Excel

How to Use the Alt Key in Excel (Productivity Shortcuts for Beginners)

 

If you want to work faster in Excel, one of the best ways is to master keyboard shortcuts. And at the heart of Excel shortcuts is the Alt key.

The Alt key activates KeyTips in Excel, allowing you to navigate the Ribbon, access commands, and perform actions without a mouse. Once you get used to it, you can work much more efficiently.

Contents
  1. 🔍 What Happens When You Press Alt in Excel?
  2. ✅ Example 1: Navigating the Ribbon with Alt
  3. ✅ Example 2: Quick Access to Insert Functions
  4. ✅ Example 3: Accessing Page Layout
  5. ✅ Example 4: Alt with Numbers (Ribbon Shortcuts)
  6. 🎯 Practical Uses of Alt in Excel
  7. 📑 Excel Alt Key Shortcuts Cheat Sheet
  8. 📥 Pro Tip
  9. 📝 Conclusion

🔍 What Happens When You Press Alt in Excel?

When you press Alt, small letters and numbers (called KeyTips) appear on the Ribbon.

For example:

  • H → Home tab

  • N → Insert tab

  • P → Page Layout tab

  • M → Formulas tab

From there, you can press additional keys to activate specific commands.

✅ Example 1: Navigating the Ribbon with Alt

  1. Press Alt → KeyTips appear.

  2. Press H → Opens the Home tab.

  3. Press B → Applies Bold formatting.

Shortcut sequence:

Alt → H → B

✔️ Result: The selected cell’s text becomes bold.

✅ Example 2: Quick Access to Insert Functions

  1. Press Alt → KeyTips appear.

  2. Press M → Opens the Formulas tab.

  3. Press F → Insert Function dialog box.

Shortcut sequence:

Alt → M → F

✔️ Result: Opens the function wizard to insert formulas.

✅ Example 3: Accessing Page Layout

  1. Press Alt

  2. Press P → Page Layout tab

  3. Press S → Page Setup dialog

Shortcut sequence:

Alt → P → S

✔️ Result: Opens Page Setup, where you can adjust margins, paper size, and orientation.

✅ Example 4: Alt with Numbers (Ribbon Shortcuts)

You can also use Alt with numbers to access commands in the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT).

For example, if “Save” is the first item in the QAT:

  • Press Alt + 1 → Saves the workbook.

If “Undo” is the second item:

  • Press Alt + 2 → Undo the last action.

✔️ Tip: Customize the QAT with your most-used commands for super-fast access.

🎯 Practical Uses of Alt in Excel

  1. Mouse-Free Navigation → Access any command without touching the mouse.

  2. Faster Formatting → Bold, italic, borders, alignment with quick sequences.

  3. Insert Tools → Quickly insert tables, charts, or shapes.

  4. Formulas → Access formula tools and auditing features quickly.

  5. Print & Page Setup → Change page settings with a few keystrokes.

📑 Excel Alt Key Shortcuts Cheat Sheet

Alt Sequence Action
Alt → H → B Bold text
Alt → H → I Italic text
Alt → H → U Underline text
Alt → H → A → C Center align text
Alt → H → O → I AutoFit column width
Alt → H → D → C Delete column
Alt → H → D → R Delete row
Alt → N → T Insert table
Alt → N → C Insert column chart
Alt → N → P Insert pie chart
Alt → M → F Insert function dialog box
Alt → M → E Evaluate formula
Alt → P → S Page setup dialog
Alt → P → O Change page orientation
Alt → F → S Save workbook
Alt → F → A Save As
Alt → F → P Print
Alt + 1 Run first item in Quick Access Toolbar (e.g., Save)
Alt + 2 Run second item in Quick Access Toolbar (e.g., Undo)
Alt + F4 Close Excel

📥 Pro Tip

Encourage readers to:

  • Customize the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT): Add their most-used commands (like Save, Undo, Redo, or Print Preview). Then they can access them instantly with Alt + number.

  • Practice one sequence daily until it becomes muscle memory.

📝 Conclusion

The Alt key in Excel is your gateway to a more efficient workflow. Instead of hunting through menus with your mouse, you can use Alt sequences to get things done faster.

👉 Start with simple sequences like Alt → H → B (Bold) and Alt → N (Insert tab). Over time, you’ll build muscle memory and work like a true Excel power user.

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