Excel Keyboard Shortcuts: The 50 Worth Learning (Free PDF)

Last updated June 2026

These 50 shortcuts cover Microsoft 365 Excel for Windows and the Mac equivalents. Where Windows uses Ctrl, the Mac usually uses Cmd; the handful of genuine differences are called out in each table and summarized at the end. Learn them six sections at a time — navigation and selection first, because they speed up everything else you do.

Which shortcuts should you learn first?

1. 1

   Master moving and selecting

   Start with Ctrl+Arrow and Ctrl+Shift+Arrow. Put your cursor in any column of a data range and press them until selecting a thousand rows feels faster than reaching for the mouse. This pair alone replaces most scrolling.

2. 2

   Add Ctrl+1 and F2

   Select cells and press Ctrl+1 instead of hunting the Home tab — every format lives in that one dialog. Use F2 to edit a cell in place rather than retyping it; the cursor lands at the end of the existing content.

3. 3

   Drill F4 until it's automatic

   While typing a formula, click a reference and tap F4 to cycle A1 → $A$1 → A$1 → $A1. Outside edit mode, F4 repeats your last action — a fast way to apply the same fill or format down a sheet.

4. 4

   Wire in the fill and total shortcuts

   Use Ctrl+D to copy the cell above and Alt+= to drop an AutoSum below a column of numbers. Both turn three-click operations into one keystroke once they're in muscle memory.

   fx=SUM(B2:B20)Copy
5. 5

   Print the PDF and pin one section a week

   Keep the cheat sheet beside your keyboard and force yourself to use the Formatting block one week, the Formulas block the next. Spaced practice beats trying to memorize all 50 at once.

The single highest-leverage habit is pressing Alt on Windows and reading the key tips Excel overlays on the ribbon. It turns any command you can see into a keystroke you can type — no memorization required.