Excel like a finance pro.
Selection shortcut
Select the current region around the active cell
Ctrl + Shift + * on Windows, Ctrl + Shift + Space on Mac.
When to use it
Selects the current region: the block of data around the active cell bounded by blank rows and columns. The same as the first press of Ctrl + A.
The shape of it
- Windows
Ctrl + Shift + *
- Mac
Ctrl + Shift + Space
Worked examples
Select a block
Click inside a table, press Ctrl + Shift + * → The whole block is selected
For sorting, pivots, and copying.
Select a pivot
In a pivot table, Ctrl + Shift + * → The entire pivot including page fields
A pivot-specific behavior.
Turn a block into a Table
Ctrl + Shift + *, then Ctrl + T → The block becomes a Table
Two keystrokes to a Table.
Worth knowing
- Ctrl + A does the same on the first press.
- Blank rows split the region; fill or remove them.
- The asterisk is on the 8 key, so it is really Ctrl + Shift + 8.
Where it goes wrong
- Numeric keypad * needs only Ctrl on some layouts.
- Regions with a blank column in the middle are two regions.
Related
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