Part of the free Module 1: Excel Shortcut Keys · Lesson 6 of 8 · Full Excel course
Updated on 5 September 2026 · Works in Excel 365, 2021, 2019 and 2016 unless noted.
Excel workbook and worksheet shortcuts are the keys that open, save, close and switch files, add and manage sheets, and control windows and views. Learn Ctrl + Page Down, Shift + F11, Ctrl + F6 and Alt, W, F, F and you can build and organise a multi-sheet workbook without touching the mouse.
File shortcuts: new, open, save, print and close
These are the shortcuts you use dozens of times a day, so they are worth making automatic.
| Action | Windows | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| New blank workbook | Ctrl + N | Opens in its own window |
| Open a workbook | Ctrl + O | Shows the Open screen in Backstage |
| Save | Ctrl + S | First save opens Save As |
| Save As | F12 | Straight to the Save As dialog |
| Ctrl + P | Print screen with preview | |
| Print Preview | Ctrl + F2 | Same Print screen in Backstage |
| Close the workbook | Ctrl + W or Ctrl + F4 | Excel stays open |
| Close Excel | Alt + F4 | Closes every open workbook |
| Open Backstage (File tab) | Alt, F | Esc returns to the sheet |
Alt, F is a press-and-release sequence: tap Alt, then tap F. From the Backstage view you can press the underlined letter of any command, for example E for Export. Esc leaves Backstage without changing anything.
Worksheet shortcuts: switch, insert, rename and group sheets
A reporting workbook often has ten or more sheets. Clicking tabs is slow and error-prone, so learn these instead.
- Move between sheets: Ctrl + Page Down goes to the next sheet on the right, Ctrl + Page Up to the previous one.
- Select adjacent sheets: Ctrl + Shift + Page Down adds the next sheet to the selection, Ctrl + Shift + Page Up adds the previous one. This groups the sheets.
- Insert a new sheet: Shift + F11 inserts a worksheet to the left of the active sheet.
- Delete the active sheet: Alt, H, D, S (Home > Delete > Delete Sheet). Excel asks you to confirm if the sheet contains data.
- Rename the active sheet: Alt, H, O, R (Home > Format > Rename Sheet). Type the new name and press Enter.
- Move or copy a sheet: Alt, H, O, M opens the Move or Copy dialog. Tick Create a copy to duplicate.
- Tab colour: Alt, H, O, T opens the colour palette for the active tab.
- Hide and unhide sheets: Alt, H, O, U, S hides the active sheet; Alt, H, O, U, H opens the Unhide dialog.
Shift + F10 and the context-menu key open the right-click menu for whatever has focus. On a worksheet that is the cell menu, not the sheet tab menu, so the tab commands (rename, move, colour, hide) are most reliable through the Alt, H, O sequences above, which work wherever the cursor is.
What grouping does. When two or more sheets are selected, the title bar shows [Group] after the file name. Anything you type, format, delete or insert on the visible sheet is repeated in the same cells on every grouped sheet. With the mouse, Ctrl + click adds individual tabs to the group and Shift + click selects a run of tabs. To ungroup, click any tab that is not in the group, or press Ctrl + Page Down to move to an ungrouped sheet.
Window shortcuts: workbooks, panes, views and zoom
Since Excel 2013 every workbook opens in its own window, so switching workbooks is a window operation.
| Action | Windows |
|---|---|
| Next workbook window | Ctrl + F6 or Ctrl + Tab |
| Previous workbook window | Ctrl + Shift + F6 or Ctrl + Shift + Tab |
| New window on the same workbook | Alt, W, N |
| Arrange All | Alt, W, A |
| View Side by Side | Alt, W, B |
| Freeze Panes at the active cell | Alt, W, F, F |
| Freeze Top Row | Alt, W, F, R |
| Freeze First Column | Alt, W, F, C |
| Split window | Alt, W, S |
| Minimise the workbook window | Ctrl + F9 |
| Maximise or restore the workbook window | Ctrl + F10 |
| Collapse or expand the ribbon | Ctrl + F1 |
| Zoom dialog | Alt, W, Q (or Ctrl + mouse wheel) |
| Page Layout view | Alt, W, P |
| Page Break Preview | Alt, W, I |
| Normal view | Alt, W, L |
| Show or hide gridlines | Alt, W, V, G |
| Show or hide headings | Alt, W, V, H |
| Show or hide the formula bar | Alt, W, V, F |
Freeze Panes locks the rows above and the columns to the left of the active cell. Select cell B2 and press Alt, W, F, F to keep row 1 and column A on screen. If panes are already frozen, the same sequence becomes Unfreeze Panes. A new window (Alt, W, N) shows the same workbook a second time, so you can watch a summary sheet while editing a data sheet; the title bar shows :1 and :2.
Excel 365 differences
- Ctrl + F6 versus Alt + Tab: Ctrl + F6 cycles only through Excel workbooks. Alt + Tab is a Windows shortcut that cycles through every open application window, Excel or not.
- Single document interface: since Excel 2013 each workbook is its own top-level window. Arrange All and View Side by Side still work, but they arrange windows on the desktop rather than inside one Excel frame.
- AutoSave and Ctrl + S: when a file is stored on OneDrive or SharePoint and AutoSave is on, Excel saves every few seconds. Ctrl + S still works and simply forces a save immediately.
- F12 to save a copy: with AutoSave on, F12 is the quickest way to save a separate copy under a new name before you experiment.
Worked example: set up a monthly reporting workbook
You have a workbook with sheets Jan to Dec and you want to add a Summary sheet, put the same header on all twelve months, freeze the header row and view the summary alongside the data.
| Step | Keystrokes | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Go to the first sheet | Ctrl + Page Up until Jan is active | Jan is active |
| 2. Insert a sheet | Shift + F11 | New sheet to the left of Jan |
| 3. Rename it | Alt, H, O, R, type Summary, Enter | Sheet is called Summary |
| 4. Move to Jan | Ctrl + Page Down | Jan is active |
| 5. Group Jan to Dec | Ctrl + Shift + Page Down eleven times | Title bar shows [Group] |
| 6. Type the header | Ctrl + Home, type Date, Tab, Customer, Tab, Amount, Enter | Row 1 filled on all twelve sheets |
| 7. Freeze the top row | Alt, W, F, R | Row 1 frozen on every grouped sheet |
| 8. Ungroup | Ctrl + Page Up to Summary | [Group] disappears |
| 9. Second window | Alt, W, N then Alt, W, B | Two windows side by side |
In step 7 Freeze Top Row applies to every sheet in the group, which is exactly what you want for twelve identical month sheets. In step 9 the second window lets you keep Summary on the left while you press Ctrl + Page Down through the months on the right.
Shortcut reference table
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| New workbook | Ctrl + N | Cmd + N |
| Open | Ctrl + O | Cmd + O |
| Save | Ctrl + S | Cmd + S |
| Save As | F12 | Cmd + Shift + S |
| Ctrl + P | Cmd + P | |
| Close workbook | Ctrl + W | Cmd + W |
| Next sheet | Ctrl + Page Down | Ctrl + Page Down or Option + Right arrow |
| Previous sheet | Ctrl + Page Up | Ctrl + Page Up or Option + Left arrow |
| Insert sheet | Shift + F11 | Fn + Shift + F11 |
| Next workbook | Ctrl + F6 | Cmd + ` |
| Collapse ribbon | Ctrl + F1 | Cmd + Option + R |
| Freeze panes | Alt, W, F, F | No Alt sequences; use the View menu |
| Rename sheet | Alt, H, O, R | No Alt sequences; double-click the tab |
Alt sequences do not exist on a Mac because the ribbon has no key tips. Chapter 8 covers the Mac equivalents in full.
Tips and common mistakes
- Grouped sheets stay grouped. Everything you do while [Group] is in the title bar is copied to every selected sheet, including deletions. Check the title bar before you edit and ungroup as soon as you finish.
- Ctrl + W closes one file, Alt + F4 closes Excel. If you have five workbooks open and press Alt + F4, Excel asks about each unsaved file and then quits. Use Ctrl + W to close only the active workbook.
- Ctrl + F4 is not Alt + F4. Ctrl + F4 closes the workbook window like Ctrl + W. The two keys sit close together, so slow down when you use them.
- Hidden is not very hidden. The Unhide dialog only lists sheets hidden with Home > Format. A sheet whose Visible property was set to xlSheetVeryHidden in the VBA editor does not appear and can only be unhidden with VBA or the Properties window (Alt + F11, F4).
- Freeze Panes depends on the active cell. Alt, W, F, F freezes above and to the left of the selected cell. If nothing seems to freeze, you probably had A1 selected. Use Freeze Top Row when you only need the header.
- Shift + F11 inserts to the left. New sheets appear before the active sheet, not after it. Move them with Alt, H, O, M if the order matters.
- Save a copy before experiments. With AutoSave on, edits are written to the cloud file straight away. Press F12 first and work on the copy.
Practise these five this week
| Shortcut | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + Page Down / Ctrl + Page Up | Next or previous sheet | Every time you would click a tab |
| Shift + F11 | Insert a new sheet | Starting a new month or section |
| Alt, H, O, R | Rename the active sheet | Straight after inserting |
| Alt, W, F, R | Freeze the top row | Any list longer than one screen |
| Ctrl + F6 | Switch to the next workbook | Comparing or copying between files |
- Open a blank workbook, insert three sheets with Shift + F11 and rename them Q1, Q2 and Q3 using only the keyboard.
- Group all three with Ctrl + Shift + Page Down, type a three-column header, freeze the top row, then ungroup and confirm each sheet has the header and the frozen row.
- Open a second workbook, switch between the two with Ctrl + F6 five times, then arrange them with Alt, W, B and close one with Ctrl + W.
Key takeaways
- Ctrl + Page Down and Ctrl + Page Up move between sheets; add Shift to group them.
- Shift + F11 inserts a sheet and Alt, H, O, R renames it.
- Ctrl + F6 switches workbooks; Alt + Tab switches Windows applications.
- Alt, W, F, F freezes at the active cell, Alt, W, F, R freezes the top row.
- Ctrl + W closes a workbook; Alt + F4 closes Excel.
- Watch for [Group] in the title bar before you edit anything.
Related lessons
- Excel Shortcut Keys course hub
- Excel Navigation and Selection Shortcuts
- Excel Data Shortcuts: Sort, Filter, Tables, Pivot Tables and Charts
- Excel Alt Key Ribbon Sequences and the Quick Access Toolbar
- Introduction to VBA (for very hidden sheets and sheet automation)
- Excel Dashboard course
- Keyboard shortcuts in Excel (Microsoft Support)
Frequently asked questions
How do I switch between sheets in Excel with the keyboard?
Press Ctrl + Page Down to move to the next sheet on the right and Ctrl + Page Up to move to the previous sheet. On a Mac use Option + Right arrow and Option + Left arrow. To jump to a specific sheet, right-click the tab scroll arrows at the bottom left to see a list of every sheet.
How do I switch between Excel workbooks?
Press Ctrl + F6 or Ctrl + Tab to move to the next open workbook and Ctrl + Shift + F6 or Ctrl + Shift + Tab to move back. These cycle only through Excel windows. Alt + Tab also works but it cycles through every open application on Windows, not just Excel.
What is the shortcut to insert a new sheet in Excel?
Press Shift + F11. Excel inserts a new worksheet immediately to the left of the active sheet. On a Mac press Fn + Shift + F11. To rename the new sheet without the mouse press Alt, H, O, R, type the name and press Enter.
What is the shortcut to freeze panes in Excel?
Select the cell below and to the right of the area you want to lock, then press Alt, W, F, F. To freeze only the top row press Alt, W, F, R, and for the first column Alt, W, F, C. Repeat the first sequence to unfreeze.
Is there a shortcut to rename a sheet in Excel?
There is no single-key shortcut, but the ribbon sequence Alt, H, O, R selects the sheet name for editing. Type the new name and press Enter. Sheet names can be up to 31 characters and cannot contain a colon, backslash, forward slash, question mark, asterisk or square brackets.
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