---
title: "Tip of the Week: Excel Tips That Work"
description: One of the keys to creating a good spreadsheet is the formatting. We offer some printable formatting tips on our blog.
---

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# [Tip of the Week: Excel Tips That Work](https://ferrumit.com/resources/tip-of-the-week-excel-tips-that-work)

 Written by [Ferrum Technology Services LLC](https://ferrumit.com/resources/author/ferrum-technology-services-llc) | Jun 12, 2019 5:00:00 AM

Microsoft Excel has a ton of functionality, but how much of it are you actually utilizing? This week’s tip will help you take full advantage of keyboard shortcuts, so you can leverage the solution to the best of your ability.

**Align**  
The most basic Excel formatting you can take advantage of is aligning the values in the cells to the left, right, or center. Here are the keyboard shortcuts for each:

- To **center** the value within the cell, press **Alt+H+A+C**.
- To align the value within the cell to the **left**, press **Alt+H+A+L**.
- To align the value within the cell to the **right**, press **Alt+H+A+R**.

**Specific Formatting**  
Your spreadsheet contents might require specific formatting so their meaning can be effectively conveyed. To assign this formatting, try out the following keyboard shortcuts:

- To return your value to general formatting, press **Ctrl+Shift+~**.
- To indicate that a value refers to currency, press **Ctrl+Shift+$**.
- To format a value as a percentage, press** Ctrl+Shift+%**.
- To properly format a date, press **Ctrl+Shift+#**.
- To format a value in scientific terms, press **Ctrl+Shift+^**.
- To ensure that a number is properly formatted, press **Ctrl+Shift+!**.
- To properly format time, press **Ctrl+Shift+@**.

**Applying Borders**  
Borders are practically necessary when you’re using a spreadsheet, as they can mean more distinction between values. Here are some shortcuts to try for your cell borders:

- To cut to the chase and apply a border to **all** of a cell’s edges, press **Ctrl+Shift+A**.
- To only add a borderline to the **right edge** of a cell, press **Alt+R**.
- To add a border to the **left edge** of a cell, press **Alt+L**.
- To put a border on the** top edge** of a cell, press** Alt+T**.
- To apply a border to the **bottom edge** of a cell, press** Alt+B**.
- To easily **remove the borders** from a cell, press **Ctrl+Shift+_**.

**Appearance**  
If you thought the previous shortcuts were basic, get a load of these ones. They are the same shortcuts you know and love from various other Microsoft applications.

- To have your data appear in a **bold font**, press **Ctrl+B**.
- To type in **italics**, press **Ctrl+I**.
- To **underline** the contents of a cell, press **Ctrl+U**.
- To **strikethrough** the contents of a cell, press **Ctrl+S**.

We hope that you’ll put this list to good use. You could even print it out so that it’s more accessible. Why not distribute it to the employees in your office while you’re at it?

Do you have any suggestions for tips you want to see covered in future articles? Leave them in the comments below and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a beat.

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