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Editing shortcut

Cancel the entry or exit edit mode

Esc on Windows, Esc on Mac.

Daily driverDifficulty 800 · Novice
Practice · 2 questions →

When to use it

Cancels the current entry or edit, closes dialogs and menus, and clears the marching ants after a copy.

The shape of it

Windows
Esc
Mac
Esc

Worked examples

  • Cancel an edit

    Start typing in a cell, press Esc → The cell returns to its previous content

    Nothing is saved.

  • Clear the clipboard border

    After Ctrl + C, press Esc → The moving border disappears

    Prevents an accidental paste later.

  • Close a dialog

    In a dialog, press Esc → The dialog closes without applying

    Same as Cancel.

Worth knowing

  • Esc during a long calculation interrupts it.
  • Esc twice closes a dropdown then a dialog.
  • Undo is for after Enter; Esc is for before.

Where it goes wrong

  • Esc after Enter does nothing; use Ctrl + Z.
  • Esc also cancels a paste-in-progress from Paste Special.

Related

Ctrl + HF2DeleteCtrl + ZCtrl + CCtrl + X

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