ShortcutdrillExcel shortcuts / Excel editing shortcuts
Excel editing shortcuts
These are the shortcuts that change what is on the sheet. Most of them pair with a selection shortcut: select a column, then clear it; select a row, then delete it; select a block, then fill it.
The two that save the most time are Alt+= and Ctrl+D. Together they replace most of the dragging people do in Excel.
| Action | Windows | Mac | Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| AutoSum below a column | Alt+= | Cmd+Shift+T | Free drill |
| AutoSum across a row | Alt+= | Cmd+Shift+T | Pro drill |
| Undo | Ctrl+Z | Cmd+Z | Free drill |
| Fill down | Ctrl+D | Cmd+D | Pro drill |
| Fill right | Ctrl+R | Cmd+R | Pro drill |
| Clear the selection | Delete | Fn+Delete | Pro drill |
| Delete the row | Shift+Space, Ctrl+- | Shift+Space, Control+- | Pro drill |
| Insert a row | Shift+Space, Ctrl+Shift+= | Shift+Space, Control+Shift+= | Pro drill |
| Cut and move a cell | Ctrl+X, move, Ctrl+V | Cmd+X, move, Cmd+V | Pro drill |
| Turn filters on and off | Ctrl+Shift+L | Cmd+Shift+F | Pro drill |
| Copy a row to below the data | Ctrl+Shift+Right, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+Down, Home, Down, Ctrl+V | Cmd+Shift+Right, Cmd+C, Cmd+Down, Fn+Left, Down, Cmd+V | Pro drill |
| Total two columns in a row | Alt+=, Tab, Alt+= | Option+=, Tab, Option+= | Pro drill |
| Bold the header and format the numbers | Ctrl+Shift+Right, Ctrl+B, Down, Ctrl+Shift+Down, Ctrl+Shift+4 | Cmd+Shift+Right, Cmd+B, Down, Cmd+Shift+Down, Control+Shift+4 | Pro drill |
| Delete a row and redo the total | Shift+Space, Ctrl+-, Ctrl+Down, Down, Alt+= | Shift+Space, Control+-, Cmd+Down, Down, Option+= | Pro drill |
AutoSum below a column Alt+=
In the cell below a column of numbers, Alt+= writes =SUM() over the numbers above. Press Enter to confirm. It finds the range itself, stopping at the first text or blank. Practice: Total in one key press.
AutoSum across a row Alt+=
With nothing above but numbers to the left, Alt+= sums across the row instead. Excel looks up first, then left. Practice: Total across a row.
Undo Ctrl+Z
Ctrl+Z undoes the last action, and keeps undoing with each press, up to 100 steps. Ctrl+Y redoes. It is the shortcut that makes every other one safe to try. Practice: Undo a mistake.
Fill down Ctrl+D
Select the cell with the formula and the cells below it, then Ctrl+D copies the formula down with references adjusted. With one cell selected it copies the cell above. Practice: Copy a formula down.
Fill right Ctrl+R
Select the formula cell and the cells to its right, then Ctrl+R copies it across. It is how a five-year schedule gets built from one year of formulas. Practice: Copy a total across.
Clear the selection Delete
Delete clears the contents of the selected cells and leaves the formatting. Select a column with Ctrl+Shift+Down first to clear it in one press. Backspace clears only the active cell and starts typing. Practice: Clear a column of numbers.
Delete the row Shift+Space, Ctrl+-
Shift+Space selects the row, Ctrl+Minus deletes it and everything below shifts up. With cells rather than a row selected, Ctrl+Minus asks which way to shift. Practice: Delete a duplicate row.
Insert a row Shift+Space, Ctrl+Shift+=
Shift+Space selects the row, Ctrl+Shift+= (Ctrl+Plus) inserts a blank row above it. The same pair with Ctrl+Space inserts a column. Practice: Insert a row.
Cut and move a cell Ctrl+X, move, Ctrl+V
Ctrl+X marks the selection to move, the arrows take you to the destination, Ctrl+V moves it. Unlike copy, cut keeps the references in moved formulas pointing at the same cells. Practice: Move a note.
Turn filters on and off Ctrl+Shift+L
Ctrl+Shift+L adds filter buttons to the header of the current region, and removes them when pressed again. Alt+Down on a header cell opens the filter list without the mouse. Practice: Turn on filters.
Copy a row to below the data Ctrl+Shift+Right, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+Down, Home, Down, Ctrl+V
A chain of basic moves: select the header, copy it, jump to the bottom of the data, go to column A, step down and paste. Chains like this are what the drills build; none of the steps is hard, the speed comes from not thinking about them. Practice: Copy the headers further down.
Total two columns in a row Alt+=, Tab, Alt+=
Alt+= writes the first SUM, Tab confirms it and moves right, Alt+= writes the second. Three presses for two totals. Selecting the whole blank row and pressing Alt+= once also works. Practice: Totals for two columns.
Bold the header and format the numbers Ctrl+Shift+Right, Ctrl+B, Down, Ctrl+Shift+Down, Ctrl+Shift+4
The tidy-up that every export needs: bold the header, then format the amount column. Five presses, no menus. The drills put the pieces together so the sequence becomes one motion. Practice: Tidy the report.
Delete a row and redo the total Shift+Space, Ctrl+-, Ctrl+Down, Down, Alt+=
Remove a bad row, jump to the bottom, step into the total cell and AutoSum. A SUM over a fixed range would have shrunk with the deletion anyway, but a typed total would not; redoing it with AutoSum is the safe habit. Practice: Remove a row and total.