MS Excel: extend selection shortcuts Windows, Mac & Web

Efficient data manipulation in Excel often begins with accurate selection. Whether you're selecting a single cell, a column, or thousands of rows, Extend Selection Mode in Excel helps you control and expand your selection with precision—all without touching your mouse.

In this article, we cover every shortcut related to Extend Selection in Excel 2021, helping you become faster and more precise in your daily spreadsheet tasks.

Extend Selection Mode allows you to expand or shrink your selected range using the arrow keys. This is useful when working with large data sets, especially when performing tasks like formatting, deleting, or copying.

You activate Extend Selection Mode by pressing F8. Once active, every arrow key movement expands the selection from the original anchor point.

Extend Selection Shortcuts Table

Action	Windows Shortcut	Mac Shortcut	Excel for Web
Turn on Extend Selection mode	F8	F8	F8
Extend selection by one cell up	Shift + Up Arrow	Shift + Up Arrow	Shift + Up Arrow
Extend selection by one cell down	Shift + Down Arrow	Shift + Down Arrow	Shift + Down Arrow
Extend selection by one cell left	Shift + Left Arrow	Shift + Left Arrow	Shift + Left Arrow
Extend selection by one cell right	Shift + Right Arrow	Shift + Right Arrow	Shift + Right Arrow
Extend selection to end of data in row	F8, then Ctrl + Right Arrow	F8, then Control + Right Arrow	F8, then Ctrl + Right Arrow
Extend selection to end of data in column	F8, then Ctrl + Down Arrow	F8, then Control + Down Arrow	F8, then Ctrl + Down Arrow
Extend to beginning of row	Shift + Home	Shift + Fn + Left Arrow	Shift + Home
Extend to beginning of worksheet	Ctrl + Shift + Home	Command + Shift + Fn + Left Arrow	Ctrl + Shift + Home
Extend to last used cell	Ctrl + Shift + End	Command + Shift + Fn + Right Arrow	Ctrl + Shift + End
Extend selection one screen down	Shift + Page Down	Shift + Fn + Down Arrow	Shift + Page Down
Extend selection one screen up	Shift + Page Up	Shift + Fn + Up Arrow	Shift + Page Up
Extend selection one screen to the right	Alt + Shift + Page Down	Option + Shift + Fn + Right Arrow	Alt + Shift + Page Down
Extend selection one screen to the left	Alt + Shift + Page Up	Option + Shift + Fn + Left Arrow	Alt + Shift + Page Up
Select entire row	Shift + Space	Shift + Space	Shift + Space
Select entire column	Ctrl + Space	Control + Space	Ctrl + Space
Extend selection to first cell of worksheet	Ctrl + Shift + Home	Command + Shift + Fn + Left Arrow	Ctrl + Shift + Home
Extend selection to last cell of worksheet	Ctrl + Shift + End	Command + Shift + Fn + Right Arrow	Ctrl + Shift + End
Cancel Extend Selection mode	Esc	Esc	Esc

Example Workflow: Selecting a Large Range

Let’s say you want to select from cell A1 to the bottom of your dataset:

1. Go to A1.

2. Press F8 to activate Extend Selection.

3. Press Ctrl + Down Arrow to extend to the last row.

4. Press Ctrl + Right Arrow to extend to the last column.

You've now selected your entire dataset with just a few keystrokes—no dragging needed!

Pro Tips

• Combine F8 with Ctrl or Shift shortcuts for precise and fast selection.

• After extending selection, use Ctrl + C, Ctrl + X, or Ctrl + V for quick actions.

• Use Esc to exit Extend Selection mode at any time.

Conclusion

Whether you're working with hundreds or millions of cells, Excel’s Extend Selection shortcuts let you stay productive and keyboard-driven. These shortcuts are crucial for analysts, accountants, and data specialists who need speed and precision in their workflow.

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