Formatting Shortcuts Revisited

Yes, it’s true. I am an enormous fan of Keyboard Shortcuts. As every true Excel Guru will tell you, these shortcuts can save you many hours of work time over the long haul, and enhance your image as one of the Cool Kids in School.

One set of keyboard shortcuts that is typically overlooked is the ability to pull up the Right-Click menu to Change the Number Format in the cell or range of cells you are working on. Most all of us know that Right-clicking with your mouse and pulling up a context-sensitive menu is a good solution, but using the keyboard is Even Faster (and Cooler)!

The Right-Click Keyboard Shortcuts all start with “Ctrl+Shift”, which makes them more effortless to remember. As we discussed 4 years ago, the following are the most Commonly Used Tricks for rapid number formatting:

1.   General = Ctrl+Shift+~

2.   Number = = Ctrl+Shift+!

3.   Time = Ctrl+Shift+@

4.   Date = Ctrl+Shift+#

5.   Currency = Ctrl+Shift+$

6.   Percentage = Ctrl+Shift+%

It will, of course, take a little bit of time to become fully accustomed to using these shortcuts, but the time invested will certainly be worth it. Mastering keyboard shortcuts is an excellent way to maximize your Excel time (and make you appear the Brilliant Soul you truly are…).