Have you ever pasted a long list of data, and then wondered if you completely pasted over the existing data?
In the following video I explain how to use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+. (period) to quickly answer this question. It's one of my favorite keyboard shortcuts because it can save you from having to scroll hundreds or thousands of rows with the mouse.
Note: The Ctrl+. shortcut also works on the Mac version of Excel.
Video
More Videos Like This – Video Series
This video is part of a 6-part video series on “How to Navigate Excel with the Keyboard”. This series is an introduction to basic keyboard shortcuts that will help you:
- Quickly select cells and ranges to save time with copy/paste or entering formulas.
- Navigate through the worksheets in the workbook.
- Learn shortcuts for the Excel ribbon (toolbar) to quickly perform commands you use the most.
eBook – The Companion to the Video Series
I have also written an eBook on this topic with detailed step-by-step tutorials. The book also explains “why” it is so important to learn keyboard shortcuts in Excel. Using a combination of the keyboard and mouse can help you work very efficiently in Excel.
The key to learning keyboard shortcuts is to take your time and practice. You can't expect to memorize shortcut keys overnight, and this book gives you a good understanding of the basics.
A Page from the Book
Here is a sample page from the book that explains another shortcut to add or delete rows. This is another shortcut that will save you a lot of time.
Get the Video Series and eBook for FREE!
For a limited time I'm giving the entire video series and eBook away as a bonus when you purchase the Tab Hound add-in. I am also including the Tab Control add-in for free. So you will receive a lot of great bonuses that will help you learn Excel and get your job done faster!
The offer expires on August 15th, so get it before it's too late.
Click here to get Tab Hound, Tab Control, the video series, and the eBook.
What Do You Think?
Please leave a comment below with any questions about the tips on this page. Thank you! 🙂
Hey John, excellent tip & video! When you’re working with hundreds or thousands of rows, controlling the location of the active cell in a selection is huge. Like you say, it can save *a lot* of scrolling.
Thanks Dave! It definitely helps prevent a sore scrolling finger… 🙂
I do love this shortcut and use it all the time, although I’m not sure I would use it in the situation that was illustrated.
If you want to make sure all of your old data is gone, why not delete everything out of that worksheet first, so you have a clean worksheet on which to paste the new data?
Hey Jon,
apparently there was a change in Office 2013. When I use the shortcut, Excel returns the current date in the first cell of the selected range.
Do you know what the new shortcut is now?