Cells

Select cell contents

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In Excel, select cell contents to help manage your work efficiently across a workbook.

Select a cell

  • You can select a cell using a mouse or by navigating to that cell using the arrow keys on your keyboard.

Select a cell range

  • Select a cell, hold the right bottom edge of the cell and drag over the cell range you want to select.

  • Or to select a range using the keyboard, hold the Shift key while navigating across the cell range using the arrow keys.

Select non-contiguous cells or ranges

  • Hold Ctrl while selecting non-contiguous cells or ranges.

Select a row, column, or worksheet

  • To select the entire column, select the letter at the top of column, or select any cell in that column (for e.g., A2), and then press Ctrl + Space.

    Note: If you don’t want to select the title of the column, select the cell below the title, press Shift, and then double-click the bottom edge of that cell.

  • To select the entire row, select any number for the row, or select a cell in that row (for e.g., A2), and then press Shift + Space.

  • To select the entire worksheet which is in table format, select any cell and then press Ctrl + A + A.

  • Use the Select All Select All button at the top left corner of the worksheet to select the entire worksheet. Or select any cell and press Ctrl + A + A.

Select non-adjacent columns or rows

  • Hold Ctrl while selecting the column headings of the non-adjacent columns or the row numbers of the non-adjacent rows. For example, hold Ctrl and select A, C, E, G, H, I, K.

Other ways to select cell contents

  • To select a list, select any cell in that list, and then press Ctrl + A.

  • To select a table with heading or title of the table, select any cell in that table and then press Ctrl + A + A.

  • To select a table without the heading or title of the table, select any cell and then press Ctrl + A.

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Select cell contents in Excel

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