Use Shortcut Keys to Change Worksheets in Excel

Switching between worksheets in an Excel workbook is done easily enough by clicking on the tabs at the bottom of the worksheets, but it is the slow way of doing it — at least it is in the opinion of those who prefer to use keyboard shortcuts or shortcut keys whenever possible.

Using ‘Go To’ to Move Around Excel Worksheets

The Go To command in Excel can be used to quickly navigate to different spreadsheet cells in a worksheet. Although using Go To is not that useful for worksheets containing only a few columns and rows, for larger worksheets it is another way of jumping from one area of your worksheet to another.

Other Ways to ‘Go To’

The Go To command can also be activated with these keyboard shortcuts:

By pressing the F5 key on the keyboard.By pressing the Ctrl+G keys in combination on the keyboard.

Storing Cell References for Reuse

An additional feature that Go To has is that it stores previously entered cell references in the large Go To window at the top of the dialog box for later reference. If you are jumping back and forth between two or more areas of a worksheet, Go To can save you even more time by reusing the cell references stored in the dialog box.

Go To can also be used to navigate to different worksheets in the same workbook by entering the sheet name along with the cell reference. Use the exclamation point (!), located above the number 1 on the keyboard, as a separator between the worksheet name and the cell reference because spaces are not permitted. For example, to move from Sheet 1 to cell HQ567 on Sheet 3, enter Sheet3!HQ567 in the reference line of the Go To dialog box and press the Enter key. If the sheet name has one or more spaces, use quotes, like this: ‘My Other Sheet’!B12 to move between worksheets.

Using the Name Box to Move Around Excel Worksheets

The Name Box is located above column A in an Excel worksheet and it can be used to navigate to different areas of that worksheet using cell references. As with the Go To command, the Name Box might not be helpful in worksheets that contain only a few columns and rows of data, but for larger worksheets, or for those with separate data areas using the Name Box to easily jump from one location to the next can be a very efficient way to work.

The Active Cell Reference in the Name Box

Typically, the Name Box displays the cell reference or named range for the current or active cell — the cell in the current worksheet that is outlined by a border or box. Entering a new cell reference or range name in the Name Box and pressing the Enter key changes the active cell and shifts the black box, and what is visible on the screen, to the new location.

Like Go To, the Name Box can also be used to navigate to different worksheets in the same workbook by entering the sheet name along with the cell reference.