Helpful Excel Shortcuts

5/16/2019

As we've observed before, there's no shortage of information on Microsoft Office keyboard shortcuts. You can tap the Help files, hunt the info down via Google, or download a comprehensive list, like this Excel cheat sheet.

It's great to know the resources are out there. But on a practical level, mastering 10 genuinely useful shortcuts will get you a lot farther than a vague knowledge of 50 shortcuts you seldom use and can't remember. Here are 10 timesavers that put the short in shortcut.

Note: This article is also available as a PDF download.

The shortcuts

Action Shortcut
Insert a new line within a cell[Alt] [Enter]
Enable editing within a cell[F2]
Add a comment to a cell[Shift] [F2]
Open Print Preview[Ctrl] [F2]
Fill selected cells with an entry you typed in one cell[Ctrl] [Enter]
Fill data down or to the right through selected cells[Ctrl] D or [Ctrl ] R
Create a name[Ctrl [F3]
Insert the current date or timeCtrl] and ; (semicolon) or Ctrl and : (colon)
Create a chart from a range of data[F11]
Toggle the display of formulas[Ctrl] ~

Your picks?

Anne of green gables pbs. 'Most useful' is certainly in the eye of the beholder. What favorite keyboard shortcuts would you add to the list?