Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Going to the Corners of a Selected Range.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 10, 2025)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365
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 once. To move back (from bottom-right to upper-left), just press the Tab key once. These keys work because Tab moves forward through the selected range and Shift+Tab moves backward. When the selected cell is the upper-left corner, moving backward (Shift+Tab) means moving to the last, or bottom-right, cell in the range.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (10446) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel 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 2019 For Dummies today!
Click on a cell and you expect the single cell to be selected. If you instead get a group of cells, it can be frustrating ...
Discover MoreExcel tries to anticipate what you want to type into a cell, particularly when it comes to entering formulas. Here are ...
Discover MoreWant to provide a bit of contact information in a workbook? A great place to do it (out of sight, but not inaccessible) ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2025-05-10 07:55:36
Alex Blakenburg
It behaves slightly differently if your range is an Excel Table. With any cell in an Excel Table selected you don't need to select the range first, pressing Ctrl+period will assume the Table is the selected range and cycle you through the corners. With the top left corner selected Shift+Tab will take you to the bottom right corner BUT you won't be able to use Tab to take you from the bottom right corner to the top left since Tab from the bottom corner will add a new line to the table.
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu 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.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here:
Comments