Part of the free Module 1: Excel Shortcut Keys · Lesson 3 of 8 · Full Excel course
Updated on 5 September 2026 · Works in Excel 365, 2021, 2019 and 2016 unless noted.
Excel formatting shortcuts let you change number formats, fonts, borders and alignment without leaving the keyboard. The most useful is Ctrl + 1, which opens the Format Cells dialog for whatever is selected. Next come the number format keys Ctrl + Shift + 1 to Ctrl + Shift + 7, and Ctrl + B, Ctrl + I and Ctrl + U for fonts. This lesson shows how to format a whole report with them.
The Format Cells dialog with Ctrl + 1
Ctrl + 1 (the digit one on the main keyboard) opens Format Cells. It has six tabs: Number, Alignment, Font, Border, Fill and Protection. Everything the Home tab offers for cells lives here, plus options the ribbon hides such as custom number formats, Centre Across Selection, shrink to fit and locked or hidden cells.
- Select the cells to format, for example a column with Ctrl + Space.
- Press Ctrl + 1. The dialog opens on the tab you used last.
- Move between tabs with Ctrl + Tab or Ctrl + Page Down, and backwards with Ctrl + Shift + Tab.
- Inside a tab, press Alt plus the underlined letter of any option, or Tab through the controls.
- Press Enter to apply or Esc to cancel.
Ctrl + Shift + F and Ctrl + Shift + P open the same dialog directly on the Font tab. Ctrl + 1 also works on charts, shapes and pictures, where it opens the Format pane for the selected object.
The number format keys: Ctrl + Shift + 1 to 7
These seven chords apply a fixed built-in format instantly. Use the number keys along the top of the keyboard; the numeric keypad does not work because Shift changes what those keys send.
| Shortcut | Format applied | Format code | 1234.5 becomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + Shift + ~ | General | General |
1234.5 |
| Ctrl + Shift + 1 | Number, two decimals, thousands separator | #,##0.00 |
1,234.50 |
| Ctrl + Shift + 2 | Time | h:mm AM/PM |
12:00 PM |
| Ctrl + Shift + 3 | Date | d-mmm-yy |
18-May-03 |
| Ctrl + Shift + 4 | Currency, two decimals | $#,##0.00 (symbol follows your regional settings) |
$1,234.50 |
| Ctrl + Shift + 5 | Percentage, no decimals | 0% |
123450% |
| Ctrl + Shift + 6 | Scientific, two decimals | 0.00E+00 |
1.23E+03 |
| Ctrl + Shift + 7 | Outline border around the selection | Border, not a number format | unchanged |
The percentage key multiplies the display by 100, so apply it to values already stored as fractions (0.15 shows 15%). If you typed 15 and want 15%, divide by 100 first or type 15% in the cell. Ctrl + Shift + _ (underscore) removes all borders from the selection, and Ctrl + Shift + & is the same chord as Ctrl + Shift + 7 on most keyboards.
Font, alignment and cell style shortcuts
Ctrl + B, Ctrl + I and Ctrl + U toggle bold, italic and underline. Ctrl + 5 toggles strikethrough, which is handy for marking completed items in a task list. The rest of the Home tab is reached with Alt sequences, which are press-and-release key runs rather than chords: Alt, H, F, C opens the font colour palette, Alt, H, H the fill colour palette, Alt, H, A, C centres the text, Alt, H, W toggles Wrap Text, and Alt, H, O, I autofits the column width while Alt, H, O, A autofits the row height. Alt, H, M, M merges cells, but avoid merged cells in data areas because they break sorting and Ctrl + Space; use Centre Across Selection on the Alignment tab of Ctrl + 1 instead.
Copying formatting quickly
Three routes copy a format from one place to another. Format Painter is Alt, H, F, P: select the formatted cell, run the sequence, then select the destination. Double-clicking the Format Painter button keeps it active for several destinations, but that needs the mouse. Paste Special formats works entirely by keyboard: copy the source with Ctrl + C, select the destination and press Ctrl + Alt + V, T, Enter. Note that Ctrl + Shift + V in Excel 365 pastes values, not formats. The third route is F4, which repeats the last action: apply a fill colour to one cell, move to the next and press F4 to apply it again.
Custom number formats typed into Ctrl + 1
When the seven built-in keys are not enough, press Ctrl + 1, choose Custom on the Number tab and type a code. A format code has up to four sections separated by semicolons: positive; negative; zero; text.
| Format code | Shows | Use for |
|---|---|---|
#,##0;[Red]-#,##0 |
1,250 and -1,250 in red | Financial tables with negatives highlighted |
0.0% |
12.5% | Growth rates with one decimal |
dd-mmm-yyyy |
05-Sep-2026 | Unambiguous dates in reports |
0,"K" |
1250000 shows 1250K | Compact dashboard numbers |
0.0,,"M" |
1250000 shows 1.3M | Millions on KPI cards |
[h]:mm |
36:30 for a day and a half | Elapsed time over 24 hours |
;;; |
nothing | Hide a cell’s value without hiding the cell |
Worked example: format a monthly sales table with the keyboard only
Start with this unformatted table in A1:C7. Revenue is typed as plain numbers and Growth as fractions such as 0.083.
| Row | A: Month | B: Revenue | C: Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Month | Revenue | Growth |
| 2 | Jan | 42500 | |
| 3 | Feb | 46000 | 0.082 |
| 4 | Mar | 44100 | -0.041 |
| 5 | Apr | 51200 | 0.161 |
| 6 | May | 49800 | -0.027 |
| 7 | Jun | 55300 | 0.110 |
- Select B2, press Ctrl + Shift + Down to select B2:B7, then Ctrl + Shift + 4. Revenue shows as currency with two decimals.
- Select C3, press Ctrl + Shift + Down, then Ctrl + Shift + 5. Growth shows 8%, -4%, 16%, -3%, 11%.
- With C3:C7 still selected press Ctrl + 1, go to Custom and type
0.0%;[Red]-0.0%, then Enter. Negatives turn red with one decimal. - Select A1, press Ctrl + Shift + Right, then Ctrl + B and Alt, H, A, C to bold and centre the headers.
- Select A1, press Ctrl + A, then Ctrl + Shift + 7 for an outline border.
- Press Alt, H, O, I with the block still selected to autofit every column.
Result: a report-ready table in six keyboard steps, with no ribbon clicks. The same sequence works on a table of ten thousand rows, because every selection step uses Ctrl + Shift + Arrow.
Formatting shortcut reference
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Format Cells dialog | Ctrl + 1 | ⌘ + 1 |
| Bold / Italic / Underline | Ctrl + B / Ctrl + I / Ctrl + U | ⌘ + B / ⌘ + I / ⌘ + U |
| Strikethrough | Ctrl + 5 | ⌘ + Shift + X |
| General format | Ctrl + Shift + ~ | Ctrl + Shift + ~ |
| Number format (two decimals) | Ctrl + Shift + 1 | Ctrl + Shift + 1 |
| Time format | Ctrl + Shift + 2 | Ctrl + Shift + 2 |
| Date format | Ctrl + Shift + 3 | Ctrl + Shift + 3 |
| Currency format | Ctrl + Shift + 4 | Ctrl + Shift + 4 |
| Percentage format | Ctrl + Shift + 5 | Ctrl + Shift + 5 |
| Scientific format | Ctrl + Shift + 6 | Ctrl + Shift + 6 |
| Outline border | Ctrl + Shift + 7 | ⌘ + Option + 0 |
| Remove all borders | Ctrl + Shift + _ | ⌘ + Option + − |
| Font tab of Format Cells | Ctrl + Shift + F | ⌘ + Shift + F |
| Font colour palette | Alt, H, F, C | no default |
| Fill colour palette | Alt, H, H | no default |
| Centre align | Alt, H, A, C | ⌘ + E |
| Wrap text | Alt, H, W | no default |
| Autofit column width | Alt, H, O, I | no default |
| Autofit row height | Alt, H, O, A | no default |
| Format Painter | Alt, H, F, P | no default |
| Paste formats only | Ctrl + Alt + V, T | ⌘ + Ctrl + V, then Formats |
| Repeat the last format action | F4 or Ctrl + Y | ⌘ + Y |
| Cell Styles gallery | Alt, H, J | no default |
Tips and common mistakes
- Use the top-row digits. Ctrl + Shift + 1 on the numeric keypad does nothing. The same applies to Ctrl + 1 on some laptops with Fn-locked keypads.
- The currency symbol is not yours to choose with Ctrl + Shift + 4. It follows the Windows regional format. For a different symbol, press Ctrl + 1 and pick it under Currency or Accounting.
- Percentage formatting multiplies by 100. Apply it to fractions, or type the percent sign when you enter the value.
- Formatting changes the display, not the value. A cell showing 1.3M still holds 1250000, and 8% still holds 0.082. Formulas see the stored value.
- Do not merge cells in data. Merged headers break Ctrl + Space, sorting and pivot tables. Centre Across Selection looks identical and is harmless.
- Ctrl + 1 opens on the last tab used. If you are landing on Fill every time, press Ctrl + Tab to move, or use Ctrl + Shift + F to start on Font.
- F4 repeats only the last single action. If you applied bold and then a fill, F4 repeats the fill. Apply formats one at a time when you plan to repeat them.
Practise these five this week
| Shortcut | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + 1 | Opens Format Cells | Any format the ribbon does not show, especially custom number formats |
| Ctrl + Shift + 1 | Number with two decimals and separators | Cleaning up raw numbers in a report |
| Ctrl + Shift + 5 | Percentage format | Growth, margin and share columns |
| Ctrl + B | Bold | Header rows and total rows |
| Alt, H, O, I | Autofit column width | After pasting or typing anything |
- Type ten random numbers in a column and apply each of the seven number format keys in turn, watching how 0.5 changes under each.
- Format a header row bold and centred, then use Ctrl + Alt + V, T to copy that formatting to a header on another sheet.
- Create a custom format that shows thousands as K with one decimal, and apply it to a column of revenue figures.
Key takeaways
- Ctrl + 1 opens Format Cells for cells, charts and shapes; Ctrl + Tab moves between its tabs.
- Ctrl + Shift + 1 to 6 apply number, time, date, currency, percentage and scientific formats; 7 adds an outline border.
- Percentages multiply the display by 100, so store fractions.
- Alt sequences such as Alt, H, O, I cover everything else on the Home tab.
- Copy formatting with Paste Special formats or repeat it with F4.
- Custom format codes turn long numbers into 1.3M or hide values with
;;;.
Related lessons
- Excel Shortcut Keys course hub
- Editing, copy-paste and Paste Special shortcuts
- Alt key ribbon sequences and the Quick Access Toolbar
- Excel shortcuts on a Mac and a printable cheat sheet
- Conditional Formatting course (module 7), for formats that change with the data.
- TEXT function, which applies the same format codes inside a formula.
- Microsoft Support: Keyboard shortcuts in Excel.
Frequently asked questions
What does Ctrl + 1 do in Excel?
Ctrl + 1 opens the Format Cells dialog for the selected cells, with tabs for Number, Alignment, Font, Border, Fill and Protection. It is the quickest route to custom number formats, Centre Across Selection and cell locking. When a chart, shape or picture is selected, the same shortcut opens that object’s Format pane instead.
What is the shortcut for percentage format in Excel?
Select the cells and press Ctrl + Shift + 5 using the 5 on the top row of the keyboard. Excel applies the 0% format, so 0.25 displays as 25%. For decimals, press Ctrl + 1 and set the number of decimal places under Percentage, or type a custom code such as 0.0%.
How do I autofit column width with the keyboard?
Select the columns, or any cells in them, and press Alt, H, O, I one key after another. Excel widens or narrows each column to fit its longest entry. Alt, H, O, A does the same for row height, which is useful after turning on Wrap Text.
Why do my number format shortcuts not work on the numeric keypad?
With Shift held, keypad digits send navigation codes (Home, End, Page Up and so on) rather than numbers, so Ctrl + Shift + 1 on the keypad is not recognised. Use the digit keys along the top of the keyboard. Ctrl + 1 without Shift usually works from either set of keys.
Is there a shortcut to apply the Accounting format?
Not a single chord. Ctrl + Shift + 4 applies the Currency format, which keeps the symbol next to the number. For the Accounting format, with aligned symbols and dashes for zero, use the ribbon sequence Alt, H, A, N or choose Accounting on the Number tab of Ctrl + 1.
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