Using keyboard shortcuts for applying borders in Excel can save you a lot of time and effort, especially if you need to format a large amount of data.
Instead of having to manually navigate through the ribbon or menu options to apply different types of borders, you can simply press a few keys on your keyboard to achieve the same result.
Keyboard shortcuts also allow you to work faster without having to take your hands off the keyboard to use the mouse, which can help improve your efficiency and productivity.
keyboard shortcuts for applying different types of borders
- Borders to the bottom of the cells: Alt + H, B, O
- Borders to the top of the cells: Alt + H, B, P
- Borders to the left of the cells: Alt + H, B, L
- Borders to the right of the cells: Alt + H, B, R
- Borders only outside of the selected range: Alt + H, B, S
- Thick borders only outside of the selected range: Alt + H, B, T
- Double borders to the bottom of the cells: Alt + H, B, B
- Double thick borders to the bottom of the cells: Alt + H, B, H
Note that these keyboard shortcuts may be different depending on your version of Excel and your operating system.
apply a border using the “Format Cells”
To apply a border using the “Format Cells” dialog:
- Select the cell or range of cells you want to format.
- Right-click and select “Format Cells” from the context menu, or press Ctrl + 1 on your keyboard to open the “Format Cells” dialog.
- In the “Format Cells” dialog, click on the “Border” tab.
- Choose the type of border you want to apply from the options available in the “Style“, “Color“, and “Border” sections of the dialog.
- Preview the border in the preview box on the right side of the dialog.
- Click “OK” to apply the border to the selected cell(s).
Using the “Format Cells” dialog allows you to apply a wide range of border styles and customize the appearance of your spreadsheet to your liking. It’s an effective way to make your data more understandable and visually appealing.
