Excel Shortcuts for Financial Modeling

    Why Learn Excel Shortcuts?

    We know better than anyone that being in finance, whether that’s investment banking, wealth management, private equity or in the corporate sector, involves lengthy stints working solely in Excel. So, how can you make this process easier for yourself? Simple. Learn as many Excel shortcuts as you can. They’ll help you to navigate quickly around, and make the system actually work for you. This is why we believe mastering Excel is the first step to ‘excelling’ at financial modeling. Gone are the days of clicking the mouse and hoping for the best; it’s time to kick your keyboard into action and utilize specific key combinations to your advantage.

    While you’ll find lots of shortcuts and cheats all over the internet, it can be hard to know what’s really worth learning – there’s a whole load of jargon out there, trust us. Who wants to learn 50 shortcuts off by heart, let alone “100 of the best”? This is why our industry experts have pulled together a definitive list of their favorites, guaranteed to increase your productivity and make for a fluid workflow.

    70+ Printable Excel Shortcuts for Financial Modeling – Mac & Windows

    Shortcut Name Windows Keys Mac Keys
    Open the options window Alt > F > T ⌘ ,
    Select column Ctrl Space ⌘ [space]
    Select row Shift Space Shift Space
    Insert selected column or row Ctrl + Control Shift +
    Delete selected column or row Ctrl – ⌘ –
    Move between cells Arrows Arrows
    Screen up PgUp Fn ⇧
    Screen down PgDn Fn ⇩
    Previous sheet Ctrl PgUp Fn Option ⇧
    Next sheet Ctrl PgDn Fn Option ⇩
    Screen jump left Alt PgUp Fn Option ⇦
    Screen jump right Alt PgDn Fn Option ⇨
    Go to cell A1 Ctrl Home Fn Ctrl Left
    Go to beginning of row Home Fn Left
    Jump a contiguous block in arrow

    direction

    Ctrl
    Select column Ctrl Space Ctrl Space
    Select row Shift Space Shift Space
    Select all to the last cell used in the

    sheet

    Ctrl Shift End Ctrl Shift End
    Select all to the last cell used in the

    row/column

    Ctrl Arrow Ctrl Arrow
    Expand formula bar Ctrl ⇧ U Ctrl Shift U
    Quick access tool bar ⌘ Option Tab

    Paste Shortcuts

    Shortcut Name Windows Keys Mac Keys
    Paste Special formats Ctrl Alt V t Ctrl ⌘ V t
    Paste Special values Ctrl Alt V v Ctrl ⌘ V v
    Paste Special formulas Ctrl Alt V f Ctrl ⌘ V f
    Paste Special comments Ctrl Alt V c Ctrl ⌘ V c

    Clear Shortcuts

    Shortcut Name Windows Keys Mac Keys
    Clear cell data Delete Delete
    Clear cell formats Alt h e f
    Clear cell comments Alt h e m
    Clear all (data, formats,

    comments)

    Alt h e a

    Data

    Shortcut Name Windows Keys Mac Keys
    Toggle filters Ctrl Shift L ⌘ ⇧ F
    Insert sheet Shift F11 Shift fn F11
    Delete sheet Alt > E > L
    Delete character to left Backspace Delete
    Delete character to right Delete Fn Delete
    Search Ctrl F
    Replace Ctrl H ⌘ Shift H
    Add decimal place Alt > H > 0
    Remove decimal place Alt > H > 9
    Add a non-adjacent cell or range to a selection of cells by using the

    arrow keys

    Shift F8
    Enter multiple lines in a cell Alt Enter Control ⌘ Enter
    Fill down Ctrl D Ctrl D
    Fill right Ctrl R Ctrl R
    Show all constants F5 Alt s o
    Highlight cells with comments F5 Alt s c

    View

    Shortcut Name Windows Keys Mac Keys
    Normal view Alt > W > L
    Page break preview Alt > W > I
    Toggle freeze panes Alt > W > F > F
    Select zoom level Alt > W > Q
    Zoom to 100% Alt > W > J
    Jump to active cell if off-screen Ctrl Backspace

    Formulas

    Shortcut Name Windows Keys Mac Keys
    Toggle reveal formulas Alt > M > H
    Accept function with

    AutoComplete

    Tab ⇩ Tab
    Toggle large formula bar Ctrl Shift U Control Shift U
    AutoSum (checks for values above

    then left)

    Alt = ⌘ Shift T
    Enter date Ctrl ; Ctrl ;
    Enter time Ctrl Shift : Ctrl Shift :

    Formatting

    Shortcut Name Windows Keys Mac Keys
    Bold Ctrl B ⌘ B
    Italic Ctrl I ⌘ I
    Underline Ctrl U ⌘ U
    Open format cells dialogue box Ctrl 1 ⌘ 1
    Open cell styles /styles pane Alt H J ⌘ ⇧ L
    Open fill color dialogue box Alt H H
    Open font color dialogue box Alt H F C
    Access font size field Alt H F C
    Access font field Alt H F S
    Align left Alt H A L ⌘ ⇧ L
    Align center Alt H A C ⌘ ⇧ E
    Align right Alt H A R ⌘ ⇧ R
    Strikethrough text Ctrl 5 ⌘ ⇧ X
    Hide or unhide rows Ctrl ⇧ 9 ⌘ ⇧ 9
    Hide of unhide columns Ctrl ⇧ 0 ⌘ ⇧ 0

    F Keys

    Shortcut Name Windows Keys Mac Keys
    Help F1 ⌘ /
    Go To F5 Fn F5
    Calculate workbook F9 Fn F9
    Add/edit comment Shift F2 Fn Shift F2
    Edit active cell F2 Control U
    Cycle backwards through panes Shift F6 Fn F6
    Show context menu Shift F10 ⇧ F10
    Show key tips F10
    Paste Name F13 Fn ⇧ F3
    Check spelling F7 Fn F7
    Create chart sheet for selection F11 Fn F11
    Cycle cell reference F4 ⌘ T
    Toggle extend mode F8 Fn F8
    Save as F12 ⌘ Shift S

    Additional Resources

    3-Statement Model

    What Makes a Good Financial Model?

    DCF Terminal Value Formula

    Financial Forecasting

    Financial Modeling Course