20 Excel Keyboard Shortcuts That Can Make Your Work Easy

Excel keyboard shortcuts are helpful when working with Microsoft Excel, which is known as the most powerful spreadsheet among all applications, ever. It excels in the ability to perform so many different functions. In business analysis, a student making reports, or someone who just loves dealing with data all the time, knowing how to work on Excel will only lead to high productivity levels. On the other hand, the most efficient way to work within Excel is only possible using keyboard shortcuts. And, in this blog post, we will learn about twenty important shortcuts in Excel, which help us to work smarter and faster.

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Why Use Keyboard Shortcuts?

These are applied to save time, and their prime objective is reduction in the usage of the mouse. Using the shortcuts can enable the user to scroll through the document or issue commands really fast. This helps a lot in Excel because many tasks often involve several steps of complex manipulation of data. Practice these shortcuts, and you'll save a lot of time and avoid potential errors. Efficiency on this level tends to bring more competence into managing data and increasing work speed.

Top 20 Excel Keyboard Shortcuts

1. Ctrl + C (Copy)
   This is possibly one of the most common shortcuts. It copies selected cells along with their content and formatting.
2. Ctrl + V (Paste)
   With your previous command being copy, you paste the copied cells somewhere else there. A quick way to replicate data.
3. Ctrl + X (Cut)
   It's used to cut selected cells so that you can paste them elsewhere. It will help in reorganizing your data by avoiding instances where some leftover entries may cause confusion.
4. Ctrl + Z (Undo)
   Making a mistake on something? Hit Ctrl + Z to undo your last action. You can also use the shortcut repeatedly to undo the recent history of changes.

Ctrl + Y (Redo)
The redo system shortcut re-applies an action that you have just undone with Ctrl + Z. It can be quite the lifesaver when trying to recover changes that you may have mistakenly undone.

6. Ctrl + S (Save)
   Even though it's a rather mundane process, one must always save his/her work regularly. This feature prevents the loss of vital information/data.
7. Ctrl + P (Print)
   Use this shortcut to quickly open the print menu (⌘P) so that you can get your spreadsheet dead-tree styled with just a few key-strokes.
8. Ctrl + Arrow Keys (Navigate Cells)
   Use this shortcut to quickly navigate in the worksheet at data edges. Use with Shift + Ctrl + Arrow Keys to select entire data blocks.
9. Ctrl + A (Select All)
   This is a helpful shortcut since it can save you time by letting you select the entire worksheet rather than manually clicking and dragging over thousands of rows and columns to do the same in your workbook.
10. Ctrl + F (Find)
    You can type the data or the keyword that you are looking to find in your spreadsheet, go to the Find dialog box.
11. Ctrl + H (Replace)
    Want to replace certain content throughout your spreadsheet? This shortcut will open the Find and Replace dialog, where one can handle data in a very nice way.
12. F2 (Edit Active Cell)
    Through F2, one can edit the active cell without moving the cursor to the selected cell. This proves helpful in case there any typos or updated information needed to be put into the cell.
13. Alt + Enter (Insert New Line)
    Do this while entering data in a single cell. This will insert a new line into the cell. Multi-line entries will be much easier to read this way.
14. Ctrl + Shift + L (Toggle Filters): If you are working with data tables, you can easily turn on/off filters for the data. It helps one easily handle the massive dataset.
15. Ctrl+K (Insert Hyperlink)
    Use this shortcut to hyperlink your cells with other external web pages, documents, or any section inside your spreadsheet.
16. Ctrl + N (New Workbook)
    Use this shortcut to easily get started on a new workbook. Now, spend more time arranging and analyzing more data without getting in the way of your work.
17. Ctrl + Shift + "+" (Insert New Cells)
    Pressing these keys at once enables you to insert new cells, or rows/columns, exactly where you want to without disturbing the flow of the current data.
18. Ctrl + "-": Delete Cells
    It deletes cells, rows, or columns and thus helps a lot in maintaining the data.
19. F4 Repeat Last Action
    After having performed an action like formatting or an insert function, you can press F4 to repeat that action to ensure time isn't spent repeating the same thing over again if something similar is required.
20. Ctrl + 1 (Format Cells)
    Displays the Format Cells dialog for more detailed formatting, including number formats, fonts, alignments, and borders.

Tips to Master Excel Shortcuts

• PRACTICE REGULARLY: Like any other skill, it needs practice to be good with Excel shortcuts. Try and dish out a few new shortcuts to make them muscle memory in daily chores.
• MAKE A CHEAT SHEET: When you're just starting with shortcuts, you may want to jot down those that you use most often. If you're starting with shortcuts, writing down those commonly used in a cheat sheet will help. After that, pin it up somewhere you can always see it and refer to it until you get them.
• Customize Your Shortcuts – Excel has also got the provision of allowing user customization, which allows you to make your own set for the most performed task. Now that is some creativity.
• Start Small – You don't have to gain knowledge regarding all the shortcuts at one go. Start with a few that would be most relevant in your case and then one by one keep increasing your repertoire.

Conclusion

Knowing Excel keyboard shortcuts can take your productivity and all-around efficiency to the next level. I'll introduce the 20 shortcuts in Excel that you could read in this article, set you in good stead, and soon you would feel something like an instinct at work while moving along your spreadsheets. So, wait, get to know these tools, and soon, you can find yourself. Happy Excel-ing!