Shortcut key to open dialog box in Excel

Release Jan 25, 2022Update Aug 24, 2022
Written in Excel for Microsoft 365 version 2202

Dialog boxes required for searching Excel data, formatting cells, deleting cells, etc. can be opened using shortcut keys. Below are shortcut keys for opening Excel dialog boxes in Windows and Mac. You can use them to work more smoothly than clicking the mouse.

Shortcut keys for opening dialog boxes

Windows
Ctrl + F12

Mac
command + O

Open the Open dialog box

Open the Open dialog box with the shortcut key.

Total Time: 1 minute

Current File

The current file is open. From this state, use the shortcut keys to open other files.

Open dialog box will appear

Press Ctrl + F12 to open the Open dialog box. Use Tab and the ↓ (Down Arrow key) to select any file.

Another file opens

Press Enter to open the selected file.

Open the Search Dialog Box

Excel allows you to search for data in the Find dialog box.

For more information on how to use Ctrl + F, please refer to the “Display a dialog box for searching” section of the following article.

Search in Excel shortcut (Ctrl + F)

Open the Format Cells dialog box

The shortcut key to open the Format Cells dialog box is Ctrl + 1.

For more information on how to use Ctrl + 1, please refer to the “Display the Format Cells dialog box with shortcut keys” section of the following article.

Format cell shortcut Excel (Ctrl + 1)

Open the Delete Cells dialog box

The Delete dialog box allows you to select assorted options for deleting cells.

For more information on how to use Ctrl + – (minus), please refer to the “Delete a cell using Ctrl + -” section of the following article.