Home Up Bookstore Site Map Site Search

Excel 2003 Shortcut Keys

[Keys for General Use] [Keys for Moving and Scrolling on Worksheets] [Keys for Moving between Worksheet Panes, Worksheets, and Workbooks] [Keys for Entering Data] [Keys for Selecting Data and Cells] [Keys for Editing Data] [Keys for Formatting Data] [Keys for Printing and Previewing Spreadsheet Files] [Keys for Working with Names] [Keys for Working with Databases and Lists] [Keys for Outlining Data] [Keys for Working with Charts] [Keys for Working with PivotTables and PivotCharts] [Keys for Working with Objects]


Keys for Working with Objects

All shortcut keys are based on the U.S. keyboard layout. Keys on other layouts may not correspond exactly to the keys on a U.S. keyboard.

For keyboard shortcuts in which you press two or more keys together, the keys to press are separated by a plus sign, like this: SHIFT+F10.
For shortcuts in which you press keys one after the other, the keys to press are separated by a comma, like this: ALT, F, X.

Note: When both the Reviewing and Drawing toolbars are onscreen, ALT+U switches between the Review command and the AutoShapes command, and ENTER performs the selected command.

Select a drawing object

When you're editing text in a drawing object, you can select the next or previous object by pressing TAB or SHIFT+TAB. Starting from a worksheet, do the following:

  1. Press F10, press CTRL+TAB to select the Drawing toolbar, and then press RIGHT ARROW to select the Select Objects button.
  2. Press CTRL+ENTER to select the first drawing object.
  3. Press the TAB key to cycle forward (or SHIFT+TAB to cycle backward) through the objects until sizing handles appear on the object you want to select.
  4. If an object is grouped, TAB selects the group, then each object within the group, and then the next object.
  5. To switch back to the worksheet when an object is selected, press ESC.

Insert an AutoShape

  1. Press ALT+U to select the AutoShapes menu on the Drawing toolbar.
  2. Use the arrow keys to move to the category of AutoShapes you want, and then press the RIGHT ARROW key.
  3. Use the arrow keys to select the AutoShape you want.
  4. Press CTRL+ENTER.
  5. To format the AutoShape, press CTRL+1 to display the Format AutoShape dialog box.

Insert a text box

  1. Press F10, press CTRL+TAB to select the Drawing toolbar, and then press RIGHT ARROW to select the Text Box button.
  2. Press CTRL+ENTER.
  3. Type the text you want in the text box.
  4. Do one of the following:
    • To return to the worksheet when you are finished typing, press ESC twice.
    • To format the text box, press ESC, and then press CTRL+1 to display the Format Text Box dialog box. When you finish formatting, press ENTER, and then press ESC to return to the worksheet.

Insert WordArt

  1. Press ALT+I, then press P, then press W (Insert menu, Picture submenu, WordArt command).
  2. Use the arrow keys to select the WordArt style you want, and then press ENTER.
  3. Type the text you want, and then use the TAB key to select other options in the dialog box.
  4. Press ENTER to insert the WordArt object.
  5. To format the WordArt object, use the tools on the Word Art toolbar, or press CTRL+1 to display the Format WordArt dialog box.

Rotate a drawing object

  1. Select the drawing object you want to rotate.
  2. Press CTRL+1 to display the Format menu for the object, and then press CTRL+TAB to select the Size tab.
  3. Press ALT+T to select the Rotation box.
  4. Use the arrow keys to select the amount of rotation you want.

Change the size of a drawing object

  1. Select the drawing object you want to resize.
  2. Press CTRL+1 to display the Format menu for the object, and then press CTRL+TAB to select the Size tab.
  3. Select the options you want to change the size.

Move a drawing object

  1. Select the drawing object you want to move.
  2. Press the arrow keys to move the object.
  3. To position the object precisely, press CTRL+ an arrow key to move the object in one-pixel increments.

Copy drawing objects and their attributes

To make a copy of a drawing object, select the object and press CTRL+D. To copy attributes such as fill color and line style from one object to another, do the following:

  1. Select the drawing object with the attributes you want to copy.
  2. For AutoShapes with text, the text format is copied along with the other attributes.
  3. Press CTRL+SHIFT+C to copy the object attributes.
  4. Press TAB or SHIFT+TAB to select the object you want to copy the attributes to.
  5. Press CTRL+SHIFT+V to copy the attributes to the object.

Go Back to the Top of the Page


Home ] Keys for General Use ] Keys for Moving and Scrolling on a Worksheet ] Keys for Moving between Worksheet Panes, Worksheets, and Workbooks ] Keys for Entering Data ] Keys for Selecting Data and Cells ] Keys for Editing Data ] Keys for Formatting Data ] Keys for Printing and Previewing Spreadsheet Files ] Keys for Working with Names ] Keys for Working with Databases and Lists ] Keys for Outlining Data ] Keys for Working with Charts ] Keys for Working with PivotTables and PivotCharts ] [ Keys for Working with Objects ]

Send mail with questions or comments about this web site to our webmaster.
Last modified: June 05, 2004

Labelled with ICRA