Workbooks, windows and panes shortcuts in Excel
Save As, full screen, switching panes and the Visual Basic editor live here, along with Copilot. F6 is the underrated one: it moves the keyboard focus between the sheet, the ribbon and any open pane, which is how you reach a task pane without the mouse.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Save As | F12Web Alt+F2 | Command+Shift+S or F12 |
| Move between the sheet, ribbon, task panes and status barIncludes the panes of a split sheet. In Excel for the web, use Ctrl+F6 because F6 belongs to the browser. | F6Web Ctrl+F6 | F6 or Shift+F6 |
| Show or hide the ribbon | Ctrl+F1 | Command+Option+R |
| Open the Visual Basic editor | Alt+F11 | Option+F11 |
All workbooks, windows and panes shortcuts
| Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Save As | F12Web Alt+F2 | Command+Shift+S or F12 |
| Open the Save dialogNot in Microsoft's Windows list. | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list | Option+F2 |
| Create a new workbook from a templateNot in Microsoft's Windows list. | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list | Command+Shift+P |
| Quit Excel | Alt+F4 | Command+Q |
| Close a window or dialogWindows: Ctrl+F4 closes the workbook window (see Close). | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list | Command+F4 |
| Open Excel HelpIn a browser, F1 opens the browser's help unless you turn on Override browser shortcuts in Excel for the web (Help > Keyboard Shortcuts). | F1 | F1 or Command+/ |
| Show or hide the ribbon | Ctrl+F1 | Command+Option+R |
| Full screen | Ctrl+Shift+F1 | Command+Control+F |
| Minimize the workbook window | Ctrl+F9 | Control+F9 |
| Maximize or restore the workbook window | Ctrl+F10 | Control+F10 or Command+F10 |
| Restore the window sizeNot in Microsoft's Mac list. | Ctrl+F5 | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Move the workbook window (when not maximized)Not in Microsoft's Mac list. Move it with the arrow keys, then press Enter, or Esc to cancel. | Ctrl+F7 | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Resize the workbook window (when not maximized)Not in Microsoft's Mac list. | Ctrl+F8 | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Move between the sheet, ribbon, task panes and status barIncludes the panes of a split sheet. In Excel for the web, use Ctrl+F6 because F6 belongs to the browser. | F6Web Ctrl+F6 | F6 or Shift+F6 |
| Move between the panes in reverse order | Shift+F6Web Ctrl+Shift+F6 | Shift+F6 |
| Switch to the next Excel windowNot in Microsoft's Mac list. | Ctrl+F6 or Ctrl+Tab | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Switch between all Excel windowsNot in Microsoft's Mac list. | Ctrl+Shift+F6 or Ctrl+Shift+Tab | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Open the Excel window's Control menuNot in Microsoft's Mac list. | Alt+Space | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Open Workbook StatisticsNot in Microsoft's Mac list. | Ctrl+Shift+G | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Hide objects, show them, or show placeholders | Ctrl+6 | Control+6 |
| Turn Drawing mode on or offNot in Microsoft's Windows list. | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list | Command+Control+Z |
| Hide ExcelA macOS shortcut. | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list | Command+H |
| Switch to the next appA macOS shortcut. | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list | Command+Tab |
| Switch to the previous appA macOS shortcut. | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list | Shift+Command+Tab |
| Take a screenshot and save it to the desktopA macOS shortcut. | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list | Shift+Command+3 |
Macros and VBA
| Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Open the Macro dialog (run, edit or delete macros) | Alt+F8 | Option+F8 |
| Open the Visual Basic editor | Alt+F11 | Option+F11 |
| Insert an Excel 4.0 macro sheetNot in Microsoft's Windows list. | —No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list | Command+F11 |
Copilot
| Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Open the Copilot pane | Alt+CWeb Alt+C or Command+Ctrl+I | Command+Control+I |
| Copilot: send your prompt | EnterWeb Enter or Return | Return |
| Copilot: stop or cancel the request | Esc | Esc |
| Copilot: accept the changes it made | Ctrl+EnterWeb Ctrl+Enter or Command+Return | Command+Return |
| Copilot: switch between edit, chat and plan mode | Ctrl+Shift+MWeb Ctrl+Shift+M or Command+Shift+M | Command+Shift+M |
| Copilot: move between chat responses | Alt+CWeb Alt+C or Option+C | Option+C |
| Copilot: confirm the selected files | Ctrl+JWeb Ctrl+J or Command+J | Command+J |
| Copilot: start dictation | Alt+Shift+HWeb Alt+Shift+H or Option+Shift+H | Option+Shift+H |
| Copilot: move focus between the grid and the Copilot pane | F6Web F6 or Shift+F6 | Shift+F6 |
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.
Excel for the web: the browser takes some keys
In a browser, a few keys belong to the browser first: F1 opens the browser's help, Ctrl+O opens a file, Ctrl+W closes the tab, and F6 moves around the browser. Excel for the web uses Ctrl+F6 instead of F6, Ctrl+Alt+Page Down for the next sheet in Chrome, and Alt+Windows key with a letter for ribbon tabs. To get desktop behavior back, go to Help > Keyboard Shortcuts and select Override browser shortcuts. If the file opened in Viewing mode, editing shortcuts do nothing until you switch to Editing.
Related guides
In the glossary: MacroWorkbookStatus bar