Setting the stage
Purpose
- introduce navigation shortcuts
- introduce helpful menu options
- create working copy of the data
Navigation and menu shortcuts
There are many keyboard shortcuts in Excel. Here are a few that are useful when finding your way around a large file.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
CTRL + arrow | move to the next empty/full cell in the chosen direction |
CTRL + SHIFT + arrow | select cells to next full/empty cell in chosen direction |
CTRL + End | move to bottom right corner of sheet |
CTRL + SHIFT + End | select cells from current position to bottom right corner of sheet |
CTRL + Home | move to bottom right corner of sheet |
CTRL + SHIFT + End | select cells from current position to bottom right corner of sheet |
Selected menu shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
CTRL + F | open find/replace dialog box |
CTRL + C | copy cell contents |
CTRL + ALT + V | open paste special dialog box (e.g. to paste values instead of forumlas) |
Use a working copy
Exported data often includes content that needs to be reformatted or is not required for the analysis. Before deleting anything, copy all your data into a new worksheet and save the file in .xlsx format. Use the working copy for any analysis but preserve the original for reference.
By the end of this section…
- a working copy of your data in a new worksheet
- file saved in Excel format