10 Secret Hot Keys in Excel You Need to Know

What are hot keys? They are a combination of keys on a computer keyboard that perform a specific task. It's the same as a switch that turns the light on. In Excel, you will have such combination keys like Alt+F1, Ctrl+F3 and Alt+Shift+F1 etc. Memorize them today and you will find them very useful.

"There is no shortcut to become an Olympic Champion. But in Excel there are many shortcuts which make you more productive." - ExcelMagicWorld.com

1. Alt+F1: Insert a new chart

2. Ctrl+F3: Open Name Manager

3. Alt+Shift+F1: Add a new sheet

4. Ctrl+F1: Collapse or expand the Ribbon

5. Shift+F2: Insert or edit a comment in a selected cell

6. Alt+Shift+F2: Save the workbook

7. Ctrl+F4: Close the active workbook

Note: This is to close the workbook only while Alt+F4 is to close both the workbook and Excel application itself.

8. Alt+F8: Opens Macro window

9. Alt+F11: Opens Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications

10. Ctrl+Shift+Enter: This is the most mysterious hot key in Excel. Sometimes you need to know the total sales for your products. Most people prefer Sum() function. However when they type the formula "=sum(b8:b10*c8:c10)" and press Enter, bad thing happens. The cell shows "#VALUE" which is really frustrating. No worries! After you type the formula then just press Ctrl+Shift+Enter. Now you get the expected result, right? Did you notice the curly brackets "{}" around the formula? This hot key actually plays an important role in Array Formula. How magic it is!