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MS Excel and PowerPoint shortcuts

⏱ 4 min read🧩 5 question types🎯 19 practice Q

The idea in one minute

This subtopic collects the shortcuts most asked for Excel and PowerPoint. In Excel, learn the moving, selecting and data-entry keys. In PowerPoint, learn how to start, run and end a show. Ctrl+D has three different jobs across Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Excel: moving around

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+Home	Jump to cell A1
Ctrl+End	Jump to the last used cell
Ctrl+Page Down / Up	Next / previous worksheet
Ctrl+Arrow key	Edge of the current block of data
F5 / Ctrl+G	Go To a cell
Ctrl+F	Find

Excel: selecting and editing

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+Space	Select the whole column
Shift+Space	Select the whole row
Ctrl+A	Select the sheet or data block
F2	Edit the active cell
Alt+Enter	New line inside one cell
Ctrl+D	Fill down from the cell above
Ctrl+R	Fill right from the cell on the left
Ctrl+;	Enter today's date
Ctrl+Shift+;	Enter the current time
F4	Cycles reference styles. Also repeats the last action
Ctrl+1	Format Cells
Ctrl+Shift+L	Toggle filter
Alt+=	AutoSum
Shift+F11	New worksheet

Tip: Ctrl+Space is a tall thin column. Shift+Space is a flat row.

PowerPoint: running the show

Shortcut	Action
F5	Start the show from the beginning
Shift+F5	Start from the current slide
Esc	End the show
B	Black screen. Press again to return
W	White screen
N, Space, Right arrow	Next slide
P, Left arrow	Previous slide
Number + Enter	Jump to that slide
Ctrl+M	New slide
Ctrl+D	Duplicate the current slide

Watch: Ctrl+D duplicates a slide in PowerPoint. It fills down in Excel. It opens the Font box in Word.

Formatting keys that carry over

Ctrl+B, Ctrl+I and Ctrl+U work in Excel cells and PowerPoint text boxes too. The alignment keys Ctrl+E, Ctrl+L and Ctrl+R also work in PowerPoint text.

Everyday examples

You want to...	Press
Copy a formula down a column	Ctrl+D
Jump to the last cell you filled	Ctrl+End
Type an address on two lines in one cell	Alt+Enter between lines
Put today's date on a report	Ctrl+;
Test one slide without the whole show	Shift+F5
Keep the audience looking at you	B for black screen

Shared keys that also work here

Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X and Ctrl+V copy, cut and paste in both Excel and PowerPoint.
Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y undo and redo.
Ctrl+S saves and F12 opens Save As.
Ctrl+P prints when you are editing.

A ten-second method

Read the action in the question.
Recall the family: selection uses Space, filling uses D or R, the show uses F5.
Remove options that swap row and column, or F5 and Shift+F5.

Question types you will see

Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.

Type 1very common3 practice Q

Excel navigation shortcuts

How to spot it:

The question asks how to reach a corner, an edge or another sheet.

Method

Ctrl+Home goes to A1.
Ctrl+End goes to the last used cell.
Ctrl+Page Down and Page Up move between sheets.

Why it works:

The Home and End pair works like the top and bottom of the data.

Try this

Which shortcut takes you to cell A1 in Excel?

Show solution

A1 is the first cell.
Home means the beginning.

Answer

Ctrl+Home

Type 2very common2 practice Q

Row and column selection shortcuts

How to spot it:

The question asks how to select a row or a column.

Method

Column uses Ctrl+Space.
Row uses Shift+Space.
Ctrl+A selects everything.

Why it works:

Both keys use Space, so options swap the modifiers.

Try this

Ctrl+Space in Excel selects:

Show solution

Ctrl+Space belongs to the column.
It does not select the row.

Answer

The entire column

Type 3very common6 practice Q

Excel editing and data-entry shortcuts

How to spot it:

The question asks for date, time, edit, fill or new line in a cell.

Method

F2 edits the cell.
Ctrl+; is date and Ctrl+Shift+; is time.
Ctrl+D fills down and Ctrl+R fills right.
Alt+Enter starts a new line in the cell.

Why it works:

Each key has one clear job.

Try this

Which shortcut inserts a line break inside an Excel cell?

Show solution

A line break inside one cell needs Alt.
The second key is Enter.

Answer

Alt+Enter

Type 4very common5 practice Q

PowerPoint slideshow shortcuts

How to spot it:

The question asks how to start, pause or end a show.

Method

F5 starts from the beginning.
Shift+F5 starts from the current slide.
B and W give a black or white screen.
Esc ends the show.

Why it works:

The show keys are short letters that hint at their action.

Try this

Which key ends a PowerPoint slide show?

Show solution

The show must stop.
The escape key does this.

Answer

Esc

Type 5common

Ctrl+D across Word, Excel and PowerPoint

How to spot it:

The question names an app and asks what Ctrl+D does.

Method

In Excel it fills down.
In PowerPoint it duplicates the slide.
In Word it opens the Font box.

Why it works:

One key has three jobs, so the app decides the answer.

Try this

In PowerPoint, Ctrl+D:

Show solution

The app is PowerPoint.
There it makes a copy of the slide.

Answer

Duplicates the selected slide

Shortcuts that save time

⚡ Space pair

Ctrl+Space selects a column. Shift+Space selects a row.

Example

Which shortcut selects an entire row in Excel?

Show solution

A row is selected with the Shift key.
The second key is Space.

Answer

Shift+Space

⚡ Semicolon pair

Ctrl+; enters the date. Adding Shift enters the time.

⚡ Shift means here

F5 starts from the first slide. Shift+F5 starts from the slide you are on.

Mistakes to avoid

Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.

Mistake 01

Using Ctrl+Space to select a row.

Ctrl+Space selects a column. Shift+Space selects a row.

Mistake 02

Starting a show from the current slide with F5.

F5 starts at the beginning. Shift+F5 starts at the current slide.

Mistake 03

Entering the time with Ctrl+;.

Ctrl+; is the date. Ctrl+Shift+; is the time.

Mistake 04

Using Ctrl+D in PowerPoint to fill down.

In PowerPoint it duplicates the slide. Fill down is an Excel action.

Mistake 05

Using Ctrl+N to add a slide.

Ctrl+M adds a slide. Ctrl+N makes a new presentation.

Quick revision

Read this the night before the exam.

Excel corners: Ctrl+Home to A1, Ctrl+End to the last cell. Ctrl+PgDn and PgUp change sheets.
Ctrl+Space selects a column. Shift+Space selects a row. F2 edits. Alt+Enter starts a new line in a cell.
Ctrl+D fills down. Ctrl+R fills right. Ctrl+; date. Ctrl+Shift+; time.
Show: F5 from start, Shift+F5 from here, Esc to end, B black, W white.
Ctrl+M adds a slide. Ctrl+D duplicates a slide.
Alt+= AutoSum. Shift+F11 new sheet. Ctrl+Shift+L filter.

Practice: 19 questions

Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.

Topic test · 10 questions

Suggested time 4 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.

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