Cancel Selection in Excel (Esc)
The Cancel Selection shortcut allows you to deselect a range of selected cells and return to a single active cell. This is useful when you accidentally select multiple cells or want to reset the selection quickly.
Keyboard Shortcut
| Windows | Mac |
|---|---|
| Esc | Esc |
What Does This Shortcut Do?
Pressing Esc cancels the current selection, leaving only the active cell selected. It also cancels any ongoing cell editing.
How to Use the Shortcut
- Select a range of cells
- Press Esc on your keyboard
- The selection will be canceled, and only the active cell remains
Tips & Best Practices
- Use Esc to quickly reset accidental multi-cell selections
- Esc also exits editing mode without saving changes
- Combine with Ctrl + Z to undo previous actions if needed
FAQ
- Q: Can I cancel multiple non-adjacent selections?
- Yes, pressing Esc will cancel all selected ranges and keep only the active cell.
- Q: Does it work when editing a cell?
- Yes, Esc will cancel the edit and revert the cell content.
- Q: Can I use this in tables or filtered ranges?
- Yes, it works across normal worksheets, tables, and filtered ranges.