10 must-know Excel shortcuts

CTRL E makes complicated tasks easier than ever, thanks to Flash Fill. Flash Fill automatically fills data down a column based on detected patterns. Just enter how you want the data to appear, hit CTRL E, and Excel will fill the pattern down the column in a flash.  

Let Excel do the math for you with this shortcut! ALT = detects data in adjacent cells and automatically sums it using the SUM function. Just select an empty cell adjacent to the data that needs to be added and press ALT =.  

If you are unable to see your data, ALT H O I is here to help! Press ALT H O I to automatically adjust the column widths to fit the size of your data.  

If you are entering repetitive data in Excel, ALT ↓ is a must-know shortcut. The Alt ↓ shortcut displays a dropdown list of all values previously entered in the column. Now, you can simply select any value, which will automatically be entered into the active cell!  

When cranking out formulas in Excel, checking each one individually in the formula bar can be tedious. Instead, try the CTRL shortcut! CTRL toggles between displaying the cells’ formulas and values in the active worksheet.  

Dragging formulas down columns and then again across rows can be a drag. Say goodbye to the fill handle and hello to CTRL ENTER! CTRL ENTER fills the active cell’s contents into selected cells. Note: The active cell has to be in editing mode for this to work.  

Start getting into the routine of using Tables with CTRL T. CTRL T converts data to an Excel Table. Tables are a powerful tool that clean up formatting, auto-fill formulas down columns, automatically expand and update linked charts when new rows are added, and more!  

If you are spending too much time creating charts to visualize data, meet ALT F1. These two magical keys automatically create a bar chart using the selected data and insert it right into the active worksheet!  

Are you team gridlines or no gridlines? If you’re a team with no gridlines, this one is for you. The ALT W VG shortcut removes all gridlines from the active worksheet.  

Last but not least, CTRL SHIFT L. CTRL SHIFT L makes analyzing large data sets a little easier by adding the Sort&Filter toggles to the top row of the data set, so you can quickly sort and filter data.