Editing cells shortcuts in Excel
F2 opens a cell for editing without wiping it, which is the habit that prevents most accidental overwrites. Alt+Enter (Option+Return on a Mac) starts a second line inside the cell. Notes and threaded comments have their own keys, and they are different things: a note is a sticky label, a comment is a conversation.
Checked against Microsoft's official lists on . Where Microsoft lists a key for one platform only, the other column says so instead of guessing.
Learn these first
| Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Edit the active cell How to: Absolute reference shortcut in Excel (F4 and Cmd+T) The cursor goes to the end of the contents. While you edit a formula, F2 switches arrow keys between moving the cursor and pointing at cells. | F2 | F2 or Control+U |
| Start a new line inside the cell How to: How to start a new line in an Excel cell Excel turns on Wrap Text for the cell so the second line shows. | Alt+Enter | Option+Return or Control+Option+Return or Command+Option+Return |
| Cancel the entry and keep the old value How to: Edit cell shortcut in Excel (F2) | Esc | Esc |
| Insert a threaded comment, or reply to one How to: Shortcut to insert a comment or note in Excel | Ctrl+Shift+F2 | Command+Shift+F2 or Command+Return |
Step-by-step shortcut guides
All editing cells shortcuts
| Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Edit the active cell How to: Absolute reference shortcut in Excel (F4 and Cmd+T) The cursor goes to the end of the contents. While you edit a formula, F2 switches arrow keys between moving the cursor and pointing at cells. | F2 | F2 or Control+U |
| Edit the active cell in the formula bar How to: Edit cell shortcut in Excel (F2) Not in Microsoft's Mac list. If you are already editing, it moves between the formula bar and the cell. | Ctrl+F2 | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Cancel the entry and keep the old value How to: Edit cell shortcut in Excel (F2) | Esc | Esc |
| Start a new line inside the cell How to: How to start a new line in an Excel cell Excel turns on Wrap Text for the cell so the second line shows. | Alt+Enter | Option+Return or Control+Option+Return or Command+Option+Return |
| Delete the character to the left (or clear the cell and start editing)On a Mac, the Delete key above Return works like Backspace. | Backspace | Delete |
| While editing, delete the character to the rightOn a MacBook without a Forward Delete key, use Fn+Delete. | Delete | Forward Delete or Fn+Delete |
| Delete text to the end of the lineNot in Microsoft's Windows list. | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list | Control+Forward Delete or Control+Fn+Delete |
| While editing, move to the beginning of the lineNot in Microsoft's Windows list. | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's listWeb Home | Home or Fn+Left arrow |
| While editing, move to the end of the lineMicrosoft lists this for Excel for the web only. | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's listWeb End | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| In the formula bar, move the cursor to the end of the textNot in Microsoft's Mac list. | Ctrl+End | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| In the formula bar, select the text from the cursor to the endNot in Microsoft's Mac list. | Ctrl+Shift+End | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| While editing, select one character to the rightMicrosoft lists this for Excel for the web only. | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's listWeb Shift+Right arrow | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| While editing, select to the beginning of the cellMicrosoft lists this for Excel for the web only. | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's listWeb Shift+Home | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| While editing, select to the end of the cellMicrosoft lists this for Excel for the web only. | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's listWeb Shift+End | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Insert a hyperlink | Ctrl+K | Command+K or Control+K |
Notes and comments
| Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Insert or edit a note How to: Shortcut to insert a comment or note in Excel | Shift+F2 | Shift+F2 |
| Insert a threaded comment, or reply to one How to: Shortcut to insert a comment or note in Excel | Ctrl+Shift+F2 | Command+Shift+F2 or Command+Return |
| Post the comment you typed How to: Shortcut to insert a comment or note in Excel | Ctrl+Enter | Command+Return |
| Go to the next commentA Review tab KeyTips sequence. Not in Microsoft's Mac list. | Alt+R, N | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Go to the previous commentA Review tab KeyTips sequence. Not in Microsoft's Mac list. | Alt+R, V | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Delete the comments in the selected cellsA Review tab KeyTips sequence. Not in Microsoft's Mac list. | Alt+R, D | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
Proofing
| Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Check spelling | F7 | F7 |
| Open the thesaurusNot in Microsoft's Windows list. | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list | Shift+F7 or Control+Option+Command+R |
| Open the Smart Lookup paneNot in Microsoft's Windows list. | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list | Control+Option+Command+L |
| Insert special characters and emojiThe macOS Character Viewer. | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list | Control+Command+Space |
Why a shortcut sometimes does nothing
Laptop function keys
On many laptops the top row changes volume or brightness first, so F2 or F4 does nothing in Excel. Hold Fn with the key (Fn+F4), or turn on the laptop's function-key lock. On many Windows laptops that lock is Fn+Esc, but it varies by brand, so look for a small padlock or "Fn" icon on the Esc key.
Mac function keys
Excel for Mac uses the function keys for real commands, but macOS gives them to brightness, Mission Control and volume first. Press Fn with the key, or turn on "Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys" (System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Function Keys on recent macOS). After that, the printed features need Fn instead, so Fn+F12 changes the volume.
You are still editing a cell
While a cell is in edit mode, most commands are greyed out and many shortcuts type into the cell instead. Press Enter to finish the entry or Esc to cancel it, then try again.
Related guides
- Combine cells with a line break in ExcelJoin the cells with CHAR(10), Excel's line break character: =A2&CHAR(10)&B2&CHAR(10)&C2.
- How to remove line breaks in Excel cellsUse =SUBSTITUTE(B2,CHAR(10),", ") to swap each line break for a comma and space, or wrap it in TRIM with a space instead: =TRIM(SUBSTITUTE(B2,CHAR(10)," ")).
Related functions
In the glossary: Line break in a cellWrap TextFormula bar