Home·Keyboard shortcuts

Excel · Fill the selection with what you typed

Editing

Windows · Linux

Ctrl+Enter

Mac

Ctrl+Enter

Both systems use the same combination.

Select a range, type once, and every selected cell gets that entry; with a single cell it stays put instead of dropping down a row.

Group
Editing
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 Fill the selection with what you typed in Excel?

Select a range, type once, and every selected cell gets that entry; with a single cell it stays put instead of dropping down a row. It is Ctrl+Enter on Windows and Ctrl+Enter on a Mac.

Q. Is it the same on Windows and Mac?

Yes, Ctrl+Enter on both.

Q. How many keys is that?

2 pressed together. The combination sits under Editing in Excel.

Shortcuts nearby