Select Adjacent Worksheets in Excel (Shortcut)

In most cases, you’ll likely be working with multiple worksheets in your Excel workbook.

Often, Excel users need to perform tasks that involve more than one worksheet, such as moving the sheets, deleting them, or editing them.

This is where the ability to select adjacent worksheets using a keyboard shortcut comes in handy.

In this article, I will show you four shortcuts you can use to select adjacent worksheets in Excel.

Shortcut to Select Adjacent Worksheets in Excel

Below are the keyboard shortcuts to select adjacent worksheets in Excel:

Shortcut 1 – Using Control and Mouse key

Below is the keyboard shortcut to select adjacent worksheets in Excel:

CTRL + Mouse Click

Here is how to use this shortcut:

  1. Press and hold the CTRL key.
  2. Click the worksheet tabs that you want to select.

Some important things to know when using this shortcut:

  1. Worksheets can be chosen from the left, right, or both.
  2. You have to choose each worksheet tab individually.
  3. You can also use this shortcut to select non-adjacent worksheets.

Shortcut 2 – Using SHIFT and Mouse key

Below is the keyboard shortcut to select adjacent worksheets in Excel:

Shift + Mouse Click

Here is how to use this shortcut:

  1. Hold down the Shift key.
  2. Click the worksheet tabs that you want to select.

Some important things to know when using this shortcut:

  1. You can only select multiple adjacent worksheets in one way (left or right). Assume you’ve selected the right-side adjacent sheet and then go to the left-side adjacent worksheet and use this shortcut. The worksheets on the right side that have been selected will then be automatically deselected.
  2. When you need to select many adjacent worksheets, just hold down the Shift key and click the last worksheet you wish to select. Excel will choose all sheets between the current sheet and the last sheet selected.
  3. When you select multiple worksheets, all edits are applied to all of them. Hence, when altering worksheets after selecting multiple worksheets, please be careful. The word “Group” will appear at the end of the title bar if many worksheets have been selected in your Excel file.

Shortcut 3 – Using F6

Below is the keyboard shortcut to select adjacent worksheets in Excel:

F6, Left/ Right arrow, CTRL + Spacebar

Here is how to use this shortcut:

  1. Press F6 to activate the sheet tabs.
  2. Then, go to the adjacent sheets using the left/ right arrow keys.
  3. To select the highlighted adjacent sheet press the Spacebar while holding the CTRL key.

You cannot activate the sheet tabs using the F6 if the function keys are locked. Then, while holding down the Fn key, you have to press F6.

Some important things to know when using this shortcut:

  1. You have to press the F6 only once. If you mistakenly press F6 more than once, make sure to press it again until you activate the sheet tabs.
  2. Press only the F6 (if function keys are locked, press the Fn key also). Don’t press F6 with the CTRL key. Then, you will switch to the previous Excel workbook.
  3. You can select many adjacent worksheets only in one direction (left or right). For example, let’s say that you have selected the right side adjacent sheet and then go to the left side adjacent worksheet and apply this shortcut. Then,  immediately the selected worksheets on the right side will be deselected.
  4. When you have to select multiple adjacent sheets, you can simply go to the last sheet of the sheets that you are going to select and press the CTRL + Spacebar. Excel will select all the sheets in between the current sheet and the selected last sheet.
  5. When you select all the sheets, all editings will be applied to all the selected sheets. So, be careful when you are editing worksheets after selecting multiple worksheets. If you have selected multiple worksheets in your Excel file, the word “Group” will be shown at the end of the title bar.

Shortcut 4 – Using PageUp / Page Down

Below is the keyboard shortcut to select adjacent worksheets in Excel:

CTRL + Shift + Page Up/ Page Down

Here is how to use this shortcut:

  1. Press CTRL + Shift + Page Up keys together to select the adjacent sheets that are on the right side of the active worksheet or press CTRL + Shift + Page Down keys together to select the adjacent sheets that are on the left side of the active worksheet.

Some important things to know when using this shortcut:

  1. Some PCs do not have Page Up/ Page Down keys. In that case, you cannot use this shortcut.
  2. You can select multiple adjacent worksheets using this shortcut.
  3. When you select all the sheets, all editings will be applied to all the selected sheets. So, be careful when you are editing worksheets after selecting multiple worksheets. If you have selected multiple worksheets in your Excel file, the word “Group” will be shown at the end of the title bar.

Common Use Cases for Selecting Adjacent Worksheets

Working with adjacent worksheets in Excel can speed up your workflow and improve organization.

A few common scenarios where selecting adjacent worksheets can be helpful include:

  • Formatting multiple sheets: If you need to apply the same formatting, such as cell colors or text styles, to cells across multiple adjacent worksheets, you can select them together and make the changes at once.
  • Copying or moving data: Selecting adjacent worksheets allows you to easily copy or move data between them without needing to switch back and forth between sheets.
  • Visibility control: By selecting multiple adjacent worksheets, you can hide, unhide, or change the order of the sheets more efficiently.
  • Printing multiple sheets: When you need to print multiple adjacent worksheets, selecting them together makes the process quicker and more streamlined.

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I am a huge fan of Microsoft Excel and love sharing my knowledge through articles and tutorials. I work as a business analyst and use Microsoft Excel extensively in my daily tasks. My aim is to help you unleash the full potential of Excel and become a data-slaying wizard yourself.

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