Excel shortcuts are keyboard commands that replace mouse clicks, allowing you to navigate, format, and edit spreadsheets faster. In finance, the most essential shortcuts include:
F2 — edit the active cell
F4 — lock a cell reference (toggle anchors)
Ctrl+[ — jump to precedent cells
Ctrl+] — jump to dependent cells
Ctrl+~ — switch to formula view
Ctrl+Alt+V — open Paste Special
Alt+= — insert AutoSum
Ctrl+Shift+Arrow — highlight a contiguous range
Ctrl+Home / Ctrl+End — jump to the beginning or end of a worksheet
Windows and Mac shortcuts differ significantly. Most ribbon-based shortcuts (Alt key sequences) have no Mac equivalent, making PC the preferred platform for finance roles.
Excel Shortcuts Cheat Sheet for Finance
Excel shortcuts are a fundamental component of efficient financial modeling. Quite simply, it's well worth the time to learn them. Here, Wall Street Prep has compiled the most important time-saving Excel shortcuts for both Windows and Mac.
Excel Shortcuts Cheat Sheet — Printable PDF
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What are the best Excel shortcuts for navigating large spreadsheets?
Ctrl+Arrow jumps to the end of a contiguous data range. Ctrl+Home returns you to cell A1. Ctrl+End jumps to the last used cell in the sheet. F5 opens the Go To dialog for jumping to named ranges or specific cells. These four cover most navigation needs in a large spreadsheet or multi-tab financial model.
Are Excel shortcuts likely to come up in a finance interview?
Not as direct questions, but Excel proficiency is tested implicitly. Many banks include a timed Excel modeling test where shortcuts are the difference between finishing and not. Demonstrating keyboard fluency during a take-home case study signals the kind of technical preparation interviewers look for — and it's one of the few areas where preparation has an almost 1:1 payoff.
Do Excel shortcuts still matter with AI tools starting to automate spreadsheet work?
For now, yes. AI tools are entering the workflow for formula suggestions and data cleaning, but live financial modeling — especially in client-facing or time-sensitive situations — still runs in Excel, by hand. Shortcuts aren't just about speed; they reflect deep familiarity with how Excel thinks, which makes you a better model architect regardless of what tools you layer on top.
Do Excel shortcuts work the same on Mac and PC?
Most basic shortcuts are the same — Copy, Paste, Undo, Save all work identically. But the differences grow quickly once you move beyond the basics. On PC, Alt key sequences let you navigate the entire ribbon without a mouse, which is how finance professionals execute formatting, sorting, and data tools at speed. Most of these have no Mac equivalent. Mac relies more on Cmd and Option combinations, and some shortcuts simply don't exist in the Mac version of Excel. If you're heading into a finance role, expect your workplace to run Windows — so PC shortcuts are worth prioritizing from the start.
How do you check formulas in Excel without using the mouse?
F2 puts you in edit mode so you can see cell references highlighted and navigate them with arrow keys. Ctrl+[ jumps to direct precedents; Ctrl+] jumps to dependents. Ctrl+~ switches the entire sheet to formula view. Together, these let you trace errors through a model without touching the mouse.
Should I learn Excel on a Mac or PC?
If you're learning Excel for a career in finance, PC is the stronger choice. Investment banks, private equity firms, and most financial institutions run Windows, which means the shortcuts, add-ins, and workflows you'll encounter on the job are PC-based. Many ribbon shortcuts (Alt key sequences) don't exist on Mac at all, and some Excel features — like certain auditing tools and add-ins — are Windows-only. Learning on Mac isn't a dealbreaker, but you'll likely need to relearn muscle memory when you get to a trading floor or banking desk.
What's the best way to practice Excel shortcuts before starting a finance job?
The most effective approach is to stop using your mouse entirely — force yourself to navigate, format, and edit using only the keyboard until it becomes automatic. Start with the highest-frequency shortcuts (navigation, paste special, F2, F4, anchoring) before expanding to ribbon sequences. Building or rebuilding a simple three-statement model from scratch is one of the best drills because it forces you to use formatting, formula, and navigation shortcuts in combination, the same way you would on the job. Timed practice matters too — speed under pressure is different from speed in isolation.
Do investment banks use Excel add-ins that change how shortcuts work?
Yes, and it's worth knowing before your first day. Macabacus is the most widely used add-in at bulge bracket and middle market banks — it adds its own shortcut layer on top of Excel for things like formatting cells to finance conventions, toggling between hardcode and formula, and model navigation. Some shortcuts you've memorized may conflict with or get overridden by the add-in. A few minutes spent learning which Macabacus shortcuts your firm uses will save you a lot of frustration in your first weeks on the job.
How long does it take to get fast at Excel for a finance job?
Most analysts reach functional fluency — meaning they can build and navigate a model without slowing down to think about shortcuts — within three to six months of daily use on the job. Getting there faster before you start is possible with deliberate practice: mouse-free workflows, timed drills, and building real models rather than just memorizing key combinations. The analysts who arrive already comfortable with keyboard-first Excel tend to separate themselves quickly in the first few months, when the learning curve for everything else is already steep.
Is Excel still used in investment banking, or has it been replaced by other tools?
Excel remains the dominant tool in investment banking and most of finance. Specialized software exists for certain tasks — Bloomberg for market data, Pitchbook for deal comps, Argus for real estate — but the core work of building models, running scenarios, and presenting financial analysis still happens in Excel. AI tools are beginning to assist with formula writing and data cleaning, but they feed into Excel rather than replace it. If anything, the bar for Excel proficiency has risen as models have become more complex. Knowing your way around a spreadsheet at speed is still one of the most reliable signals of technical readiness in finance.
Thanks for the article! Extremely helpful, but I can’t seem to get my Mac’s “fn” key to work…
Scott McCarthy
January 4, 2017 1:52 pm
Hi Joe,
By default, Mac function keys control system settings and Mission Control. To use function keys for shortcuts, you’ll need to hold down the “fn” key before you press F2, F3, etc. You can change this in System Preferences > Keyboard by checking “Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys.” You can now use the function keys without pressing “fn.”
M.Sivakumar
January 19, 2017 1:37 am
i want shortcut key for one time open more then one hided sheet
Haseeb Chowdhry
January 19, 2017 10:26 am
I don’t think there is a shortcut for that unless you build it in VBA – thanks!
Christian Barron
July 28, 2017 9:36 pm
Hello,
I have excel 2011 for Mac. Is this outdated?
Thanks,
Christian
Haseeb Chowdhry
August 2, 2017 6:14 pm
Christian,
Not necessarily – Excel 2011 should be fine – thanks!
Chloe Boyce
September 26, 2017 12:42 pm
Hi,
on a PC, when hitting alt it shows all the shortcuts to navigate through the different tabs. What would be the equivalent of that on a MAC?
Haseeb Chowdhry
September 26, 2017 2:52 pm
Chloe,
Unfortunately for a Mac, that command does not exist, but there are ways to get close to the Windows functionality:
a) You can Enable Ctrl + Arrows by disabling Mission Control settings on your Mac by following these steps:
1. Go to System Preferences > Keyboard.
2. Go to “Keyboard shortcuts” tab.
3. Click “Mission Control” in the left window.
4. Expand the “Mission Control” tab in the right window and click off “Move left a space” and “Move right a space”
b) You can enable Ctrl+Spacebar for highlighting columns by disabling Spotlight Search
1. System Preferences > Keyboard.
2. Go to “Keyboard shortcuts”s” tab.
3. Click “Spotlight” in the left window.
4. Disable “Show Spotlight Search.”
Hope this helps – thanks!
Jainam Shah
November 21, 2017 2:59 am
I am thinking of purchasing the Premium Package, but the demo videos are shown in Windows. I have a MacBook — will all features also work in Excel for Mac, or is Windows is a necessity?
Haseeb Chowdhry
November 21, 2017 6:53 am
Jainam,
Although the instructor in our lesson videos is on a Windows version of Excel, you can absolutely go through our courses on a Mac. You may find a shortcut here and there that Excel for Mac doesn’t have, but our lessons will always show you the native/non-shortcut way of doing things as well, so you’ll be all set!
Mohamad Kawam
December 17, 2017 9:49 am
Hello Haseeb,
Is there a shortcut that allows us to reverse the sign of the value in a cell?
Haseeb Chowdhry
December 19, 2017 10:28 am
Mohamad,
If you have the Boost add-in tool, you can press Ctrl Alt Shift \ to reverse the sign of a number. Hope this helps!
Haseeb
Andres
December 18, 2017 10:32 am
Do you have all these shortcuts for German Keyboard?
Haseeb Chowdhry
December 19, 2017 10:26 am
Andres,
I apologize – we only publish our shortcuts in English. Take care!
Best,
Haseeb
JOSE GONZALEZ
February 21, 2018 11:47 am
Could I use a windows keyboard with a mac version of excel?in order to learn the windows shortcuts, which I am going to use both at work and at home
Haseeb Chowdhry
February 21, 2018 1:41 pm
Jose,
Unfortunately not – the program itself controls the shortcuts. You need to work on a Windows version of Excel to utilize those shortcuts.
– Haseeb
Sabih Rehman
August 17, 2018 5:34 pm
For some reason, the font increase/decrease does not work on my Mac.
Haseeb Chowdhry
October 15, 2018 11:59 am
Sabih,
If you are referring to the ribbon command to increase or decrease font size, then yes, you cannot use the ribbon command of Alt H F C to access the command. With Mac, you will have to use the mouse to access the ribbon. Thanks!
– Haseeb
Jonas Halldén
October 24, 2018 9:34 am
You can add ALT+F1, quikly create a chart based on the table or range that is where the cursors is.
Also, CTRL+T seems like an obvious one, to create a table!
dhirendra gupta
April 16, 2020 9:31 am
What combination of keys creates a top border on a cell?
Jeff Schmidt
April 16, 2020 1:37 pm
Alt H B P.
Best,
Jeff
Gloria Wong
December 19, 2020 10:39 am
For the extending selection to left/right one screen, when I click on Alt + Shift +pageup/down it just adjusts the height of the row. how do i fix this? Thanks
Jeff Schmidt
December 21, 2020 1:17 pm
Gloria:
It sounds like you might have Macabacus. This shortcut only works if you temporarily disable Macabacus. You can go to Macabacus on the ribbon and press “Pause.”
Best,
Jeff
Federico Wilhelm
December 31, 2020 12:35 pm
Not suer why but some formula don’t work for windows. Where can I download the latest version? I am inscribed at the FMVA course and I would like to have the lastest and most compete version of shortcuts. For example I have a problem in visualizing the formula’s with F2. it doesn’t work but its fundamental for me. Please as soon as you know contact me
Jeff Schmidt
December 31, 2020 1:47 pm
Federico:
I’m not sure why that would be the case. You may need to uninstall/re-install Excel. If you require a more up-to-date version of Excel then you would need to purchase it through Microsoft.
Best,
Jeff
R. Sai Prasad.
March 10, 2021 12:56 am
Dear sir, I have many short cut keys as given by you, and many keys are not working at all. Sorry.
R. Sai Prasad.
9840512946
Jeff Schmidt
March 10, 2021 4:52 pm
You will need to check your computer manufacturer’s settings to see what the correct shortcut is. We provide the general shortcut (i.e., applicable to most PCs) but there may be some minor differences depending on make and model.
Best,
Jeff
Andrew Devlin
January 3, 2023 12:27 am
Can you make an updated PDF? The 2016 PDF has shortcuts that are out of date with newer versions/the shortcuts on this webpage. Thanks!
Brad Barlow
January 4, 2023 4:39 pm
Hi, Andrew,
When you input your name and email to download the free PDF, does it not give you an updated one? Let me know and I’ll let me tech folks know!
BB
John
May 23, 2023 8:50 am
Hi, I can confirm that it doesn’t. It shows the 2016 shortcuts
Brad Barlow
May 26, 2023 11:23 pm
Hi, John,
Thanks for confirming that. Can you let me know exactly which 2016 shortcuts do not work with newer versions?
BB
Nagarajan E
January 11, 2023 1:55 am
Please provide autofit shortcut in excel
Brad Barlow
January 11, 2023 10:51 am
Hi, Nagarajan,
Autofit column width is Alt H O I and row height is Alt H O A.
BB
mickey
August 14, 2023 4:42 am
Hello, Could you please provide the download website of latest version of Boost Excel Add-In for a free trial? Many Thanks!
Brad Barlow
April 15, 2024 9:01 pm
Hi, Mickey,
Unfortunately Boost has been discontinued. Macabacus has a similar add-in, please check out their website for some affordable subscription options.
Thanks for the article! Extremely helpful, but I can’t seem to get my Mac’s “fn” key to work…
Hi Joe,
By default, Mac function keys control system settings and Mission Control. To use function keys for shortcuts, you’ll need to hold down the “fn” key before you press F2, F3, etc. You can change this in System Preferences > Keyboard by checking “Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys.” You can now use the function keys without pressing “fn.”
i want shortcut key for one time open more then one hided sheet
I don’t think there is a shortcut for that unless you build it in VBA – thanks!
Hello,
I have excel 2011 for Mac. Is this outdated?
Thanks,
Christian
Christian,
Not necessarily – Excel 2011 should be fine – thanks!
Hi,
on a PC, when hitting alt it shows all the shortcuts to navigate through the different tabs. What would be the equivalent of that on a MAC?
Chloe,
Unfortunately for a Mac, that command does not exist, but there are ways to get close to the Windows functionality:
a) You can Enable Ctrl + Arrows by disabling Mission Control settings on your Mac by following these steps:
1. Go to System Preferences > Keyboard.
2. Go to “Keyboard shortcuts” tab.
3. Click “Mission Control” in the left window.
4. Expand the “Mission Control” tab in the right window and click off “Move left a space” and “Move right a space”
b) You can enable Ctrl+Spacebar for highlighting columns by disabling Spotlight Search
1. System Preferences > Keyboard.
2. Go to “Keyboard shortcuts”s” tab.
3. Click “Spotlight” in the left window.
4. Disable “Show Spotlight Search.”
Hope this helps – thanks!
I am thinking of purchasing the Premium Package, but the demo videos are shown in Windows. I have a MacBook — will all features also work in Excel for Mac, or is Windows is a necessity?
Jainam,
Although the instructor in our lesson videos is on a Windows version of Excel, you can absolutely go through our courses on a Mac. You may find a shortcut here and there that Excel for Mac doesn’t have, but our lessons will always show you the native/non-shortcut way of doing things as well, so you’ll be all set!
Hello Haseeb,
Is there a shortcut that allows us to reverse the sign of the value in a cell?
Mohamad,
If you have the Boost add-in tool, you can press Ctrl Alt Shift \ to reverse the sign of a number. Hope this helps!
Haseeb
Do you have all these shortcuts for German Keyboard?
Andres,
I apologize – we only publish our shortcuts in English. Take care!
Best,
Haseeb
Could I use a windows keyboard with a mac version of excel?in order to learn the windows shortcuts, which I am going to use both at work and at home
Jose,
Unfortunately not – the program itself controls the shortcuts. You need to work on a Windows version of Excel to utilize those shortcuts.
– Haseeb
For some reason, the font increase/decrease does not work on my Mac.
Sabih,
If you are referring to the ribbon command to increase or decrease font size, then yes, you cannot use the ribbon command of Alt H F C to access the command. With Mac, you will have to use the mouse to access the ribbon. Thanks!
– Haseeb
You can add ALT+F1, quikly create a chart based on the table or range that is where the cursors is.
Also, CTRL+T seems like an obvious one, to create a table!
What combination of keys creates a top border on a cell?
Alt H B P.
Best,
Jeff
For the extending selection to left/right one screen, when I click on Alt + Shift +pageup/down it just adjusts the height of the row. how do i fix this? Thanks
Gloria:
It sounds like you might have Macabacus. This shortcut only works if you temporarily disable Macabacus. You can go to Macabacus on the ribbon and press “Pause.”
Best,
Jeff
Not suer why but some formula don’t work for windows. Where can I download the latest version? I am inscribed at the FMVA course and I would like to have the lastest and most compete version of shortcuts. For example I have a problem in visualizing the formula’s with F2. it doesn’t work but its fundamental for me. Please as soon as you know contact me
Federico:
I’m not sure why that would be the case. You may need to uninstall/re-install Excel. If you require a more up-to-date version of Excel then you would need to purchase it through Microsoft.
Best,
Jeff
Dear sir, I have many short cut keys as given by you, and many keys are not working at all. Sorry.
R. Sai Prasad.
9840512946
You will need to check your computer manufacturer’s settings to see what the correct shortcut is. We provide the general shortcut (i.e., applicable to most PCs) but there may be some minor differences depending on make and model.
Best,
Jeff
Can you make an updated PDF? The 2016 PDF has shortcuts that are out of date with newer versions/the shortcuts on this webpage. Thanks!
Hi, Andrew,
When you input your name and email to download the free PDF, does it not give you an updated one? Let me know and I’ll let me tech folks know!
BB
Hi, I can confirm that it doesn’t. It shows the 2016 shortcuts
Hi, John,
Thanks for confirming that. Can you let me know exactly which 2016 shortcuts do not work with newer versions?
BB
Please provide autofit shortcut in excel
Hi, Nagarajan,
Autofit column width is Alt H O I and row height is Alt H O A.
BB
Hello, Could you please provide the download website of latest version of Boost Excel Add-In for a free trial? Many Thanks!
Hi, Mickey,
Unfortunately Boost has been discontinued. Macabacus has a similar add-in, please check out their website for some affordable subscription options.
BB