cell in a worksheet or
the previous option in a dialog
box.
CTRL+TAB switches to the next
 tab in dialog box.
CTRL+SHIFT+TAB switches to
the previous tab in a dialog box.

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See Also
Ribbon, Help, and other Microsoft Office keyboard
shortcuts