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Keyboard Shortcuts for Data Entry (Excel & Windows)
Typing speed is only half of data entry. Every time your hand leaves the keyboard for the mouse you lose a second or two. These shortcuts keep both hands on the keys. They work in current versions of Windows and Microsoft Excel; other programs may differ.
Moving around in Excel
| Keys | What it does |
|---|---|
| Tab / Shift + Tab | Next cell to the right / left |
| Enter / Shift + Enter | Down / up (after typing in a cell) |
| Ctrl + Arrow key | Jump to the edge of the data block |
| Ctrl + Home / Ctrl + End | First cell / last used cell |
| Page Down / Page Up | Scroll one screen |
| Ctrl + G or F5 | Go to a cell address |
Editing and entering
| Keys | What it does |
|---|---|
| F2 | Edit the current cell without the mouse |
| Esc | Cancel what you are typing in the cell |
| Alt + Enter | New line inside one cell |
| Ctrl + Enter | Fill the same entry into all selected cells |
| Ctrl + D / Ctrl + R | Fill down / fill right |
| Ctrl + ; | Insert today's date |
| Ctrl + Z / Ctrl + Y | Undo / redo |
Selecting, copying, finding
| Keys | What it does |
|---|---|
| Shift + Arrow | Extend the selection |
| Ctrl + Shift + Arrow | Select to the edge of the data |
| Ctrl + A | Select all |
| Ctrl + C / X / V | Copy / cut / paste |
| Ctrl + F / Ctrl + H | Find / replace |
| Ctrl + S | Save often |
Windows basics
- Alt + Tab switches between programs (for example from the source document to Excel).
- Windows key + D shows the desktop; Windows key + E opens File Explorer.
- Ctrl + Backspace deletes a whole word in most text boxes.
Practise, then check your speed
Learn five shortcuts per week, not thirty at once. Pair them with accuracy practice on the data entry typing test and read how speed is quoted in keystrokes per hour.
Train numbers and accuracy
A 5-minute data entry test with digits and symbols.