Excel Basics & Shortcuts
These are the must-know Excel shortcuts and features every user should know to save time and make work easier. Some of these can be done without shortcuts, but using them will defenitely help you work faster and smoother
Organize Your Data First
Before using any formulas, make sure your data is well-organized. Keep similar data in the same column, for example:
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All dates in one column
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All product names in another
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All sales numbers in another
A clean, consistent layout is the foundation for accurate calculations and will save you time fixing errors later.
How Functions Work
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Functions are built-in formulas that handle calculations for you. They always need values inside the parentheses (parameters)
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Instead of typing numbers directly, click on the cells containing the numbers so the formula updates automatically when data changes, for example:
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=MAX(A1:A10) finds the largest number in that range.
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After writing a function once, you can copy or drag it down to other cells, Excel will automatically adjust the cell references for each row.
Description:
Windows:
Tools:
1. Quickly move to the end of your data
2. Select everything from current cell to the end
3. Select all cells in sheet
4. Switch between open sheets
5. Switch between Excel files
6. Copy selected cells
7. Paste copied cells
8. Paste special options
9. Undo last action
10. Redo last undone action
11. Find specific text or numbers
12. Replace text or numbers
13. Add a new row
14. Delete selected row
15. Adjust column width automatically
16. Bold Text
17. Italics
18. Underline
19. Sort data
20. Filter data
21. Format as table
22. Wrap text
23. Merge cells
24. SUM function
25. AVERAGE function
26. Autosum
27. Use AutoFill
28. Insert a chart
29. Finds the largest number in a range of cells.
30. Finds the smallest number in a range of cells.
Ctrl + ↓ / ↑ / → / ←
Ctrl + Shift + ↓ / ↑ / → / ←
Ctrl + A
Ctrl + PgUp / PgDn
Alt + Tab
Ctrl + C
Ctrl + V
Ctrl + Alt + V
Ctrl + Z
Ctrl + Y
Ctrl + F
Ctrl + H
Ctrl + Shift + "+"
Ctrl + "-"
Double-click column border
Ctrl + B
Ctrl + I
Ctrl + U
Alt + D + S
Ctrl + Shift + L
Ctrl + T
Alt + H + W
Alt + H + M + M
=SUM( )
=AVERAGE( )
Alt + =
Drag fill handle
Alt + F1
=MAX( )
=MIN( )
Mac:
Cmd + ↓ / ↑ / → / ←
Cmd + Shift + ↓ / ↑ / → / ←
Cmd + A
Fn + ⌃ + ↑ / ↓
Cmd + Tab
Cmd + C
Cmd + V
Cmd + Ctrl + V
Cmd+ Z
Cmd+ Y
Cmd+ F
Cmd+ Shift + H
Cmd+ Shift + "+"
Cmd+ "-"
Same
Cmd+ B
Cmd+ I
Cmd+ U
Same
Cmd+ Shift + F
Cmd + T
Same
Same
All the functions are the same
All the functions are the same
Cmd + Shift + T
Same
Fn + ⌃ + F1
All the functions are the same
All the functions are the same
Locking Cells in Formulas
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Relative reference (A1): Changes both the column and row when copied to another cell.
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Absolute reference ($A$1): Stays locked on that exact cell, no matter where you copy it.
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How the dollar sign works:
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$A$1: locks both column and row
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$A1: locks only the column
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A$1: locks only the row
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Cell Formatting Basics
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Formatting changes how numbers look without changing their value. For example, 0.5 can show as 50%, $0.50, or a time.
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You can switch between currency, percentage, and date, adjust decimals, or change how negatives appear.
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Shortcut: Windows: Ctrl + 1 | Mac: Cmd + 1
Basic Error Messages
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#DIV/0! : You’re dividing by zero or an empty cell.
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#VALUE! : The formula has the wrong data type (possibly adding text to a number).
To fix them, check your inputs and make sure the cells contain valid numbers or the correct data type.