Excel like a finance pro.
The functions, VBA, and shortcuts a finance operator actually uses — curated, with CFO examples. Prefer them pre-built? Grab a ready-made model.
Format Cells dialog
Ctrl1FormattingOpen the full formatting dialog — number formats, borders, alignment — in one press.
Difficulty
1What it does
Ctrl + 1 opens the Format Cells dialog for whatever's selected: the one place for custom number formats, borders, alignment, and fonts. It's the fastest route to precise control — a custom code like $#,##0;[Red](#,##0) for accounting-style negatives, or thousands shown as #,##0,"k" — that the ribbon buttons can't reach.
2The shortcut
- 1Select the cell or range.
- 2Press
Ctrl + 1to open Format Cells. - 3Pick a tab (Number, Alignment, Border…), set it, and press
Enter.
3Before → after
Press the shortcut to play it on a sample sheet.
Before — raw numbers
| Value | Displayed as |
| 1234.5 | — |
| -1234.5 | — |
The ribbon can't reach every format. Ctrl + 1 opens the dialog where custom codes live.
4When you use it
- Apply a custom number format the ribbon doesn't offer.
- Show negatives in red parentheses, accounting-style.
- Set borders or alignment precisely across a range.
5Related functions
- TEXT — see its own page, with a live demo.
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