Have you been searching Google to find keyboard shortcuts to apply a font or fill color to a cell?
Well, you can stop your search… 🙂
I have spent a lot of time researching this topic as well. This page will hopefully help you with some answers and solutions to this question.
No “Good” Built-in Shortcuts
Unfortunately, there are no built-in keyboard shortcuts in Excel for font or fill colors. There are a few “workaround” methods that I explain in another blog post, 5 Excel Keyboard Shortcuts for Font & Fill Colors. But these built-in methods are either slow, or do not provide a direct solution.
Keyboard Shortcuts for Font & Fill Colors
So I developed an add-in that allows you to create keyboard shortcuts to change the font & fill colors. This add-in also lets you create keyboard shortcuts to apply other cell formatting properties like number formatting, borders, font size, protection alignment, etc.

The add-in is named “Formatting Shortcuts” and there is a free version available for download.
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Time Saving Shortcuts
The Formatting Shortcuts add-in will save you a lot of time if you are currently using the mouse to format cells. Again, this includes any type of formatting and is not just limited to font and fill colors.
The image below shows some common tasks that we all do in Excel to format cells. It includes the buttons on the ribbon that we press over and over again to apply formatting._

The Formatting Shortcuts add-in will allow you to create keyboard shortcuts for any of these actions.
The keyboard shortcuts are quick and easy to press in one step. This will save you a ton of time over having to navigate to the ribbon (toolbar) with the mouse.
Video Demo
Here is a video that explains how the add-in works. You will see that it is fast to setup and easy to press the shortcut keys.
In the video above I demonstrate a few different ways to apply different formatting types with the custom keyboard shortcuts.
Keyboard Shortcuts Are EASY to Press
The keyboard shortcuts you create all start with Ctrl+Shift. Then you get to choose the letter at the end of the key combination.
For example, in the screenshot below I have setup the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+S to apply the yellow fill color to a cell or range.

The shortcut Ctrl+Shift+S is very easy to press because the keys are close together and can all be pressed at one time with your left hand.

This beats alternative methods of having to press Alt+H+H, then pressing the arrow keys to find the color on the palette. That method is slow and difficult to perform.
But the Ctrl+Shift+{letter} shortcuts you use with the Formatting Shortcuts add-in are easy and efficient. They will save you a lot of time.
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Undo Your Mistakes
The Formatting Shortcuts add-in also allows you to undo your mistakes. If you have ever recorded your own macro and assigned a shortcut key to it, you know that you lose the undo history when you press the shortcut key to run the macro.
This is not the case with the add-in. The full version of the Formatting Shortcuts add-in allows you to retain the full Undo History in Excel. So you can use Ctrl+Z or the Undo button if you accidentally press one of the shortcut keys.
The screencast below shows an example of this. In this video I setup a shortcut key for a cell style that contains number formatting, borders, font, and fill colors. I then use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+A to apply the formatting to a few cells. Finally, I undo my actions using the Undo button.

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Features
Here are a few additional features of the add-in:
- Easy to Use – The shortcut keys and cell formatting can be changed with the click of a few buttons.
- Unlimited Options – Any combination of formatting properties can be applied with a keyboard shortcut. This includes custom styles and all formatting options.
- Full Undo History – The undo history is retained so you can undo any changes made by the keyboard shortcuts. If you have recorded or written your own formatting macros, you know that undo history is typically lost when you run a macro. This add-in works around that to retain the undo history. More details about undo on the help page.
- Save Time – Improve your efficiency and style worksheets in a fraction of the time it would take with mouse actions.
- Consistency – The add-in saves your styles so you can start using the keyboard shortcuts when you open a new workbook. No setup needed (even for custom styles). Using the same styles throughout your models will make it easier for users to read and understand. Read more about styles on the help page._
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Formatting Types
- Font Color – Applies the font color to the selected cell(s).
- Fill Color – Applies the fill color (cell shading or background) to the selected cell(s).
- Font+Fill Color – Applies both the font and fill color to the selected cell(s).
- Cell Styles (full version only) – Applies the cell style to the selected cell(s). Formatting for cell styles include:
– font color
– fill color
– text formatting (bold, italics, underline, etc.)
– border properties (color, weight, line style, etc.)
– alignment (left, right, centered, etc.)
– cell protection
– The image below shows the Cell Styles menu. Cell styles can be added and modified (customized) in Excel.

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Versions
The add-in is available in two versions. Both versions are compatible with Excel 2007, 2010, and 2013.
Lite Version
The lite version is free to download below and allows you to create up to three keyboard shortcuts for font color, fill color (cell background), or both font & fill color. It has a single undo feature, which allows you to undo your keyboard shortcut action one time.

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Full Version
The full version allows you to create 12 keyboard shortcuts.
It includes the addition of the cell styles format type to create shortcuts for all cell properties (number formatting, borders, font, alignment, etc.)
It also includes the ability to preserve the full undo history. This means you can undo any of the formatting you applied with the keyboard shortcuts using the Undo button or Ctrl+Z. The Cell Styles and Undo History are two great features that I think you will find really useful.

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The full version also includes a Key List feature. Clicking the Key List button will create a new workbook with a list of all your shortcut keys. You can print this list and use it as a reference to learn and memorize your shortcuts.

Downloads
Lite Version
You can download the free lite version by filling out the form below.
The zip file contains: the add-in file, installation guide, and user guide.

Full Version
The full version of the Formatting Shortcuts add-in is now a part of our Hero Tools Suite which combines all of our add-ins into one add-in with over 100 features.
Click Here to Learn More about Hero Tools
Compatibility
Compatible with: Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 and Microsoft 365 Desktop for Windows Only
Online Help Pages
How to Install an Excel Add-in Guide
Formatting Shortcuts Add-in Help Page
What do you think?
I want you to love this add-in, so please leave a comment on how it works for you or how it can be improved.
Looks like all the shortcuts here are for cell formats. I need a shortcut for text formats: say a cell contains the text “do it now”. I select the word “now”, then press a shortcut called “make text red”, and the word “now” changes to red. Can this be done?
Jon:
Not sure if you are familiar but Training The Street had TTS_Turbo Marcos that I used for years before they discontinued support. Your option seems to handle most of the items I used frequently. My only suggestion would be allow us to cycle through formatting options by clicking the marco again. I.e. CTR SHIFT N would put it in number format. Hitting the same keybinds it would cycle to accounting format, a third time would put it to percent, and a fourth back to general. Same concept for present fill colors and text colors.
Thanks, Joe
Hi! How about add-in for Mac PC?
Hi,
First of all thanks for the app and the instructions, I learnt a lot.
I downloaded the Add-In Shortcut and it seems like it should work but when I’m choosing a shortcut combo – an error pops up (Run-time error ‘1004’: Method ‘OnKey’ of object ‘_Application’ failed).
I’m not using Mac, just simple Windows 10.
My excel is 2010 version.
I would appreciate a solution to this problem.
Thanks again,
Dor.
Thanks, I’ve installed the Lite version and it’s brilliant, it does exactly what I need.
I’m a text editor, so I only use Excel for what I’m doing now, completing an error log for a job I’m working on, and this makes it easy to indicate who will need to deal with each error I identify.
I don’t need all the other features in your whole suite, so it would be uneconomic for me to buy it. I would however buy the non-lite version of the formatting keyboard shortcuts add-in. Is it available on its own?
I second this. I have no interest in the other portions of their software suite but I would love access to the pro version of this.