Shortcut for Selecting a Data Range

Summary: The easiest way to select a contiguous data range is to use Ctrl+Shift+8. This tip introduces the shortcut and explains how it works. (This tip works with Microsoft Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, Excel 2003, and Excel 2007.)

The quickest way to select a range of data on your worksheet is to use Ctrl+Shift+8. (This is the same as Ctrl+*.) This selects, using the currently selected cell as the starting point, the contiguous cells that contain data. The selection stops when a blank row or a blank column is reached.

To see how the shortcut works, suppose you have data in the range A1:A325, and more data in the range C1:E190. If you start with cell A7 selected and then press Ctrl+Shift+8, then A1:A325 is selected. (The other data range isn't selected because column B is blank.) If you start with cell D12 selected and press Ctrl+Shift+8, then the range C1:E190 is selected. Again, the selection doesn't extend to column A because column B is blank.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2531) applies to Microsoft Excel versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003 | 2007

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Shortcut for Selecting a Data Range