Whether you are a spreadsheet marathoner or not, there is an Alt-ernative keyboard shortcut route to the vanilla shortcuts that we all celebrate and love… and one that requires hardly any memorization or reference to materials.
What is this crazy nugget of spreadsheet goody-ness you ask? It’s merely using the “Alt” key. Yep… as crazy at it may sound, the Alt key has purposes OTHER than “Control-Alt-Delete”!
So here’s the deal… When you are in Excel (PC 2007 or PC 2010) and want to perform a task that typically involves grabbing the mouse or hitting up the track pad:
1. Don’t touch the mouse!
2. Press Alt on your keyboard (no need to hold it down… just press it).
3. Notice the Key Tips (letters) that appear at the top of the ribbon.
4. Press the letter on your keyboard of the tab where the button is that you want to select.
Since one of my go-to moves every time I open a workbook is to Freeze Panes, let’s use that as an example!
Press W on your keyboard for the View tab.
5. We then see the below screen. Now press F on your keyboard for the Freeze Panes dropdown.
6. Since I like to Freeze Panes at the intersection of a row and a column, press F on your keyboard again!
7. Just to review, now instead of clicking through the various menu tabs to Freeze Panes, all you have to do is type “Alt + W + F + F” on your keyboard. Voila… our Panes have been frozen.
P.S. if you do decide to memorize these Keyboard naughty bits, feel free to press the keys as fast as you want!
8. Now see if you can unfreeze them using this new Alt-ernate method!
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