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.
| To Perform Action | Press Keys |
| Move to the next sheet in the workbook | Ctrl + Page Down |
| Move to the previous sheet in the workbook | Ctrl + Page Up |
| Move to the next workbook window | Ctrl + F6/Tab |
| Move to the previous workbook window | Ctrl + Shift + F6/Tab |
| Move to the next/previous worksheet pane in a worksheet that has been split | F6/ Shift + F6 |
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.
| To Perform Action | Press Keys |
| Move one cell up, down, left, or right | Arrow Keys |
| Move one cell to the right | Tab |
| Move one cell to the left | Shift + Tab |
| Move to the edge of the current data region | CTRL + Arrow Key |
| Move to the beginning of the row | Home |
| Move to the beginning of the worksheet | Ctrl + Home |
| Move to the next empty cell of the row | End |
| Move to the last unused cell in the bottom-most row | Ctrl + End |
| To move down one screen | Page Down |
| To move up one screen | Page Up |
| To move one screen to the right | Alt + Page Down |
| To move one screen to the left | Alt + Page Up |
| To move between unlocked cells on a protected worksheet | Tab |
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.
| To Perform Action | Press Keys |
| Move from top to bottom within the selected range | Enter |
| Move from bottom to top within the selected range | Shift + Enter |
| Move from left to right within the selected range (or down if only one column is selected) | Tab |
| To move from right to left within the selected range (or up if only one column is selected) | Shift + Tab |
| Move clockwise to the next corner of the selected range | Ctrl + . (Period) |
| Move to the next nonadjacent selected range to the right | Ctrl + Alt + R Arrow |
| Move to the next nonadjacent selected range to the left | Ctrl + Alt + L Arrow |
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.
| To Perform Action | Press Keys |
| Scroll one row up or down | Up/Down Arrow |
| Scroll one column left or right | Left/Right Arrow |
| Move to the cell in the upper-left corner | Home |
| Move to the cell in the lower-right corner | End |
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
Last updated on 02 February, 2022
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
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