Excel for Analytics: Quick Navigation Tips That Will Make You Faster (Portfolio Project Series)

Why Excel Shortcuts for Analytics Still Matter

93% of all organizations use spreadsheets in planning, budgeting, or forecasting.

I'm not here to convince you that Excel is the greatest analytics tool of all time. But based on that stat, learning Excel shortcuts will do everybody some good.

Here's the deal: analysts support the business. The work you do has to change hands and end up with decision makers who need to access, consume, and ultimately use your work to help them make better decisions.

One of the most familiar mediums to do this? Trusty old Excel.

Any shift away from spreadsheets isn't happening overnight. So learning Excel is a worthwhile investment of your time.

The No-Mouse Philosophy

It's sort of cliché to pretend like you hate the mouse. I don't go out of my way to never use it—I've just learned ways to get around Excel without having to use it.

Why? Because keyboard shortcuts are faster.

If you spend most of your working day in Excel, the number of times you go from keyboard to mouse adds up. That back and forth costs time. The more you can keep your hands in one place, the bigger the impact.

Hand Positioning

Here's how I position my hands (and how I see a lot of power users do it):

Left hand:

• Middle finger on Shift
• Index finger on Ctrl

Right hand:

• Middle finger on the Up arrow
• Index and ring fingers on Left and Right arrows

From this position, you can:

• Jump between tabs
• Move up and down data sets
• Highlight and copy things
• Access Page Up/Page Down with a short reach

Essential Navigation Shortcuts

Moving Between Tabs

Jumping Within Data

Pro tip: Ctrl + End is super handy if you need to quickly see how many rows of data you're working with.

Selecting Data Quickly

The Alt Menu Trick

Here's something powerful: the Alt key shows you the path to any command.

Press Alt and you'll see letters appear above each ribbon tab. Follow the letters to execute any command without touching your mouse.

For example:

• Alt + H + C + C = Copy (following the Home > Copy path)
• Alt + A + G + G = Group columns
• Alt + H + O + I = Auto-fit column width

I tend to follow the Alt key shortcuts because they're more intuitive—you're basically following the same click path you'd use with a mouse, but faster.

How to Actually Learn These

The way you get good at this is by practicing.

Resist the temptation to grab your mouse. It will be a little bit painful. You will stumble. You will hit the wrong key. But it will be worth it—I can promise you that.

There's a shortcut for just about anything you can imagine in Excel (unless you're on a Mac—that's a different story). Start with the basics and build from there.

Quick Reference Card

The Bottom Line

These shortcuts might seem small, but they compound. Every second you save adds up to hours over a year.

More importantly, staying on the keyboard keeps you in flow. You're not context-switching between mouse and keyboard—you're just moving through data.

That's when Excel becomes genuinely fun to use.

Common Questions About Excel Navigation

Q: Do I really need to learn keyboard shortcuts if I'm fast with a mouse?

Yes. I thought I was fast with a mouse too. The difference isn't about speed on one task—it's about staying in flow across hundreds of tasks. Try it for a week. You won't go back.

Q: What if I'm on a Mac? Do these shortcuts work?

Most do, but you'll use Command instead of Ctrl. Some shortcuts differ (like F2 to edit a cell). Google "Excel Mac shortcuts" for the full list, but the philosophy is the same.

Q: Which shortcuts should I learn first?

Start with navigation (Ctrl + Arrow keys) and selection (Ctrl + Shift + Arrow). Once those are muscle memory, add the Alt menu trick. Everything else builds from there.