Ctrl + G in Excel: Functions and How to Use It

From this tutorial, you will learn completely about Ctrl + G in Excel. Its functions and the way to use it will be discussed here.

In Excel, there are many shortcuts that we can use to make our lives easier. One of those shortcuts is run by using the Ctrl and G buttons on our keyboard. Used optimally, this shortcut can help us navigate our ways in our worksheets in Excel much more quicker.

Want to know more about this Ctrl + G shortcut and how to utilize it? Let’s discuss it right away in the next parts of this tutorial.

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Functions of Ctrl + G in Excel

You can use the Ctrl + G shortcut in Excel to show the “Go To” dialog box. The “Go To” dialog box can be used to navigate to and select a certain cell or cell range quickly.

Here is, more or less, the interface of the “Go To” dialog box that will show up when you press Ctrl + G on your keyboard.

How to Use Ctrl + G in Excel

To summon the “Go To” dialog box through Ctrl + G, just press the Ctrl and G buttons on your keyboard at the same time when you are in the worksheet where you want to go to a certain cell or cell range. The dialog box should show up immediately.

In the “Go To” dialog box, you will find the “Go to” box, “Reference” text box, and “Special…” buttons beside the customary “OK” and “Cancel” buttons. Here are the functions of each of them.

• “Go to” box: Lists all your named ranges and the cell/cell range that you select before you navigate by using the “Go To” dialog box so you can navigate and select them easier
• “Reference” text box: The place where you can type the cell(s), cell range, and named range where you want to go to/select
• “Special…” button: Displays the “Go To Special” dialog box where you can navigate to certain cell(s)/cell range with special criteria

Here are examples of the things you can type in the “Reference” text box and their meaning.

“Reference” Text Box Input	Meaning
A1	Go to and select cell A1 in the active worksheet
A1:C3	Go to and select the A1:C3 cell range in the active worksheet
A1,C3	Go to and select cells A1 and C3 in the active worksheet
‘Sheet 2!’A1	Go to and select cell A1 in a worksheet with the name “Sheet 2”
‘[Book 1]Sheet 2!’A1	Go to and select cell A1 in a worksheet with the name “Sheet 2” in a workbook with the name “Book 1”
ABCDE	Go to and select a cell(s)/cell range with the name “ABCDE”

If you click on the “Special…” button, this “Go To Special” dialog box will show up.



This dialog box has several criterion choices you can choose so you can go to and select the cells that fulfill the criterion. A bit of explanation on each criterion you can choose here is:

• Notes (or Comments in older Excel versions): Go to and select cells with notes (or comments)
• Constants: Go to and select cells that contain data that isn’t a result of a formula. You can choose to go to and select cells with a number, text, logic value, and/or error constants
• Formulas: Go to and select cells that contain a result of a formula. You can choose to go to and select cells with a number, text, logic value, and/or error formula results
• Blanks: Go to and select completely blank cells
• Current region: Go to and select all cells in the data region around the active cell
• Current array: Go to and select all cells that are parts of an array that includes the active cell
• Objects: Go to and select objects
• Row differences: Go to and select cells with data that are different than the rest of the cells in their rows. You need to select a cell range first before using this criterion so it knows which rows it should assess
• Column differences: Go to and select cells with data that are different than the rest of the cells in their columns. You need to select a cell range first before using this criterion so it knows which columns it should assess
• Precedents: Go to and select cells that are referenced in the formula of the active cell. You can choose to go to and select cells that are referenced directly or directly and indirectly by the formula
• Dependents: Go to and select cells that refer to the active cell in their formulas. You can choose to go to and select cells with formulas that refer directly or directly and indirectly to the active cell
• Last cell: Go to and select the last (most bottom right) cell in the current data region
• Visible cells only: Go to and select only visible cells
• Conditional formats: Go to and select cells with conditional formatting settings. You can choose to go to and select cells with any conditional formatting settings or the ones with the same conditional formatting settings as the active cell
• Data validation: Go to and select cells with data validation settings. You can choose to go to and select cells with any data validation settings or the ones with the same data validation settings as the active cell

Ctrl + G Alternative in Excel

To show up the “Go To” dialog box in Excel, besides using Ctrl + G, you can also press the F5 button on your keyboard.

Exercise

After you have learned about the Ctrl + G shortcut and the things you can do with the “Go To” dialog box it shows up, let’s try the shortcut on your Excel program.

Open an Excel file and play around with Ctrl + G. Try to go to some cells and cell ranges by using the “Go To” dialog box and try to use “Go To Special” too.

How is it? Can you use the shortcut well?

Additional Note

Ctrl + G makes it easy for you to find particular cells. This shortcut might be the most useful if you have large data tables in your worksheets in Excel.



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