{"id":30801,"date":"2025-06-03T08:44:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T12:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/?p=30801"},"modified":"2025-06-03T08:44:11","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T12:44:11","slug":"5-useful-excel-shortcuts-for-formating-and-navigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/5-useful-excel-shortcuts-for-formating-and-navigation\/","title":{"rendered":"5 useful Excel shortcuts for formating and navigation"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t5 useful Excel shortcuts for formating and navigation\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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Spending more time than necessary in an Excel spreadsheet is the bane of an accountant\u2019s existence. When working on a spreadsheet, we often spend more time playing around with formatting and attempting to get the cells to do what we want than manually inputting data. If you\u2019re in the accounts receivable department, there are probably a thousand different tasks that would be more productive, such as making collection calls, than playing around in a spreadsheet. Below, we have highlighted 5 useful Excel shortcuts for accountants to make formatting and navigation easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Select the entire table (ctrl + shift + space)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you want to quickly select certain rows and columns\u2014without including surrounding empty cells\u2014this shortcut can help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it works:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Ctrl + Shift + Space to select the entire table, including only the data-filled cells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Easily navigate through worksheets and workbooks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nothing\u2019s more frustrating than manually switching between worksheets or workbooks. This wastes time and can lead to errors if data is entered in the wrong sheet or workbook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it works:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/strong>\u2022<\/strong> <\/strong>To move to the next worksheet: Ctrl + PageUp<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 To move to the previous worksheet: Ctrl + PageDown<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 To toggle between open workbooks: Alt + Tab<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.Copy and edit formulas quickly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even trying to copy a formula from one cell and edit it in another can prove to be a difficult task in Excel. Sometimes editing a copied formula takes multiple attempts and the cells can just be stubborn, and then, you are left wondering if the correct formula is even being used, compromising your data. Use this shortcut <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it works: <\/strong>
<\/strong>CTRL+ \u2018<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pressing the control key and the apostrophe key will paste the formula in the above cell, below and immediately enter edit mode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Format numbers instantly for accounting tasks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, you want to enter a number into an Excel worksheet in a specific format, such as with a certain number of decimal places, as a date or a time. Excel usually does not recognize this formatting automatically, and you have to manually highlight the cells and change the formatting using tools. The following Excel shortcut keys are essential for accounting and can save time when formatting numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When entering numbers in Excel, you may need to format them in specific ways\u2014such as currency or percentage. Manually applying these formats can take time.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it works:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some essential shortcuts for quickly formatting numbers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Ctrl + Shift + 1 for two decimal places<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Ctrl + Shift + 2 for time format<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Ctrl + Shift + 3 for date format<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Ctrl + Shift + 4 for currency format<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Ctrl + Shift + 5 for percentage format<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Ctrl + Shift + 6 for exponential format<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Detect all cells linked to a formula (ctrl + shift + {)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When working with complex reports, it\u2019s essential to know how the data was calculated\u2014especially if the formulas are linked across multiple cells. This shortcut lets you identify all the cells linked to a formula.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it works:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n