Refresh Excel for 2025: Keyboard Shortcuts & Ninja Tips (Part 3)

Keyboard Shortcuts

Streamline your Excel workflow with these powerful shortcuts. They’ll help you save time and make navigation and formatting effortless!

• CTRL + SHIFT + & (CMD + OPTION + 0) — Add a border around the selected cells.
• CTRL + B (CMD + B) — Make the selected text bold.
• CTRL + Arrow keys (CMD + Arrow keys) — Jump to the first or last cell in a row or column.
• CTRL + Home (CMD + Home) — Go to the first non-blank cell in the worksheet.
• CTRL + End (CMD + End) — Navigate to the last non-blank cell.

Bonus Shortcuts

• CTRL + 0 (CMD + 0) — Hide the column containing the selected cell.
• CTRL + 9 (CMD + 9) — Hide the row containing the selected cell.
• CTRL + SHIFT + 0 (CMD + SHIFT + 0) — Unhide the selected column (select cells surrounding the hidden column first).
• CTRL + SHIFT + 9 (CMD + SHIFT + 9) — Unhide the selected row (select cells surrounding the hidden row first).
• CTRL + SHIFT + L (CMD + SHIFT + F) — Add or remove a filter.

Excel Terminology

Filter

Filters let you display only the rows containing the information you’re looking for. They’re accessible via the right-click menu, the Home tab, or the Data tab. Filters temporarily hide rows that don’t meet your criteria, making it easier to focus on relevant data.

Sorting

Sorting helps you organize your data in ascending or descending order. Accessible via the right-click menu, the Home tab, or the Data tab, it allows for multiple levels of sorting, including options to match case or sort horizontally.

Conditional Formatting

This dynamic tool automatically applies formatting to data based on conditions you set. Found in the Styles group on the Home tab, it updates instantly with new values, making it a highly versatile feature for highlighting trends or anomalies.

Ninja Tips for the Week

1. Format Painter Pro Tip

Double-click the Format Painter tool to keep it active for multiple formatting tasks. When finished, press Escape to deactivate it.

2. Widening Columns Made Easy

If a cell displays #####, it’s a sign that the column is too narrow. Here’s how to fix it:

• Option 1: Double-click the line between the column headers to auto-adjust width.
• Option 2: Drag the column border to set a custom width.
• Option 3: Right-click the column, choose Column Width, and specify the desired width.

3. Conditional Formatting vs. Filtering

Both tools highlight or display data based on criteria, but they’re used differently:

• Filtering hides rows that don’t meet your criteria. Only the matching rows are displayed.
• Conditional Formatting visually highlights cells that meet the conditions without hiding the rest. Use it for graphical emphasis on trends or outliers.

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