Excel shortcuts, shown in seconds.
Click a shortcut to watch a short video with voice, and read what it does, when to use it and the Mac version.
Everyday Excel shortcuts
Every video was recorded in real Excel for the web. Pick one and watch the key press, then the result.
No shortcut found. Try another word, like "bold" or "date".
Make the selected cells bold. Press it again to turn bold off.
Turn plain numbers into money, with the currency symbol and two decimals.
Show decimals like 0.15 as percentages like 15%.
Edit the selected cell without reaching for the mouse.
Break the text into two lines inside the same cell.
Put today's date into a cell with one key combination.
Open every formatting option for the selected cells at once.
Take back your last action. Press again to go back further.
Excel shortcuts for beginners
Keyboard shortcuts let you format and edit without leaving the keys. Over a working day they save the minutes you would spend moving between the mouse and the keyboard, and they make long tables much less tiring to work on. This page is a short cheat sheet of the Excel shortcuts we use every day, with a video, an example and the Mac version for each.
These are the Excel shortcuts for beginners that pay off first. Learn one a day, and you will not need a long list.
Windows, Mac and Excel for the web
Most Excel shortcuts are the same on every system, but the modifier key changes. On Windows you use Ctrl, on a Mac you use Command (⌘) for most of them and Control for a few, such as Ctrl + Shift + $ and Ctrl + ;. A few are completely different, like Edit cell (F2 on Windows, Ctrl + U on a Mac) and New line in a cell (Alt + Enter on Windows, Control + Option + Return on a Mac). Each page in this guide lists both versions.
Excel for the web supports the same shortcuts in a browser, but a browser can take some of them for itself. If a shortcut does nothing, try the desktop app or the ribbon. Every video here was recorded in Excel for the web, so if it works there, you can follow it in any browser.
Which shortcut to learn first
- Start with Ctrl + Z, so every experiment is safe.
- Add Ctrl + B and Ctrl + 1 to make a table readable.
- Use F2 and Alt + Enter whenever you edit text.
- Finish with the date, currency and percent shortcuts for real data.
Learn without memorising
Pick one shortcut a day and use it every time the situation comes up. After a week it is a habit, and you stop reaching for the mouse. Start with undo, bold and edit cell, because you will use them in almost every spreadsheet.
Everything here is free and works in the desktop version of Excel too. More topics are on the way, from formulas to charts, and the same short videos will be added for Google Sheets and other tools people ask about.
Questions
Do these Excel shortcuts work on a Mac?
Most do, with Command (⌘) instead of Ctrl. A few differ, such as Edit cell (Ctrl + U) and New line in a cell (Control + Option + Return). Each page shows the Mac version.
Do they work in Excel for the web?
Yes. The videos on this page were recorded in Excel for the web in a normal browser, and the same shortcuts work in desktop Excel. Ctrl + 1 opens a side panel in the web version instead of a window.
Are the videos free?
Yes, everything on GetPlugzz Learn is free and needs no sign-up. The videos are short and loop without sound, so you can watch the key press and the result in a few seconds.
Which shortcut should I learn first?
Start with Ctrl + Z (undo), Ctrl + B (bold) and F2 (edit a cell). They save the most time, and undo makes it safe to try the rest.
What are the most useful Excel shortcuts for beginners?
Start with Ctrl + Z (undo), Ctrl + B (bold), F2 (edit a cell), Ctrl + 1 (Format Cells) and Alt + Enter (new line in a cell). They work in almost every spreadsheet, and the video on each page shows the exact key press.
Why are my Excel shortcuts not working?
Check that you clicked into the sheet and not into a dialog, that the Fn lock is not changing the keys on your laptop, and that you are using the Mac version on a Mac. In a browser some shortcuts are captured by the browser, so try the desktop app.
Is there an Excel shortcuts cheat sheet?
This page is a cheat sheet: the list shows the Windows keys of every shortcut we cover, and each page adds the Mac keys and a video. We add more shortcuts regularly, so check back.
What is the difference between Excel shortcuts on Mac and Windows?
Ctrl on Windows is usually Command on a Mac, but a few shortcuts use Control on both, and some differ completely, such as F2 and Alt + Enter. Each page here shows both versions.