Add Non-Adjacent Cells to Selection in Excel (Ctrl + Click)
Quickly select multiple non-adjacent cells without selecting everything in between. This is useful for formatting, copying, or performing operations on scattered cells.
Keyboard Shortcut
| Windows | Mac |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + Click | Cmd + Click |
What Does This Shortcut Do?
Holding Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (Mac) while clicking allows you to add multiple non-adjacent cells to your current selection without losing previously selected cells.
How to Use the Shortcut
- Click the first cell you want to select
- Hold Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (Mac)
- Click each additional cell you want to include in the selection
- Release the key when done
Tips & Best Practices
- Combine with formatting, copy, or delete commands to operate on scattered cells
- Works inside tables, ranges, and filtered data
- Be careful not to accidentally deselect previously selected cells
FAQ
- Q: Can I select entire rows or columns non-adjacently?
- Yes, hold Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (Mac) and click the row or column headers to select multiple non-adjacent rows or columns.
- Q: Does this work with filtered data?
- Yes, you can select non-adjacent visible cells, but hidden cells will not be included.
- Q: Can I combine this with Shift + Arrow Keys?
- Yes, you can use Shift to select ranges and then Ctrl/Cmd to add non-adjacent ranges to your selection.