Excel · Bold
Formatting
Windows · Linux
Ctrl+BMac
Cmd+BTurns the text in the selected cells bold, and pressing it again takes the bold off.
- Group
- Formatting
- Keys held
- 2
Excel diverges most on the Mac. F4 for absolute references is Cmd+T there, and a few Ctrl combinations stay Ctrl rather than becoming Cmd.
Reading the key names
- Keys joined by + are pressed together: Ctrl+Shift+P means hold Ctrl and Shift, then P.
- On a Mac, Cmd is ⌘, Option is ⌥ (labelled Alt on some keyboards), Control is ⌃ and Shift is ⇧.
- Windows Ctrl usually becomes Cmd on a Mac, but not always — this reference lists both combinations separately.
- With a Korean, Japanese or Chinese input method active, shortcuts built on letter keys may not fire. Switch to Latin input and try again.
- When a combination does nothing, another program has often claimed it as a global shortcut first.
Common questions
Q. What is the shortcut for Bold in Excel?
Turns the text in the selected cells bold, and pressing it again takes the bold off. It is Ctrl+B on Windows and Cmd+B on a Mac.
Q. Is it the same on Windows and Mac?
No — Ctrl+B on Windows, Cmd+B on a Mac.
Q. How many keys is that?
2 pressed together. The combination sits under Formatting in Excel.