These are the all-inclusive best 26 keyboard shortcuts that’ll help you clean your data in less time than mouse movements.

Cleaning data in Excel isn’t just about tidying up. It’s about saving time, especially if the work is a regular thing. It helps reduce errors. It gets you to the insights faster.

If you’ve ever worked with raw or imported datasets, you know how messy things can get. There are extra spaces. You’ll see inconsistent formatting. Duplicate values show up, too.

Manually fixing each issue slows you down. It also eats into the time you could spend analyzing the data. That’s where keyboard shortcuts help. They let you move quicker. They help you stay focused.

They make cleanup more precise. In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through the most useful shortcuts in both a Windows PC and a MacBook. These will make your data cleaning much faster and smoother. Let’s get started.

26 Keyboard Shortcuts to Clean Your Data in Excel for Windows

1. Basic Editing & Cleanup

Let’s start with the basic shortcuts, outlined below, that allow you to smoothly edit the dataset:

Ctrl + Z – Quickly Undo

This is the Excel Undo function. If you’ve mistakenly pasted data in a column or cell and wish to delete it, no need to delete it at all. Simply press Ctrl + Z to undo the action of pasting data. The shortcut can undo the recent changes up to 16 actions.

Coppied data mistakenly.

Removed unwanted data using the Undo shortcut Ctrl + Z.

Ctrl + C – Copy Clean or Corrected Data

When you’re replicating the same data across rows, columns, worksheets, and workbooks in Excel, use the Ctrl + C hotkeys to copy the source data.

This hotkey copies the target content into the clipboard of the PC.

Later on, you can paste the copied data using a different shortcut key discussed below.

Ctrl + V – Paste Copied Data

Once you have copied the data, navigate to the destination cell and press Ctrl + V to paste the data. If there are no conflicts, like the space is empty, Excel will paste it. However, you might see a warning dialog box if there is data already in the destination cell.

There are advanced paste functions as well in the Paste Special tool.

You need to press Ctrl + Alt + V to bring up the Paste Special dialog box and choose the appropriate pasting function from the dialog box, like Values and number formats only, Formulas only, Values only, and so on.

Ctrl + X – Cut Misplaced Data

If you wish to move data from one column to the other, you can select the source data and press Ctrl + X to cut the data.

Now, go to the destination and press Ctrl + V to paste the data.

This shortcut works like copying but doesn’t leave the source data in the original column or rows.

2. Navigation & Selection

Use these keyboard shortcuts to quickly navigate the worksheet or the workbook when cleaning your datasets:

Ctrl + Arrow Key – Jump Fast to the Edge

This shortcut moves your selection instantly to the last filled cell in a column or row. It’s a huge time-saver when cleaning large datasets, especially when checking for gaps, trailing blanks, or unexpected entries.

For example, in a customer email list, pressing Ctrl + ↓ helps you quickly detect and delete blank rows that appear far below the actual data range.

You can also use Ctrl + → to jump across columns and find hidden or stray values that may need to be cleaned or removed.

Shift + Arrow Key – Select Specific Cells

Use this shortcut to manually select cells one at a time by extending the selection in the direction of the arrow key. Here are the combinations:

• Shift + Left Arrow: Precision select to the left
• Shift + Right Arrow: Precision select to the right
• Shift + Down Arrow: Precision select down the column
• Shift + Up Arrow: Precision select up along the column

It’s helpful during data cleanup when you need to isolate a specific range without overshooting.

For example, if you notice five unwanted entries in a row, just press Shift + → four times to highlight the cells and delete them.

Ctrl + Shift + Arrow Key – Instantly Select Data

This shortcut selects all contiguous data in the direction of the arrow, making it perfect for grabbing large blocks of information. It’s more useful when applying filters, copying clean data, or bulk-deleting unwanted rows.

For example, when cleaning an export from a CRM system, use Ctrl + Shift + ↓ to instantly select thousands of names before removing blanks.

Or, use Ctrl + Shift + → to select all columns in a table for formatting headers.

Ctrl + A – Highlight Everything

Pressing Ctrl + A selects the entire data region or the whole sheet if pressed twice. This is valuable when you want to format or clean the entire dataset in one go.

Say you’ve imported a messy Excel file with mismatched fonts and extra formatting—press Ctrl + A, then clear all formatting in one shot.

Shift + Space – Select the Entire Row

This shortcut selects the entire row of the active cell. It’s beneficial in data cleaning when you want to delete or format entire rows with bad or irrelevant data.

For example, if a particular product entry is duplicated and needs to be removed, click on any cell in that row and press Shift + Space, then delete. It ensures no cells are left behind from that row.

Ctrl + Space – Select the Entire Column

This shortcut selects the entire column where your active cell is located. It’s ideal when cleaning up values in one column, like trimming spaces or removing blanks.

For instance, if column D contains corrupted date entries, hit Ctrl + Space to select it all before running a data cleaning formula. It helps apply transformations or validations to the whole field at once.

3. Clear & Delete Data

Use these hotkeys to effortlessly clear unwanted data from the worksheet:

Delete – Wipe out Unwanted Data

The Delete key removes only the contents (values and formulas) in a cell. It leaves the cell formatting, comments, and structure untouched.

For example, if a column contains invalid phone numbers, select those cells and press Delete to clear just the values, preserving cell color codes that indicate regions. This helps maintain formatting consistency while stripping out only the bad data.

Ctrl + – – Remove Entire Rows

Pressing Ctrl + – allows you to delete entire rows from your dataset based on your current selection.

This is extremely helpful for removing duplicate or irrelevant records that could skew your analysis.

For instance, after filtering out rows with missing invoice numbers, use this shortcut to instantly delete all selected rows.

Ctrl + Shift + + – Add Missing Rows

With Ctrl + Shift + +, you can quickly insert new rows wherever needed in your worksheet. This shortcut is useful during data cleaning when you need to add back missing headers or insert a buffer row to restructure grouped data.

The only caveat is that the Plus key in the numpad won’t work. You must use the one located near the Backspace.

Alt + H > E > F – Strip Cells of Everything

The Alt + H > E > F combo clears all contents, formatting, and comments from selected cells. This is essential when working with messy, imported files filled with hidden characters, inconsistent fonts, or leftover notes.

For example, use this shortcut to clean up a client list that carries formatting baggage from a CRM export, leaving you with a plain, editable table. It resets everything so you can start with a clean slate.

4. Formatting for Clarity

These shortcuts help you enhance clarity and readability in your worksheet dataset:

Ctrl + 1 – Access Deep Formatting Options

This shortcut opens the Format Cells dialog box, giving you advanced control over number formats, alignment, font, borders, and more.

For example, if a column has phone numbers showing in text, number, and custom formats, select the column and press Ctrl + 1 to unify them under a consistent format.

Alt + H, O, I – Auto-Fit Column Widths

This shortcut automatically resizes column widths to fit the longest entry in each selected column. It’s handy in data cleaning when truncated or hidden values make it hard to spot inconsistencies or errors.

For instance, after importing customer names from an external file, use Alt + H, O, I to reveal cut-off names or excess white space in columns.

Alt + H, E, A – Remove Weird Fonts

This shortcut clears everything—contents, formatting, comments, hyperlinks—from the selected cells, leaving them truly blank. It’s perfect for data cleaning when you’re dealing with messy imported files filled with odd fonts, background colors, and leftover notes.

For example, if you paste a dataset from a website and it brings weird formatting along, select it and press Alt + H, E, A to completely strip it clean.

5. Data Tools & Smart Moves

These shortcuts help you fix the structure of your messy datasets so you can get a clear output for data analytics purposes:

Alt + A, M – Eliminate Duplicate Entries

This shortcut opens the Remove Duplicates dialog box to quickly delete repeated values from your dataset. It’s essential in data cleaning when duplicate records can distort reports or cause formula errors.

For example, after compiling a customer list from multiple sources, press Alt + A, M on the email column to instantly remove duplicate email addresses. This ensures you only keep unique records, which is vital for accurate computation and analysis.

Alt + D, E – Split Messy Columns

Use this shortcut to launch the Text to Columns wizard. It’ll allow you to break one column into multiple fields based on delimiters like commas or spaces. It’s a lifesaver when cleaning combined data that should be separated for accurate sorting, filtering, or analysis.

For instance, if names and job titles are combined as Anna Lee – HR Manager, select the column and press Alt + D, E to split it at the hyphen. It helps structure your dataset into clean, usable fields.

F2 – Edit Values Directly

Pressing F2 lets you edit the contents of a selected cell without retyping everything. This is helpful in data cleaning when you need to make quick corrections without disturbing the surrounding data.

For example, if a product name is misspelled as MacBook Proo, press F2 on that cell to fix the typo while preserving cell formulas and formatting. It’s perfect for fine-tuning individual cells during review.

Ctrl + ; – Add Today’s Date

This shortcut inserts the current date into the selected cell as a static value. It’s valuable during data cleaning when you want to timestamp corrections, additions, or record verifications.

For instance, if you’re reviewing flagged entries and confirming them manually, use Ctrl + ; in an adjacent Reviewed On column to log today’s date. It adds accountability and traceability to your data cleaning process.

6. Data Cleaning (Text & Numbers)

These are specific shortcuts to clean datasets that contain text and numbers:

Alt + E, S, V – Paste Special (Values)

This Excel data cleaning shortcut pastes only the values from copied cells. It removes all the formulas, formatting, and links copied from the source cell or cell range. It’s essential in data cleaning when you want to lock in cleaned data or remove dependencies on source formulas.

For example, after using a formula to trim spaces or merge names, press Alt + E, S, V to overwrite the formula output with static values. This prevents errors when moving or reusing cleaned data in new sheets.

Ctrl + H – Open the Find and Replace Dialog

This shortcut brings up the Find and Replace dialog box. It allows you to quickly locate and fix incorrect, inconsistent, or redundant entries. It’s a powerful cleanup tool when working with large datasets full of typos, outdated terms, or format inconsistencies.

For instance, if a column has mixed labels like N/A, NA, and n.a., press Ctrl + H to standardize them all to a single value like NULL. This helps ensure uniformity before analysis or export.

Ctrl + E – Flash Fill

This shortcut activates Flash Fill, which is a smart tool that auto-fills values by recognizing patterns based on your example inputs.

It’s extremely useful in data cleaning when you need to extract or format data without writing complex formulas.

For example, if full names are in one column and you start typing just the first names next to them, press Ctrl + E to instantly fill down the rest using Flash Fill. It’s a huge time-saver when cleaning name fields, phone formats, or email structures.

7. Data Validation & Filtering

When cleaning datasets in Excel, filtering and Data Validation are essential tools. They help you efficiently clean your data and maintain its integrity. To speed up the process, use these handy shortcuts:

Ctrl + Shift + L – Toggle Filters On/Off

This shortcut turns filters on or off for the selected data range, thereby allowing you to sort or isolate specific rows. It’s vital in data cleaning for quickly narrowing down errors, blanks, or duplicates without affecting the entire dataset.

For example, when cleaning a list of transactions, press Ctrl + Shift + L, then filter the Amount column to show blanks or zero values for review. This helps you instantly locate and fix missing or suspicious entries.

Alt + D, L – Open Data Validation Settings

Use this shortcut to open the Data Validation dialog box. This tool allows you to set rules that restrict what data can be entered in a cell. It’s extremely useful for preventing future data-entry errors during or after a cleanup session.

For instance, after fixing product category labels, use Alt + D, L to restrict that column to only allow specific valid categories like Electronics, Furniture, or Clothing. Change the Allow field to List and the Source field to the cell range that contains the list you wish to use to categorize products.

Go to the Error Alert tab and enter your preferred warning texts into the Title and Error message fields.

Click OK to apply the changes you’ve made.

This ensures no more typos or rogue entries slip into your cleaned dataset except the allowed list of texts, like Electronics, Furniture, Clothing, and Electronics.

Conclusions

If you wish to become a pro data analyst in Excel, you must learn, practice, and remember these best Excel shortcuts to clean data effortlessly. When you start using the keyboard shortcuts more often during data cleaning, you’ll save more than 40% time than mouse-based and Excel UI buttons-based navigation.

If you learned some new keyboard shortcuts for your data cleaning projects from this Excel guide, consider sharing the guide with your colleagues and friends who might benefit as well. Don’t forget to share your acknowledgment or feedback in the comment box below this paragraph.