As an integral part of the ribbon interface used by all the major apps in Microsoft Office, Excel gives you access to hot key sequences that, for all of you keyboard enthusiasts, can greatly speed up the process of selecting program commands. To save time when accessing commands, look up its hot key sequence in these Cheat Sheet tables.
Perform Excel File menu commands with handy hot keys
You activate the Excel hot keys by pressing the Alt key before you type the various sequences of mnemonic letters. The mnemonic letter for all the commands on the Excel File menu in the Backstage View is F (for File). Therefore, all you have to concentrate on learning in the following table is the second letter in the File menu hot key sequence.
Unfortunately, not all these second letters are as easy to associate and remember as Alt+F. For example, check out the Account option hot key sequence — Alt+FD — where the second mnemonic letter (D) doesn’t occur anywhere in the option name!
| Hot Keys | Excel Ribbon Command | Function | |||||
| Alt+FH | File→Home | Displays the Home panel, where you can choose a template, or open a recent or pinned workbook | |||||
| Alt+FN | File→New | Displays the Available Templates panel in the Backstage View box where you can open a blank workbook or one from a template | |||||
| Alt+FO | File→Open | Displays the Open dialog box in the regular worksheet view where you can select a new Excel workbook to open for editing or printing | |||||
| Alt+FI | File→Info | Displays the Information panel in the Backstage View where you can see a preview of the current worksheet along with statistics about the workbook as well as protect the workbook, check the file for compatibility issues, and manage different versions created by the AutoRecover feature | |||||
| Alt+FS | File→Save | Saves changes to a workbook. When you first select this command for a new workbook, Excel displays the Save As dialog box | |||||
| Alt+FA | File→Save As | Displays the Save As dialog box in the regular worksheet view where you can modify the filename, location where the file is saved, and format that the file is saved in | |||||
| Alt+FA | File→Save a Copy | For a OneDrive file, displays the Save a Copy screen in the Backstage view where you choose the OneDrive folder to save a copy of the file, the filename, and the format in which the file is to be saved | |||||
| Alt+FP | File→Print | Displays the Print panel in the Backstage View where you can change the print settings before sending the current worksheet, workbook, or cell selection to the printer | |||||
| Alt+FH | File→Share | Displays the Share panel in the Backstage View where you can send the current workbook as an e-mail attachment or fax it using Internet Fax, attach it to an e-mail as a PDF file, save it in a new file format, or save it online to your company’s SharePoint site or your own Windows Live SkyDrive | |||||
| Alt+FE | File→Export | Displays the Export screen in the Backstage view where you can change the workbook file type or convert it to an Adobe PDF or Microsoft XPS document | |||||
| Alt+FU | File→Publish | Enables you to upload all or part of your workbook to Microsoft Power BI (Business Intelligence), a standalone program that enables you to create rich visual reports and dashboards for your Excel data | |||||
| Alt+FC | File→Close | Closes the current workbook without exiting Excel | |||||
| Alt+FD | File→Account | Displays the Account screen in the Backstage view where you can modify your user information, select a new background and theme for all Office programs, add connected storage services, and get the product ID and other information on your version of Office | |||||
| Alt+FK | File→Feedback | Displays the Feedback screen in the Backstage view where you can send Microsoft your comments about Excel features you like and dislike as well as make suggestions for new features and other improvements | |||||
| Alt+FI | File→Options | Displays the Excel Options dialog box in the regular worksheet view where you can change default program settings, modify the buttons on the Quick Access toolbar, and customize the Excel Ribbon | |||||
| Alt+FX | File→Exit Excel | Quits the Excel program and closes all open workbooks after prompting you to save them | |||||
Common Excel hot keys to perform formula commands
All the hot key sequences for selecting the most common formula-related commands in Excel begin with the sequence Alt+M because the M in forMulas was the only mnemonic key still available (F was already assigned to the File menu commands).
| Hot Keys | Excel Ribbon Command | Function |
| Alt+MF | Formulas→Insert Function | Opens the Insert Function dialog box (same as clicking the Insert Function button on the Formula bar |
| Alt+MUS | Formulas→AutoSum→Sum | Selects the occupied range above the cell cursor and inserts SUM formula to total the range |
| Alt+MUA | Formulas→AutoSum→Average | Selects the occupied range above the cell cursor and inserts AVERAGE formula to calculate the average of total in the range |
| Alt+MUC | Formulas→AutoSum→Count Numbers | Selects the occupied range above the cell cursor and inserts COUNT formula to count the number of values in the range |
| Alt+MI | Formulas→Financial | Opens a drop-down menu listing all Financial functions — click name to insert function into current cell |
| Alt+ME | Formulas→Date & Time | Opens a drop-down menu listing all Date and Time functions — click name to insert function into current cell |
| Alt+MN | Formulas→Name Manager | Opens Name Manager dialog box showing all range names in workbook where you can add, edit, and delete names |
| Alt+MMD | Formulas→Define Name | Opens New Name dialog box where you can assign a name to the cell selection or define a new constant |
| Alt+MS | Formulas→Use in Formula | Displays drop-down menu with range names in workbook that you can insert into current formula by clicking |
| Alt+MC | Formulas→Create from Selection | Opens Create Names from Selection dialog box where you indicate which rows and columns to use in naming cell selection |
| Alt+MH | Formulas→Show Formulas | Displays and then hides all formulas in cells of the worksheet |
| Alt+MXA | Formulas→Options→Automatic | Turns automatic recalculation back on |
| Alt+MXE | Formulas→Options→Automatic Except for Data Tables | Turns automatic recalculation back on for all parts of the worksheet except for ranges with Data Tables |
| Alt+MXM | Formulas→Options→Manual | Turns on manual recalculation |
| Alt+MB | Formulas→Calculate Now | Recalculates formulas throughout the entire workbook when manual recalculation is turned on |
| Alt+MJ | Formulas→Calculate Sheet | Recalculates formulas in the current worksheet when manual recalculation is turned on |
Excel view commands via hot keys
The mnemonic letter for all the view-related commands in Excel is W (the last letter you see in vieW).
| Hot Keys | Excel Ribbon Command | Function |
| Alt+WL | View→Normal | Returns the worksheet to normal view from Page Layout or Page Break Preview |
| Alt+WP | View→Page Layout | Puts the worksheet into Page Layout View showing the page breaks, margins, and rulers |
| Alt+WI | View→Page Break Preview | Puts the worksheet into Page Break Preview showing page breaks that you can adjust |
| Alt+WE | View→Full Screen | Puts the worksheet in full-screen mode which hides the File Menu, Quick Access toolbar, and Ribbon — press the Esc key to restore previous viewing mode |
| Alt+WVG | View→Gridlines | Hides and redisplays the row and column gridlines that form the cells in the Worksheet area |
| Alt+WG | View→Zoom to Selection | Zooms the Worksheet area in or out to the magnification percentage needed to display just the cell selection |
| Alt+WJ | View→100% | Returns the Worksheet area to the default 100% magnification percentage |
| Alt+WN | View→New Window | Inserts a new window in the current workbook |
| Alt+WA | View→Arrange All | Opens the Arrange dialog box where you can select how workbook windows are displayed on the screen |
| Alt+WF | View→Freeze Panes | Opens the Freeze Panes drop-down menu where you select how to freeze rows and columns in the Worksheet area: Freeze Panes (to freeze all the rows above and columns to the left of the cell cursor); Freeze Top Row; or Freeze First Column |
| Alt+WS | View→Split | Splits the worksheet into four panes using the top and left edge of the cell cursor as the vertical and horizontal dividing lines — press hot keys again to remove all panes |
| Alt+WH | View→Hide | Hides the current worksheet window or workbook |
| Alt+WU | View→Unhide | Opens the Unhide dialog box where you can select the window or workbook to redisplay |
| Alt+WB | View→View Side by Side | Tiles two open windows or workbooks one above the other form comparison — press hot keys again to restore the original full windows |
| Alt+WW | View→Switch Windows | Opens the Switch Windows drop-down menu where you can select the open window or workbook to make active |
Excel hot keys for editing commands
The mnemonic letter for all the editing commands is H (for Home) because all of these commands are conveniently located on the Home tab of the Ribbon.
However, even if you can remember to associate editing with the Home tab and keep in mind that Alt+H is always the starting point, you’re still not home free because the remaining letters in the hot key sequences are not as easy to remember as you might like.
Fortunately, the most common editing commands (Cut, Copy, and Paste) still respond to the old Ctrl+key sequences (Ctrl+X, Ctrl+C, and Ctrl+V, respectively), which are a lot quicker than their Alt+H equivalents, provided that you already know and regularly use them.
| Hot Keys | Excel Ribbon Command | Function |
| Alt+HVP | Home→Paste→Paste | Pastes the currently cut or copied cell selection or graphic objects in the worksheet |
| Alt+HX | Home→Cut | Cuts the cell selection or selected graphic objects out of the workbook and places them on the Windows Clipboard |
| Alt+HC | Home→Copy | Copies the cell selection or selected graphic objects to the Windows Clipboard |
| Alt+HFP | Home→Format Painter | Activates the Format Painter |
| Alt+HFO | Home→Clipboard Dialog Box Launcher | Displays and hides the Clipboard task pane |
| Alt+HII | Home→Insert→Insert Cells | Opens Insert dialog box so you can indicate the direction in which to shift existing cells to make room for the ones being inserted |
| Alt+HIR | Home→Insert→Insert Sheet Rows | Inserts blank rows equal to the number of rows in the cell selection |
| Alt+HIC | Home→Insert→Insert Sheet Columns | Inserts blank columns equal to the number of columns in the cell selection |
| Alt+HIS | Home→Insert→Insert Sheet | Inserts a new worksheet in the workbook |
| Alt+HDD | Home→Delete→Delete Cells | Opens Delete dialog box so you can indicate the direction in which to shift existing cells to replace the ones being deleted |
| Alt+HDR | Home→Delete→Sheet Rows | Deletes rows equal to the number of rows in the cell selection |
| Alt+HDC | Home→Delete→Sheet Columns | Deletes columns equal to the number of columns in the cell selection |
| Alt+HDS | Home→Delete→Sheet | Deletes the current worksheet after warning you of data loss if the sheet contains cell entries |
| Alt+HEA | Home→Clear→Clear All | Clears the contents, formatting, and comments from the cell selection |
| Alt+HEF | Home→Clear→Clear Formats | Clears the formatting of the cell selection without removing the contents and comments |
| Alt+HEC | Home→Clear→Clear Contents | Clears the contents of the cell selection without removing the formatting and comments |
| Alt+HEM | Home→Clear→Clear Comments | Clears all comments in the cell selection without removing the formatting and contents |
