Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Going to the Corners of a Selected Range.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 29, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
David noted that Quattro Pro used to have a feature where you could depress the period key when you had a range highlighted and it would take you the four corners of the range in clockwise order as a way to check that you had the entire range you wanted. He wonders if Excel has something similar.
You are in luck, David; there is a shortcut built into Excel that will do this very thing. Interestingly enough, it is very close to the same shortcut key used in Quattro Pro. All you need to do, after you have the range selected, is hold down the Ctrl key as you press the period. Excel moves you through the outside corners of the range, in order.
Further, you can move from the upper-left corner of the selection to the lower-right corner by pressing Shift+Tab. To move back (from bottom-right to upper-left), just press the Tab key.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3290) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Going to the Corners of a Selected Range.
Excel Smarts for Beginners! Featuring the friendly and trusted For Dummies style, this popular guide shows beginners how to get up and running with Excel while also helping more experienced users get comfortable with the newest features. Check out Excel 2013 For Dummies today!
Two easy ways to select an entire column in Excel.
Discover MoreJumping to the last cell in a worksheet should be easy, but you may not always get the results that you expect. This tip ...
Discover MoreNeed a quick way to jump to a particular part of your worksheet? You can do it by using the Go To dialog box.
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2016-02-20 09:09:16
Ryan
When I use CTRL + SHIFT + END to select an entire range, it sometimes selects blank rows at the bottom of the range where I have deleted rows. How do I get it to only select rows where I have data?
2016-02-20 06:04:35
Pieter de la Court
This is very handy, however it does not seem to work when you want to move around the corners while entering a data range in a formula. Is there any way to do that?
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments