Essential Excel Keyboard Shortcuts for Data Analysts:

Debapritam Mishra
4 days ago
2 min read

Mastering Excel shortcuts gives you: Speed, accuracy, and efficiency — Mastering Excel shortcuts gives you: *Speed, accuracy, and efficiency*

Whether you're preparing for your first job interview or diving deep into a data analytics project, Excel remains a foundational tool.

It is not just a spreadsheet tool. It’s a powerful application for aspiring data analysts. With these shortcuts at your fingertips, you’ll be able to clean, analyze, and visualize data much faster and smarter.

Data Entry Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
Edit selected cell	F2
Fill down	Ctrl + D
Fill right	Ctrl + R
Insert current date	Ctrl + ;
Insert current time	Ctrl + Shift + ;
Add a comment	Shift + F2
Insert row	Ctrl + Shift + “+”
Delete row/column	Ctrl + “–”

Formatting & Cleaning

Action	Shortcut
Bold	Ctrl + B
Italic	Ctrl + I
Underline	Ctrl + U
Format Cells	Ctrl + 1
Clear contents	Delete
Clear formatting	Alt + E + A + F
Wrap text	Alt + H + W
AutoFit column width	Alt + H + O + I

Formulas & Analysis

Action	Shortcut
Start a formula	=
Show all formulas	Ctrl + `
Recalculate workbook	F9
Insert function	Shift + F3
Absolute reference ($A$1)	F4
AutoSum	Alt + =
Name range	Ctrl + F3
Insert Pivot Table	Alt + N + V

Charts & Visualization

Action	Shortcut
Create chart from data	Alt + F1
New chart in new sheet	F11
Select chart elements	Arrow Keys
Move chart	Ctrl + Arrow Keys