Essential Microsoft Excel Keyboard Shortcuts

Basic Commands

Function Windows Mac
New Workbook Ctrl + N Command (⌘) + N
Open File Ctrl + O Command (⌘) + O
Save Ctrl + S Command (⌘) + S
Print Ctrl + P Command (⌘) + P
Undo Ctrl + Z Command (⌘) + Z
Redo Ctrl + Y Command (⌘) + Y or ⇧ + ⌘ + Z
Cut Ctrl + X Command (⌘) + X
Copy Ctrl + C Command (⌘) + C
Paste Ctrl + V Command (⌘) + V

Row and Column Management

Function Windows Mac
Insert row/column Ctrl + Shift + + Command + Shift + +
Delete row/column Ctrl + - Control + -
Hide column Ctrl + 0 Command (⌘) + 0
Hide row Ctrl + 9 Command (⌘) + 9

Formulas & Functions

Function Windows Mac
Show all formulas Ctrl + ~ Control + ~
Recalculate worksheet F9 Fn + F9
Lock cell reference ($A$1) F4 (during formula) Fn + F4

Miscellaneous

Function Windows Mac
Switch between worksheets Ctrl + Page Up/Down Fn + Command (⌘) + ↑ / ↓
Insert current date Ctrl + ; Control + ;
Insert current time Ctrl + Shift + ; Control + Shift + ;
Open Help F1 Command (⌘) + /

Essential Excel Text Functions You Should Know

Function Description Example
LEN(text) Returns the number of characters (including spaces) =LEN("Excel 2025")10
LEFT(text, num_chars) Extracts characters from the start (left) =LEFT("Thailand", 3)"Tha"
RIGHT(text, num_chars) Extracts characters from the end (right) =RIGHT("Thailand", 3)"and"
MID(text, start_num, num_chars) Extracts characters from the middle =MID("Thailand", 2, 3)"hai"
TRIM(text) Removes extra spaces (keeps single space between words) =TRIM(" Hello World ")"Hello World"
CLEAN(text) Removes non-printable characters (e.g., line breaks, hidden chars) Useful for cleaning copied text
UPPER(text) Converts text to all uppercase =UPPER("excel")"EXCEL"
LOWER(text) Converts text to all lowercase =LOWER("EXCEL")"excel"
PROPER(text) Capitalizes the first letter of each word =PROPER("hello world")"Hello World"
FIND(find_text, within_text, [start_num]) Finds the position of a substring (case-sensitive) =FIND("a", "Thailand")3
SEARCH(find_text, within_text, [start_num]) Like FIND() but not case-sensitive =SEARCH("A", "Thailand")3
REPLACE(old_text, start_num, num_chars, new_text) Replaces part of the text based on position =REPLACE("Excel2024", 6, 4, "2025")"Excel2025"
SUBSTITUTE(text, old_text, new_text, [instance_num]) Replaces specific text within a string =SUBSTITUTE("1-1-2025", "-", "/")"1/1/2025"
TEXTJOIN(delimiter, ignore_empty, text1, ...) Joins multiple text strings with a delimiter =TEXTJOIN("-", TRUE, A1:A3)
CONCAT(text1, text2, ...) Joins multiple text values (modern version of CONCATENATE) =CONCAT(A1, B1)
TEXT(value, format_text) Converts a value to text in a specified format =TEXT(TODAY(), "dd-mm-yyyy")