Shortcut Keys for Data Selection

The first step of selecting cells or a group of cells (called a range) is to position the cursor on a cell that is a corner of the area you want to select.

To select a rectangle area around the active cell, hold down the SHIFT key and press the arrow keys or drag with the mouse. For example, to select a 2 by 4 rectangle, hold down the SHIFT key and press the RIGHT ARROW key one time and the DOWN ARROW key three times. Holding down the SHIFT key can be cumbersome, so Excel provides a way to "turn on" selecting with arrow keys. Press F8 to start using the arrow keys to select, and press F8 again when you are finished. There are other useful keyboard shortcuts to use for selecting data. Other useful data selection key combinations: Press CTRL+A CTRL+SPACEBAR SHIFT+SPACEBAR F8 CTRL+SHIFT+END Select the entire worksheet Select the entire column Select the entire row Turn on extending a selection by using the arrow keys Extend the selection to the last used cell on the worksheet (lowerright corner) Extend the selection to the last nonblank cell in the same column or row as the active cell, going in the direction the arrow key indicates Add another range of cells to the selection; or use the arrow keys to move to the start of the range you want to add, and then press F8 and the arrow keys to select the next range To

CTRL+SHIFT+HOME Extend the selection to the beginning of the worksheet CTRL+SHIFT+arrow key SHIFT+F8

Shortcut Keys for Moving around a Workbook

The best way to move around in a workbook is to get to know the keyboard shortcuts PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN. Used with the ALT key, each combination scrolls through the worksheet one screen's width.

Other useful keyboard shortcuts to use for moving in a workbook: Press PAGE DOWN PAGE UP ALT+PAGE DOWN ALT+PAGE UP CTRL+HOME CTRL+END To Move down one screen Move up one screen Move one screen to the right Move one screen to the left Move to the beginning of the worksheet Move to the last cell on the worksheet, which is the cell at the intersection of the rightmost used column and the bottommost used row (in the lower-right corner), or the cell opposite the home cell, which is typically A1

CTRL+PAGE Move to the next sheet in the workbook DOWN CTRL+PAGE UP Move to the previous sheet in the workbook CTRL+F6 or Move to the next workbook or window CTRL+TAB

Shortcut Keys when using Functions and Formulas

If you don't know which function to use: select the cell in which you want the formula press SHIFT+F3. The Paste Function dialog box appears with a list to choose from. The available functions are categorized and have descriptions. If you know the name of the function, but don't know details such as what arguments it can take, use the Formula Palette. Type =function in a cell (where function is the name of the function) and then press CTRL+A.

For example type =LEFT in a cell and then press CTRL+A to open the Function Arguments dialog shown above. This dialog prompts for parameters and includes a short explanation of each one. In the Function Arguments dialog (Formula Palette), press TAB and SHIFT+TAB to move between the boxes, and ENTER when you are done. Or press ESC to discard any changes. If you know the name of the function, and remember some of the details, but just need a reminder, type =function( in a cell (where function is the name of the function) to see a sticky note prompt for parameters. Type over the parameter prompts.

Other useful keyboard shortcut to use with formulas and functions include: Press = (equal sign) ALT+= (equal sign) SHIFT+F3 CTRL+SHIFT+A CTRL+A CTRL+SHIFT+F3 F3 To Start a formula Insert the AutoSum formula Paste a function into a formula Insert the argument names and parentheses for a function after you type a function name in a formula Display the Function Arguments dialog (Formula Palette) after you type a function name in a formula Create names from row and column labels Paste a defined name into a formula

CTRL+` (single left quotation Alternate between displaying cell values and displaying mark; this is the same key that cell formulas holds the tilde ~) CTRL+[ (opening bracket) CTRL+] (closing bracket) CTRL+SHIFT+} (closing brace) CTRL+SHIFT+{ (opening brace) F9 SHIFT+F9
Adapted from Microsoft Office Online

Select only cells that are directly referred to by formulas in the selection Select only cells with formulas that refer directly to the active cell Select all cells with formulas that refer directly or indirectly to the active cell Select all cells that are directly or indirectly referred to by formulas in the selection Calculate all sheets in all open workbooks Calculate the active worksheet