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15 Microsoft Excel Shortcuts You Need to Know

  • Writer: Alex Hughes
    Alex Hughes
  • Jun 3
  • 2 min read

Speed Up Your Spreadsheets and Work Smarter in 2025

excel shortcut

Whether you're managing budgets, reporting on performance, or building your next big project tracker, Microsoft Excel remains one of the most powerful tools in business.


But are you using it to its full potential?


If you're clicking around with your mouse for every formula, filter, or formatting change — you’re missing out. These 15 Excel shortcuts will help you move faster, reduce errors, and feel more in control of your data.



Why Excel Shortcuts Matter

Shortcuts might feel small, but the time you save adds up fast. In a typical workday, knowing a few key combinations can help you:

  • Work faster with fewer clicks

  • Keep your hands on the keyboard and stay in the flow

  • Reduce repetitive strain from dragging and scrolling

  • Impress your colleagues with slick spreadsheet moves 🙌


Whether you're in finance, sales, admin, or IT — these tips are for you.



💡 The 15 Excel Shortcuts Everyone Should Know

Shortcut

What it does

Ctrl + Shift + L

Add or remove filters to selected data

Ctrl + Arrow Keys

Jump to the edge of data in that direction

Ctrl + Space

Select the entire column

Shift + Space

Select the entire row

Ctrl + Shift + +

Insert a new row or column

Ctrl + -

Delete selected row or column

Ctrl + 1

Open format cells window

F2

Edit the active cell

Alt + =

AutoSum selected cells

Ctrl + Z

Undo the last action

Ctrl + Y

Redo the last undone action

Ctrl + Shift + $

Apply currency formatting (£)

Ctrl + T

Create a table from selected data

Ctrl + ;

Insert the current date

Ctrl + Shift + Up/Down

Select all data above or below the active cell


🧠 Real-World Use Cases

Here’s how some of these shortcuts work in the real world:

  • Ctrl + Shift + L: Got a list of customer names and values? Add filters in one click.

  • F2: Save time fixing formulas — jump straight into editing.

  • Alt + =: Need totals? Highlight and hit this to AutoSum in seconds.

  • Ctrl + T: Turn raw data into a table so you can sort, filter, and analyse easily.



⚙️ IT Desk Tip: Combine Shortcuts with Excel Tables and Conditional Formatting

Shortcuts are great — but when combined with Excel’s other powerful tools, you unlock a whole new level of productivity. We often show our clients how to build smarter dashboards, use PivotTables, and even connect Excel to live data sources through Power BI or Microsoft 365.


If your spreadsheets are getting out of control, there’s a better way. We’ll show you how.



📌 Final Thoughts

Mastering Excel shortcuts is one of the fastest ways to work smarter — and it's often the difference between spreadsheet stress and spreadsheet success.


At IT Desk, we help UK businesses get more from Microsoft 365 every day — from Excel training to smarter cloud solutions.


👉 Want to boost your team’s productivity? Let’s talk.

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