5 Excel Formatting Shortcuts Everyone Should Know

If you use Excel at work, these five shortcuts will save you time and make your spreadsheets look clean and professional. They’re easy to learn and you’ll use them every day.

1. Ctrl + 1 — Open Format Cells

This is the master shortcut.

Use it to change:

• number format

• alignment

• borders

• colors

  
  

2. Ctrl + Shift + $ — Currency Format

Highlight your numbers and use this shortcut to turn them into:

$1,234.56

Perfect for budgets, invoices, and financial sheets.

3. Ctrl + Shift + % — Percent Format

Quickly change decimals into percentages:

0.25 → 25%

Great for KPIs, growth rates, and reports.

4. Ctrl + Shift + # — Date Format

If your dates look like weird numbers (like 45210), use this to turn them into a readable date:

1/15/2025

5. Alt + H + O + I — AutoFit Columns

Makes your columns the perfect width so everything fits.

No more cut-off text or manual dragging.

These five shortcuts will make your Excel work faster, cleaner, and easier. Start using them today and you’ll never go back!

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