Faster At Excel

Excel Formatting Shortcuts

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The Basics Of Excel Formatting Shortcuts

Formatting is a common task in Excel.  So what are some good formatting shortcuts to increase your speed?

Excel-Formatting-Shortcuts

First, memorize these shortcuts for opening up the Format Cells dialog box (shown below):

Format Cells Dialog Box (keyboard): Ctrl+1

Format Cells Dialog Box (hybrid): Right Click+F*

(*Note: this won’t work if you have copied something into the clipboard since at that point “F” will activate the paste Formulas option instead).

format-cells-dialog-box-excel

You can switch between tabs in the dialog box with your mouse or by typing the first letter for tab (e.g., “F” for Font).

Second, there are some common formats with easy shortcuts:

Bold (keyboard): Ctrl+B –or– Ctrl+2

Italics (keyboard): Ctrl+I –or–Ctrl+3

Underline (keyboard): Ctrl+U –or– Ctrl+4

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Excel Paste Special Shortcuts To Make You Faster

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Basic Paste

The fastest way to cut, copy and paste is by using the keyboard shortcuts Ctr+X, Ctr+C and Ctr+V.  Ctrl+V performs the basic paste operation — and includes the formulas and formatting, if any.  But sometimes you want to do more — or less — when pasting.  And pasting can be used in ways you’ve never imagined.  Enter Paste Special.

Paste Special

The animation below shows some of the neat things Paste Special can do in Excel: pasting just values (no formatting or formulas), pasting a picture (that you can move around) and pasting formatting onto other numbers.

Excel-Paste-Special-Basics

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Excel Shortcuts: Mouse-Keyboard Hybrids

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Keyboard Or Mouse?

What’s faster?  The mouse or the keyboard?  That is the question when it comes to speed and Excel shortcuts.

Like most people, I employ both types — I am a “hybrid” user.

In theory, a keyboard-only approach is fastest.  However, for most people (including me), a keyboard-only approach is a bridge too far, requiring too much memorization.  Moreover, the mouse is comfortable and, in many cases, actually faster than the keyboard.  So I typically use keyboard shortcuts involving only those keys reachable by the left hand (without looking at the keyboard).  I keep the right hand on the mouse unless putting it on the keyboard will clearly save me a lot of time (e.g., navigating and selecting large ranges).

Hybrid Excel Shortcuts

One great example of a fast hybrid shortcut is right clicking the mouse, then typing the shortcut key with your left hand.  Beginning an action with the mouse doesn’t require you to finish it that way.

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