Don’t Ignore the Power of F1 in Microsoft Excel
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Enter and get out of the full screen mode
F1 is best known on Windows and Mac to be the keyboard shortcut which opens the aid document or the Active application window. However, in Microsoft Excel, it is also a shortcut to other equally useful commands when associated with other keys.
The keyboard shortcuts of this article apply to Windows computers. Mac keyboard shortcuts often follow the same principle, although the ALT key on a Windows keyboard is often replaced by the Options key on a Mac keyboard, and the CTRL key can be replaced by the CMD key. On all keyboards, you may need to activate the function locking so that the function keys work as expected.
Launch the help shutter
If you hit an obstacle in Microsoft Excel, press F1 to reveal the help shutter, usually to the right of the window.
When the aid pane opens, the text field at the top is already active, you can start typing your request immediately. As you type, suggestions will appear and you can press the arrow down and enter to navigate and select one that seems likely to help you solve your problem.
If you press F1 when you are halfway through an action, suggestions for the aid pane can be directly linked to this action. This can be particularly useful if, for example, you use a certain function for the first time. To return to the main help menu, with the text field still live, press Shift + twice to activate the “Home” icon, then press Enter.
Alternatively, continue to type and press Entrance once you are finished to see how Excel can help you.
On the other hand, instead of typing a request in the text field, press TAB and Shift + TAB to navigate in the suggestions and press ENTER to run the selected option.
To close the help shutter when it is always active, press the CTRL +space, then C.
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Show and hide the ribbon
Microsoft Excel has so many tools that the ribbon occupies a large amount of real estate, especially if you use a small screen. This limits the part you have to work in the cells of the spreadsheet.
This is where Ctrl + F1 is useful. When you press this keyboard combo, the tools of tools disappear, leaving only the name box, the formula bar, the tabs, the search field and – if you have activated it – the quick access toolbar exposed above your spreadsheet.
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Consequently, the cells occupy a larger proportion of the screen space, which facilitates data entry and analysis.
To temporarily access the groups of a tab, press Alt, then the letter that appears next to the relevant tab. The ribbon will disappear again if you press ESC, run an order or click elsewhere. Press CTRL + F1 again to permanently show the ribbon after hiding it.
If you prefer to use your mouse, you can display and hide the ribbon in double-click on any tab.
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Enter and get out of the full screen mode
The activation of the full screen mode is similar to display and hide the ribbon, but it goes further by leaving only the name box and the formula bar above the spreadsheet, as well as the tabs under the spreadsheet, displayed.
To enter this mode, press CTRL + Shift + F1.
Unlike Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel does not give you the possibility of going to focus mode, so the use of the full screen mode is the best way to increase your real estate from the spreadsheet and reduce the number of distracting icons on your screen.
Press alt to temporarily reactivate the ribbon, or press CTRL + Shift + F1 again to leave the full screen mode.
You can also go into dark mode if you work on your computer for an extended period and are assigned by a bright screen.
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Insert a graph
The graphics are a great way to quickly view your data in Microsoft Excel, and knowledge of the keyboard shortcut further accelerates this process. If your data is in an Excel table or un formatated cells, provided there are no lines or virgin columns, select any cell in the beach and press Alt + F1. By default, the supply of your data is structured properly, this keyboard shortcut generates a cluster column graphic in the same spreadsheet.
To insert the default table on a new spreadsheet, press F11.
To switch this graphic into another type, the graphic always selected, press Alt> JC> C to launch the dialog dialog dialog dialog box. There, press TAB once to activate the list of graphics types (labeled 1 In the screenshot below), and use the up and bottom arrow keys to select a graphic. Then press the tab again to activate variations in the graph type (labeled 2 in the screenshot below). Finally, use the left and right arrow keys to select a specific type of graphic and press Enter to insert it.
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On the other hand, you can change the default graph type which is inserted each time you press Alt + F1 in the future. To do this, follow the same process as in the above step, but rather than pressing input once you have landed on a variation in the graphic type, press the menu key (also known as the application key) to launch and select the “Define as default graph” button. Then press Entrance to confirm.
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Add a new worksheet
The use of more than one spreadsheet in Excel can be a great way to organize your data. That said, having too many tabs can harm your workbook’s performance, so add a new spreadsheet when it is absolutely necessary.
To add and open a new calculation sheet in Microsoft Excel, press Alt + Shift + F1. As you can see in the screenshot below, the tab of the new spreadsheet is placed on the left of the previously active worksheet tab.
If you always want new sheets to be added to the right of the existing tabs, create a dummy spreadsheet, click and slide so that it is the most right tab and always make the Alt + Shift + F1 command from this spreadsheet.
Then, to rename the spreadsheet you just created, press Alt> H> O> R and enter the new name.
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If your workbook contains more than one spreadsheet, press the CTRL + page to go to the next spreadsheet or on CTRL + page to go to the previous one. To delete the active calculation sheet, press Alt> H> D> S, but use this keyboard shortcut with prudence, because you cannot cancel this action.
F1 is not the only shortcut of useful function key in Microsoft Excel. For example, F4 allows you to switch between the reference types in the formulas, repeat the last action, perform and repeat a search request and close the workbook or the active window. On the other hand, F9 is practical if you want to recalculate the formulas, debug the complex formulas or minimize the Excel window.
