How-to guides

Get ahead of your peers, one shortcut at a time.

The fastest people in any office aren't working harder. They know the shortcuts. These step-by-step guides take the Microsoft 365 tasks people search for most and solve each one in seconds from the keyboard.

Shortcuts for your role

Hand-picked shortcut lists for the jobs people actually do.

Excel

Ctrl+5How to strikethrough in ExcelPress Ctrl+5 to apply or remove strikethrough on the selected cells in Excel. Ctrl+;How to insert today's date in ExcelPress Ctrl+; (semicolon) to insert today's date into an Excel cell, and Ctrl+Shift+; to insert the current time. Ctrl+Shift+LHow to add a filter in ExcelPress Ctrl+Shift+L to turn filters on or off for the current data range in Excel. Alt+=How to use AutoSum in ExcelPress Alt+= to insert a SUM formula that automatically totals the numbers above or beside the active cell. Alt+EnterHow to start a new line in an Excel cellPress Alt+Enter while typing in a cell to add a line break within the same cell. F4How to lock a cell reference in Excel (F4)While editing a formula, press F4 to cycle a cell reference through absolute ($A$1), mixed (A$1 and $A1) and relative (A1). Ctrl+Down ArrowHow to jump to the last row of data in ExcelPress Ctrl+Down Arrow to jump to the last filled cell in a column. Add Shift to select everything on the way. Ctrl+Alt+VHow to paste values only in ExcelPress Ctrl+Alt+V to open Paste Special, then V and Enter to paste just the values, with no formulas or formatting. Ctrl+EHow to use Flash Fill in ExcelType one example of the result you want, then press Ctrl+E. Flash Fill spots the pattern and fills the rest of the column instantly. Ctrl+0How to hide columns and rows in ExcelPress Ctrl+0 to hide the selected columns and Ctrl+9 to hide the selected rows. Ctrl+Shift+9 unhides rows. Alt+HthenMthenCHow to merge cells in ExcelSelect the cells, then press Alt+H, M, C (one after another) to merge them and centre the contents using Excel's ribbon KeyTips. Alt+HthenWHow to wrap text in ExcelSelect the cells and press Alt+H, then W, to switch Wrap Text on or off in Excel. Alt+WthenFHow to freeze panes in ExcelPress Alt+W, then F, to open Excel's Freeze Panes menu, then choose Freeze Panes, Freeze Top Row or Freeze First Column. Shift+F2How to add a note to a cell in ExcelSelect a cell and press Shift+F2 to add a note, or to edit the note that's already there. Ctrl+Shift+$How to format numbers as currency in ExcelSelect the numbers and press Ctrl+Shift+$ to apply currency format with two decimal places. Ctrl+Shift+~ returns them to General. Ctrl+SpacebarHow to select an entire column or row in ExcelPress Ctrl+Spacebar to select the whole column and Shift+Spacebar to select the whole row of the active cell. Ctrl+Shift+PlusHow to insert or delete a row in ExcelSelect a row with Shift+Spacebar, then press Ctrl+Shift+Plus to insert a row above it or Ctrl+Minus to delete it. Ctrl+THow to create a table in ExcelClick inside your data and press Ctrl+T, confirm the range and headers, then press Enter to turn it into an Excel table. Ctrl+DHow to fill down in ExcelSelect the cell with the value or formula plus the cells below it, then press Ctrl+D to copy it down. Ctrl+R fills to the right. Ctrl+`How to show formulas in ExcelPress Ctrl+` (the grave accent key, usually left of 1) to show every formula on the sheet instead of its result. Press it again to switch back. Ctrl+Page DownHow to switch between sheets in ExcelPress Ctrl+Page Down to move to the next worksheet and Ctrl+Page Up to move to the previous one. Shift+F11 inserts a new sheet. Alt+F1How to create a chart in ExcelSelect your data and press Alt+F1 to insert a chart on the current sheet, or F11 to create it on a new chart sheet. Ctrl+Shift+&How to add borders in ExcelSelect the cells and press Ctrl+Shift+& to add an outline border. Ctrl+Shift+_ removes all borders.

Word

Ctrl+Shift+VHow to paste without formatting in Word, Teams and EdgePress Ctrl+Shift+V to paste plain text without the original fonts, colours and styles. It works in Word for Microsoft 365, Teams and Edge. Shift+F3How to change text to uppercase or lowercase in WordSelect the text and press Shift+F3 to cycle between lowercase, UPPERCASE and Capitalise Each Word in Word. Ctrl+EnterHow to insert a page break in WordPress Ctrl+Enter to start a new page in Word at the cursor position. Ctrl+Shift+=How to do superscript and subscript in WordPress Ctrl+Shift+= for superscript (like x²) and Ctrl+= for subscript (like H₂O) in Word. Ctrl+Shift+SpacebarHow to insert a non-breaking space in WordPress Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar to insert a non-breaking space, which keeps two words together on the same line. Ctrl+HHow to find and replace in WordPress Ctrl+H to open Find and Replace in Word, type what to find and what to replace it with, then choose Replace All. Ctrl+Shift+EHow to turn on Track Changes in WordPress Ctrl+Shift+E to turn Track Changes on or off in Word, so every edit is recorded for others to review. Ctrl+Alt+MHow to add a comment in WordSelect some text and press Ctrl+Alt+M to insert a comment in Word. The same shortcut works in PowerPoint. Ctrl+Alt+1How to apply heading styles in WordPlace the cursor in a paragraph and press Ctrl+Alt+1, 2 or 3 to apply the Heading 1, Heading 2 or Heading 3 style. Ctrl+2How to double space in WordSelect the paragraphs and press Ctrl+2 for double line spacing, Ctrl+5 for 1.5 spacing or Ctrl+1 for single spacing. Ctrl+KHow to insert a hyperlink in WordSelect the text and press Ctrl+K, paste or type the web address, then press Enter to create a hyperlink. Ctrl+SpacebarHow to clear formatting in WordSelect the text and press Ctrl+Spacebar to remove manual character formatting, and Ctrl+Q to remove paragraph formatting.

Teams

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PowerPoint

Microsoft Edge

Windows

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