39+ Excel Time Saving Tricks to Work More Efficiently

Excel time saving tricks to use on keyboards.

Whether you are navigating data, crunching numbers, managing worksheets, or creating reports, knowing your way around the keyboard shortcuts in Excel will save you a lot of time.

Trust me. From one analyst to another – It makes a whole lot of difference especially when you are doing repetitive tasks or handling a large data set.

I have taken it into my own hands and consolidated Excel time saving tricks you can practice starting from today to save you ample time doing other more important things.

This article is all about Excel time saving tricks.

General Keyboard Shortcuts

These keyboard shortcuts are your go-to for speeding up everyday tasks like creating new workbooks, saving files, and printing reports. They are your shortcut to working smarter and faster in Excel.

1. Create a new workbook: Ctrl + N or ⌘ + N
2. Open workbook: Ctrl + O or ⌘ + O
3. Save workbook: Ctrl + S or ⌘ + S
4. Save as: F12 or ⌘ + ⇧ + S
5. Close current workbook: Ctrl + W or ⌘ + W
6. Print file: Ctrl + P or ⌘ + P
7. Open options: Alt + F + T or ⌘ + ,
8. Open help: F1 or ⌘ + /
9. Undo the last action: Ctrl + Z or ⌘ + Z
10. Redo last action: Ctrl + Y or ⌘ + Y
11. Repeat the last action: F4 or ⌘ + Y

Keyboard Shortcuts for Navigation

If you would to move efficiently around your worksheet, try these navigation shortcuts.

1. Move one cell to the left: ←
2. Move one cell to the right: →
3. Move one cell up: ↑
4. Move one cell down: ↓
5. Move one screen to the left: Alt + PgUp or Fn + ⌥ + ↑
6. Move one screen to the right: Alt + PgDn or Fn + ⌥ + ↓
7. Move to the beginning of the data region: Ctrl + ← or ^ + ←
8. Move to the end of the data region: Ctrl + → or ^ + →

Keyboard Shortcuts for Managing Data

Want to select and manage data faster? These shortcuts help you to do that effortlessly. 

1. Extend selection by one cell: Shift + arrow keys
2. Extend selection to last cell: Ctrl + Shift + arrow keys or ^ + ⇧ + arrow keys
3. Extend selection one screen: Alt + Shift + PgUp/PgDn or Fn + ⇧ + ⌥ + ↑/↓
4. Extend selection to start or end of row: Shift + Home or Shift + End
5. Extend selection to beginning or end of worksheet: Ctrl + Shift + Home/End or Fn + ^ + ⇧ + ←/→

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Keyboard Shortcuts for Formatting Data

These shortcuts help make formatting your data a breeze by tweaking fonts, aligning data, and making your spreadsheets look polished with just a few quick keystrokes.

1. Change the format of selected cells: Ctrl + 1 or ⌘ + 1
2. Apply or remove bold: Ctrl + B or ⌘ + B
3. Apply or remove italics: Ctrl + I or ⌘ + I
4. Apply or remove underlining: Ctrl + U
5. Align center/left/right: Alt + H + A + C/L/R or ⌘ + E/L/R

Keyboard Shortcuts for Organization

Whether you’re hiding rows, selecting columns, or inserting new ones, try these shortcuts to keep your spreadsheet tidy and organized.

1. Select a row: Shift + Space
2. Select a column: Ctrl + Space
3. Insert rows or columns: Ctrl + Shift + + or ⌘ + ⇧ + +
4. Hide selected rows: Ctrl + 9 or ⌘ + 9
5. Unhide hidden rows: Ctrl + Shift + ( or ⌘ + Shift + (
6. Hide selected columns: Ctrl + 0 or ⌘ + 0
7. Unhide hidden columns: Ctrl + Shift + ) or ⌘ + Shift + )

Keyboard Shortcuts for Formulas

Formulas are the backbone of Excel, and these shortcuts make working with them a breeze. Try these shortcuts to streamline your formula creation and editing.

1. Toggle absolute and relative references: F4 or ⌘ + T
2. Open insert function dialogue box: Shift + F3 or Fn + ⇧ + F3
3. Autosum selected cells: Alt + = or ⌘ + ⇧ + T
4. Calculate worksheets: F9 or Fn + F9

Keyboard Shortcuts for Worksheets and Workbooks

If you often manage multiple sheets and workbooks, try using these shortcuts to move between sheets, add new ones, and juggle multiple files with ease.

1. Insert new worksheet: Shift + F11 or Fn + ⇧ + F11
2. Go to next worksheet: Ctrl + PgDn or Fn + ^ + ↓
3. Go to previous worksheet: Ctrl + PgUp or Fn + ^ + ↑
4. Minimize/maximize workbook window: Ctrl + F9/F10 or Fn + ^ + F9/F10

By mastering these Excel time-saving tricks, you will be able to work more effectively in Excel and streamline your workflow. Start using these shortcuts in your daily Excel tasks to save time and boost productivity!

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