I used to hate working with MS Excel sheets because it required a lot of patience. The constant switching between the mouse and the keyboard is just not fun. For working with data I needed the keyboard and for navigation I needed the mouse. And that was far from productive.

So I thought I should learn all shortcut keys which help in navigating within such worksheets. I have mastered them and now I enjoy MS Excel as much I used to hate it. And since my job at Guiding Tech is sharing what I learn, well, here we are.

Tip: We have another super guide on all MS Excel shortcut keys that work with Function keys (F1 through F12) combination.

Navigating Worksheets and Workbooks

Most of us use the mouse to navigate to adjacent worksheets on a workbook. And, to navigate to different workbooks we take help of the Windows taskbar. It’s time to learn a few shortcut keys.

1. For example, if you're using Excel for Mac, some of the Ctrl combination shortcut keys that Excel for Windows has don't work. If you're interested in lists or cheat sheets with the actual keyboard shortcuts. Displays a new set of Key Tips that show all of your new options. In some cases, a Key Tip may display 2 keys.
2. Mac Excel 2011 doesn’t show scroll lock status anywhere. How to disable Scroll Lock on Windows. If you’re using a full keyboard in Windows – one that has a Scroll Lock key – simply press the key to disable. You should see the Scroll Lock message disappear from the status bar and then be able to move around normally. If your keyboard.

Another quick way to switch worksheets is to right-click on any sheet tab to show the list of all tabs. Then, select the tab you wish to switch to.

Display the Go To dialog box ⌘ + 1 or Ctrl + 1. Display the Format Cells dialog box. Ctrl + H or ⌘ + Shift + H. Display the Replace dialog box ⌘ + Ctrl + V or Ctrl + Option + V. Paste Special ⌘ + U. Underline ⌘ + I or Ctrl + I. Italic ⌘ + N or Ctrl + N. New blank workbook ⌘ + Shift + P. New workbook from template ⌘ + Shift + S or F12. Display the Save As dialog box. The On-Screen Keyboard in Windows, Scroll Lock key in white. Once the keyboard is displayed, make sure Excel is the active application and click the ScrLk key. That should do it. How to disable Scroll Lock on a Mac. The official Microsoft shortcut for Scroll Lock is Shift + F14. If you have an extended keyboard with an F14 key, try that first.

Navigating Cells on Worksheet

These are keys you will require almost always. And, that’s because Excel is all about data in cells. When you are working on one, you know how often you have to move from cell to cell and from one end to the other.

Navigating Selected Ranges

I accidentally discovered that some of those cell navigation keys work differently when a block of data is selected. Then, I realized they were meant to have overridden features.

Navigating With Scroll Lock

When you use the arrow keys or Page up/down keys to scroll, cell selection moves the distance you scroll. And then, you may lose the focus from current cell. By activating scroll lock you can navigate the window without losing cell selection. Scroll Lock key will enable/disable this mode.

Conclusion

I am sure these shortcuts will prove useful to you. Apart from just reducing the time and effort, they will make working with Excel a charm.

Image Credit: Martin Fisch

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