Excel bold shortcut: Ctrl + B

What it does

Ctrl + B turns bold on for every selected cell, row or column, and turns it off again when you press it a second time. It works the same on a single word inside a cell while you are editing it.

When to use it

Use it for header rows, totals and anything the reader should see first. It is much faster than finding the B button on the ribbon, and you can select a whole row with Shift + Space before pressing it.

How to do it

1. Click a cell, or select the header row.
2. Press Ctrl + B (on a Mac: Command + B).
3. The text turns bold. Press the same keys again to undo it.

A quick example

Say you have a price list with Product, Price and Discount in row 1. Click the row number 1 to select the whole row, press Ctrl + B, and all three titles turn bold at once. To make only part of a cell bold, press F2, select the word with Shift and the arrow keys, and then press Ctrl + B.

Ctrl + B, Ctrl + 2 and the Bold button

In Windows, Ctrl + 2 does exactly the same as Ctrl + B, so use whichever is easier to reach. The number shortcuts work in every language version of Excel (Ctrl + 3 is italic and Ctrl + 4 is underline), while the letters can differ in some languages. The Bold button (B) on the Home tab does the same too, but it needs the mouse. If you want the same look on many cells, use a Cell Style instead (Home, Cell Styles), so you can change it everywhere in one go.

Not working? Check this

• Nothing happens: check that you clicked into the sheet and not into the search box or the formula bar. The shortcut applies to the selected cells.
• On a Mac the shortcut is Command + B, not Control + B.
• The bold disappeared: if you pressed the shortcut twice, bold is off again. Press it once more.
• Ctrl + B does not bold in your language version of Excel: use Ctrl + 2, which works in every language.