Few weeks back I have invited all of you to share your excel keyboard shortcuts in a open thread. More than 50 people commented on that post and shared a hundred excel keyboard shortcuts with us. There were so many wonderful keyboard shortcuts and tricks buried in the comments section of that post. During the weekend, I spent sometime to collect all these beautiful shortcuts and arranged them neatly so that you can easily learn them. Here is the complete list of Excel Keyboard Shortcuts.
Special thanks to all the commenters on the original post. Without you I couldn’t have learned these shortcuts.

Here is the complete list of excel keyboard shortcuts.
- Shortcuts for Selection
- Shortcuts for Editing
- Shortcuts for Navigation
- Shortcuts for Formatting
- Shortcuts for Formulas
- Shortcuts for Excel Options
- Shortcuts for Auto Complete
- Shortcuts for Everything Else
Note: I have *ed some of the most important shortcuts. These are very useful and extremely time saving ones. You may want to remember a few to boost your productivity.
| Select the whole column
Selection
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| Select the whole row
Selection
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| Select table
Selection
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| Save
Selection
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| Select visible cells only
Selection
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| Select entire region
Selection
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| Select range from start cell to far left
Selection
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| Select range from start cell to end in direction of arrow
Selection
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| Select a continuous range of data (e.g. pivot), no matter where your cursor is.
Selection
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| Select blank cells
Selection
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| Select all cells with comments
Selection
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| Select all cells that are directly or indirectly referred to by formulas in the selection
Selection
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| Select all cells with formulas that refer directly or indirectly to the active cell
Selection
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| Selects all the way to a1 from cursor position
Selection
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| Select cells in the direction of arrow
Selection
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| Previous sheet
Navigation
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| Next sheet
Navigation
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| Launch GO TO Dialog (from here you can select special or jump to a cell or range)
Navigation
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| Go to top left (will go to top left of freezed pane if set)
Navigation
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| Go to last non-blank cell
Navigation
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| Go to previous sheet
Navigation
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| Go to next sheet
Navigation
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| Print
Navigation
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| Toggle between workbooks in a given session of excel.
Navigation
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| Change the type of cell reference from relative to absolute or semi-absolute
Formulas
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| Repeat whatever you did last
Formulas
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| Debug portions of a formula (select and press)
Formulas
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| Sum range
Formulas
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| Enter array formula
Formulas
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| Select array formula range
Formulas
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| Display range names (can be used when typing formulas)
Formulas
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| Evaluate formulas. (its easy to remember when working with some “tuf” formulas!)
Formulas
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| Copy a formula from above cell and edit
Formulas
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| Display the formula palette after you type a valid function name in a formula
Formulas
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| Alternate between displaying cell values and displaying cell formulas
Formulas
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| Calculate formulas
Formulas
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| Select all precedent cells
Formulas
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| Select all dependent cells
Formulas
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| Format Selection (cells, objects, charts)
Formatting
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| Bold a cell’s content
Formatting
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| Format Painter – Paste formats from selection
Formatting
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| Format as number with 2 dp
Formatting
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| Format as local currency
Formatting
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| Format as percentage with 0 dp
Formatting
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| Hide row
Formatting
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| Hide column
Formatting
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| Unhide row
Formatting
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| Unhide column
Formatting
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| Display the style command format menu
Formatting
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| Sets/removes strikeout in current cell
Formatting
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| Show/hide the top bar when you have a group
Formatting
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| Single border around selected cells
Formatting
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| Sort
Formatting
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| Insert hyperlink
Formatting
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| Freeze panes
Formatting
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| Remove grid lines or (alt+t)ov(alt+g)[enter]
Formatting
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| To wrap lines
Formatting
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| Save as
Excel Options
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| Collapse the ribbon (press again to expand)
Excel Options
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| Opens print preview
Excel Options
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| Maximize the current window
Excel Options
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| Activate next window
Excel Options
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| Activate previous window
Excel Options
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| Close an excel workbook
Excel Options
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| Split screens
Excel Options
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| Create a pivot table in new sheet (of course after selecting the range)
Everything Else
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| Create a pivot table in the same sheet.
Everything Else
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| Show visual basic editor
Everything Else
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| Macro dialog
Everything Else
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| Apply/remove filter
Everything Else
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| Keep filter on columns, but show all rows
Everything Else
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| Insert pivot table
Everything Else
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| Turn filter on or off
Everything Else
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| Paste values only
Editing
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| Edit a cell, place cursor at the end
Editing
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| Show in-cell drop down with previously entered values
Editing
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| Fills down value from cell above
Editing
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| Add a comment or Edit comment
Editing
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| Insert new sheet
Editing
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| Insert row
Editing
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| Delete row
Editing
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| Copy
Editing
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| Paste
Editing
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| Cut
Editing
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| Undo
Editing
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| Get a line break inside the cell
Editing
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| Clear all contents
Editing
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| Copy
Editing
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| Paste
Editing
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| Make chart/pivot chart
Editing
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| Edit a cell in Apple Macs
Editing
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| Copy the value from the cell above the active cell into the cell or the formula bar
Editing
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| Copies whatever is in the cell to the left of it.
Editing
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| Delete box (cell, row, column)
Editing
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| Insert box (cell, row, column)
Editing
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| Enter current date
Auto Complete
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| Enter current time
Auto Complete
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Thanks to the contributors
Here is a list of people who contributed these shortcuts.
Vipul, Dau, Stružák, Paul, Eliavs, Pavel S, Fabrice, Noone, Clarity, Jp, Pascal, Jair, Yoav, Nimesh, Bill, Patricia, Mike, Iesmatauw, Chrisham, Harvey, Pranav, Rohit Choudhary, Rohit1409, Rickard, Sachin, Gerald Higgins, Ericlind, Zzz, Felipe, Sridhar, Halva, Catherine, Lavkesh Bhatia, Rick Rothstein, Vishal Haria, Ak, Daniel Ferry, Mehdi Raza.
Thank you 🙂
Share your shortcuts
I know this post is unusally lengthy. But I wanted the list to be as comprehensive as possible. If you know some shortcuts that are not listed, please share them using comments. 🙂














27 Responses to “9 Box grid for talent mapping – HR for Excel – Template & Explanation”
Great stuff! I can understand how to add a slicer to the pivot table, but how do you implement the departmental selector on the 'Filter' formula scheme?
Just saw this on your Youtube channel, and it’s areat idea...!
An easy way to overcome the "ugliness" of pivot tables and get it to look nice (in the format of the Output sheet), would be to simply build a sheet with the nice map at the top, a pivot underneath it and a slicer next to formatted map and then reference each of the 9 cells in the formatted map to the “related” cell in the Pivot.
Keep up the good work!
/Claus
Thanks Claus. That is a great idea 🙂
Hi Chandoo,
This is great! Curious how to make additional columns operate the same as the Department column (ex. have a "manager column") that would allow you to sort a 9 box by manager, area, or team in addition to department?
Feel free to email me if needed! mfry01@minnetronixmedical.com
Happy New Year
Madison Fry
I am curious about the smae thing. I would like to populate the 9 box with other views as well by adding additional columns. IE., I would like to add location, region, etc. Thank you.
This is great, thank you!
How can i see the whole data set of all the teams in the output table. Need a formula that will pick up all the employees
Hello,
Love the template. Thank you. Question - the drop down to pick a department on the Output tab does not seem to work on the downloadable template. Am I doing something incorrectly?
Thank you!
Hi Heather... Thank you. I am using Excel 365 to make the calculations. If you are using an older version of Excel, then the drop-down filter won't work.
Hi
I was able to follow your 9 box grid and modified based my needs. However, you tutorial did not show how to you create the filter for the "Pick a department. Can you kindly share how to create that filter that updated the grid. Thank you.
I am working on this project but I am struggling with the data validation for the department. I copy the worksheets data entry and output as the managers want to see different tabs for each managers.
I updated the source reference for each tab but It does not update the grid based on the new source. The list was updated but it does not populate the grid based on the performance and potential listed.
In addition the hyperlink Update Data and View Talent Map no longer works. Can you please help me.
I keep getting this error message in the pivot table:
This formula is invalid or incomplete: 'The expression is not valid or appears to be incomplete. Please review and correct the expression.
The following syntax error occurred during parsing: Invalid token, Line 1, Offset 14, ‘.
Hi, I used your 9-box excel template with excel 365. First off, thank you so very much. It is incredibly helpful!! My only question is that the boxes aren't big enough for all of the employees (specifically the middle which we call 'Core Employee'). Is there a way to make the boxes larger? Even though it is in excel, I am not able to increase row height (like I normally do in a speadsheet). Any ideas? Thanks again, Jody
Hi Chandoo,
Thanks for the great content. Re. 9 box grid, pls advise how do I increase the size of the box to accommodate more names?
Hi Chandoo,
I figured it out. Excel 365 has the format row height on the ribbon. Thank you
Merci Chandoo pour le modèle proposé,
j'ai une question et un souhait est il possible de développer davantage ce modèle en insérant la photo de chaque employé.
Hi Chandoo!
Great tutorial and tool, thank you! Your tutorial didn't include how to create additional filters on the "Output" tab. Could you please share how you did it?
Can this be done exactly in google sheets?
Hi Chandoo,
Thanks for the video it was really helpful. Is there any way to multi select the dropdown to display multiple or all departments rather than just one at once?
Hello Prish
I have Microsoft 365 and I am struggling to make the boxes larger/unable to increase row height; any idea how you made this work? Specifically in the Output tab where the map is?
Many thanks
Hello Jody, I have Microsoft 365 and I am struggling to make the boxes larger/unable to increase row height; any idea how you made this work? Specifically in the Output tab where the map is? Many thanks
Is there a way to change the 9 box wording descriptions, i.e. Work Horses, to our own internal langauge?
You can edit the file. The descriptions are textboxes.
Hi Chandoo, this is awesome and has worked perfectly. Due to a big organisation the 9 box grid on the output file is too small. I tried adjusting using the row/width ribbon under the format ribbon however it doesn't seem to work. Is there an easier way to adjust this?
Thanks!
When I drag the formula, it doesn't work, and the order I use with the data changes. In the beginning, the order is it is " candidates," " potential," and " performance," but when it goes to another column, it is " Potential," Performance," and "Candidates."Can you help me? Thank you very much, sending love from vietnam
Hi- I am working on the 9 grid project and I am trying to expand the box since I have over 100 names on a few of the columns. How do I do that?
Hi, Thank you this is great stuff and really useful.
As well as department as demonstrated on your clip, how can I display all candidates on the grid at once?
Many thanks in advance