6 More Shortcuts in Excel That Will Speed Up Your Work

As well as helping you to work more efficiently, keyboard shortcuts can be easier than using a mouse or touchscreen, especially to those who have mobility or vision disabilities. And what would you do if your mouse stopped working? In this week's blog, Edmund will introduce you to six keyboard shortcuts that you may not know about in Excel for both Windows and Mac.

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1. Create a pivot table from the selected data

Pivot Tables are one of the most powerful tools in Excel for summarising data, so it is helpful to know this keyboard shortcut to work quickly with them.

For both Windows and Mac, select the data set and press ALT + N + V (this is a sequential shortcut so press ALT then N then V).

A dialog box will appear with options to create a Pivot Table. You can normally select a cell in the data set as long as there are no blank rows or columns, and Excel will highlight the entire data set.

2. Create an Excel Table (Format As Table) from the selected data

There are two quick and easy ways to create an Excel Table using existing data in a spreadsheet.

The first way using the keyboard shortcut is CTRL + T for both Windows and Mac. This will allow you to choose from the styles of Excel Tables. Make sure your selected cell is anywhere in the data set that you want to convert into a table.

The second way is ALT + H + T for both Windows and Mac to open the Format As Table menu. Then you can use the arrow keys to select the style you want and hit ENTER.

3. Working with long and complex functions in the formula bar

Sometimes when working with a very long and complex formulas in the formula bar, you can only see the first line.

Users tend to expand the formula bar by using the mouse cursor at the bottom edge of the formula bar, but instead you can now use CTRL + SHIFT + U for Windows and ^ + SHIFT + U for Mac to quickly toggle the formula bar between a collapsed and expanded state easily.

Expanding the formula bar in Excel

4. Using Range Names into a formula with Paste Name Dialog box

Providing that you have created at least one Range Name in your workbook, you can use these instead of using the cell references in your formulas.

Just press F3 on Windows and Command + F3 for Mac to display the Paste Name dialog box to paste one of your Range Names into the formula.

5. Using Insert Function (fx) Dialog box

Instead of typing your formulas manually, you can use Insert Function button in the formula bar to display a dialog box to help you to build the correct formula.

Rather than always having to click on the Insert Function button, press Shift + F3 for both Windows and Mac.

6. Add line breaks to a cell for readability

Instead of typing long text into a cell and having to adjust the column width manually, you can insert a line break.

Move to a point where you wish to create a new line by pressing ALT + ENTER for Windows and Control + Option + Return or Control + Command + Return for Mac.

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Ed Lepre

Ed is a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) and has worked at Happy for over 12 years. Although he trains the full suite of MS Office and non-Office packages at all levels, his favourite package is Excel. A previous winner of the prestigious Learning and Performance Institute’s ‘Learning Professional of the Year’ award, as well as other training accolades, he is also the IT Helpline Manager.