What is the shortcut to AutoSum in Excel?

Press Alt+= (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+T (Mac) to insert a SUM formula for the selected range in Excel. This is one of the most time-saving shortcuts for spreadsheet work.

How do I insert the current date in Excel with a keyboard shortcut?

Press Ctrl+; (semicolon) to insert today's date in the active cell in Excel. Press Ctrl+Shift+; to insert the current time.

How do I move between sheets in Excel?

Press Ctrl+PageDown to move to the next sheet and Ctrl+PageUp to move to the previous sheet in Excel. These shortcuts work on both Windows and Mac.

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Microsoft Excel Keyboard Shortcuts (Microsoft 365) — Complete Cheat Sheet

Work faster in Microsoft Excel with shortcuts for navigation, formulas, formatting, and data management.

39 shortcuts across 4 categories · Windows · macOS

Microsoft Excel has one of the richest keyboard shortcut systems of any application, covering navigation across massive spreadsheets, formula entry, data formatting, and pivot table management. Power users rely on these shortcuts to process and analyze data far faster than mouse-based workflows allow.

Navigation & Selection

Action	Shortcut	Description
Move to Edge of Data	`Ctrl` + `Arrow`	Jump to the last filled cell in the direction of the arrow
Go to Cell	`Ctrl` + `G`	Navigate to a specific cell address or named range
Go to Beginning	`Ctrl` + `Home`	Go to cell A1
Go to Last Used Cell	`Ctrl` + `End`	Jump to the last used cell in the sheet
Next Sheet	`Ctrl` + `Page Down`	Switch to the next worksheet tab
Previous Sheet	`Ctrl` + `Page Up`	Switch to the previous worksheet tab
Select Entire Row	`Shift` + `Space`	Select the entire row of the active cell
Select Entire Column	`Ctrl` + `Space`	Select the entire column of the active cell
Select All	`Ctrl` + `A`	Select all cells in the current data region, then all cells
Extend Selection	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Arrow`	Extend the selection to the last filled cell

Formulas & Functions

Action	Shortcut	Description
Enter Formula	`=`	Start entering a formula in the active cell
AutoSum	`Alt` + `=`	Insert a SUM formula for the cells above or to the left
Function Wizard	`Shift` + `F3`	Open the Insert Function dialog
Calculate Now	`F9`	Force recalculation of all formulas in the workbook
Toggle Absolute Reference	`F4`	Cycle through absolute/relative reference modes ($A$1, A$1, $A1, A1)
Show Formulas	`Ctrl` + `	Toggle display of formula text vs. values in all cells
Trace Precedents	`Ctrl` + `[`	Select cells that are referenced by the formula in the active cell
Enter Array Formula	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Enter`	Confirm an array formula (legacy method)
Name Box	`Ctrl` + `F3`	Open the Name Manager to define named ranges

Formatting

Action	Shortcut	Description
Format Cells Dialog	`Ctrl` + `1`	Open the Format Cells dialog box
Bold	`Ctrl` + `B`	Toggle bold on the selected cells
Italic	`Ctrl` + `I`	Toggle italic on the selected cells
Underline	`Ctrl` + `U`	Toggle underline on the selected cells
Currency Format	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `$`	Apply currency format with two decimal places
Percentage Format	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `%`	Apply percentage format with no decimal places
Date Format	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `#`	Apply date format (DD-MMM-YY)
Number Format	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `!`	Apply number format with two decimal places and comma separator
Add Border	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `&`	Apply an outline border to the selected cells
Remove Border	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `_`	Remove all borders from the selected cells

Data & Tools

Action	Shortcut	Description
Find & Replace	`Ctrl` + `H`	Open the Find and Replace dialog
Filter	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `L`	Toggle AutoFilter on the selected range
Sort Dialog	`Alt` + `A` + `S` + `S`	Open the Sort dialog box
Insert Row	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `+`	Insert a new row above the selection
Delete Row	`Ctrl` + `-`	Delete the selected row or column
Fill Down	`Ctrl` + `D`	Fill the selected cells with the value from the topmost cell
Fill Right	`Ctrl` + `R`	Fill the selected cells with the value from the leftmost cell
Insert Current Date	`Ctrl` + `;`	Insert the current date into the active cell
Insert Current Time	`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `:`	Insert the current time into the active cell
Create Table	`Ctrl` + `T`	Convert the selected range to an Excel table

Microsoft Excel Tips & Tricks

F4 toggles absolute references while editing a formula: Click on a cell reference inside a formula and press F4 to cycle through $A$1 (fully absolute), A$1, $A1, and A1 — no need to type dollar signs manually.
Ctrl+Enter fills multiple cells at once: Select a range of cells, type a value or formula, then press Ctrl+Enter instead of Enter — it fills all selected cells simultaneously.
Alt+= is the fastest way to SUM: Select the cell below a column of numbers and press Alt+= — Excel automatically adds a SUM formula for the range above.

Frequently Asked Questions — Microsoft Excel

How do I quickly sum a column in Excel?: Select the cell below the column (or to the right of a row) and press Alt+= to auto-sum. Excel will suggest a SUM formula and you can press Enter to confirm.
How do I add a new row in an Excel table?: Press Tab in the last cell of a table row to move to the first cell of a new row. Alternatively, press Ctrl+T to convert a range to a table, which makes adding rows and columns much easier.
What is the shortcut to enter the current date in Excel?: Press Ctrl+; (semicolon) to insert today's date as a static value. Press Ctrl+Shift+; to insert the current time. These values do not update automatically — use =TODAY() or =NOW() for dynamic dates.

How to Learn Microsoft Excel Keyboard Shortcuts

Microsoft Excel's keyboard shortcut system is one of the deepest of any application, and for good reason: spreadsheet work involves enormous amounts of data entry, navigation across large grids, and repetitive operations that compound into hours of work over a week. Excel power users — financial analysts, accountants, data scientists working with structured data — consistently rank keyboard shortcut fluency as one of the most impactful skills they've developed. The difference between navigating a 10,000-row dataset with Ctrl+Arrow keys versus scrolling with the mouse is not a small convenience — it's a fundamental difference in how fast and accurately you can work.

The shortcuts that deliver the highest return on investment in Excel are the navigation set (Ctrl+Home, Ctrl+End, Ctrl+Arrow) for moving through large sheets, Ctrl+Shift+Arrow for selecting ranges, Alt+= for AutoSum, and F2 for entering cell edit mode. The function key row is particularly valuable in Excel: F4 repeats the last action (invaluable for formatting multiple cells the same way), F5 opens Go To for jumping to specific cells, and F11 creates a chart from selected data. Windows-specific Excel users also benefit enormously from the legacy Alt-key ribbon shortcuts — Alt, H for the Home tab, then single letters for specific commands — which allow full access to the ribbon without any mouse interaction.