F4: Excel Repeat Last Action

Excel Repeat Last Action

Many times, you might have faced a situation where need to do a bunch of tasks repeatedly while working on an Excel worksheet.

You may need to insert a blank row or column, add a black border, red fill to a cell, etc. to multiple cells, and repeating the same task again and again can be quite time-consuming.

 

Using Keyboard Shortcuts (F4)

If you want to repeat action in Excel, like inserting a column/row, formatting cells, copy & pasting, etc, then you can use the keyboard shortcut F4 which will repeat your last action (in most cases).

If you want to insert blank rows multiple times using f4 keyboard shortcut, follow the steps below:

STEP 1: Select the row above which you want to insert a blank row.

STEP 2: Right-Click and select Insert.

A new row is added!

STEP 3: To repeat this action, simply press F4.

This is how you can repeat last action Excel.

 

Using Keyboard Shortcut (Ctrl + Y)

Previously, you have used the shortcut F4 to redo a task in Excel. In the same manner, you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Y to get the task to repeat again!!

Instead of using a keyboard shortcut, you can even add the Repeat Command in your QAT!

Let’s try the repeat command to redo the last action in Excel!

 

Using Repeat Command

Another easy way is to add the Repeat command on the Quick Access Toolbar and simply click on it to repeat the last action multiple times.

To add Repeat Command in QAT, do as follows:

STEP 1: Select the small arrow on the top of the ribbon to access the Quick Access Toolbar.

 

STEP 2: Select More Commands from the list.

 

STEP 3: In the Excel Options dialog box, from the list of commands under Popular Commands select Repeat.

STEP 4: Click on Add and then you will see Repeat added to the right.

 

STEP 5: Click OK.

Repeat Command is now added to your QAT. You can now easily Redo the last action by simply clicking on it.

 

You can remove this command from the QAT. To do that:

STEP 1: Select the small arrow on the top of the ribbon to access the Quick Access Toolbar.

STEP 2: Select More Commands from the list.

STEP 3: Under Customize Quick Access Toolbar, select Repeat.

STEP 4: Click Remove and then click OK.

Repeat Command is now no longer part of the Quick Analysis Toolbar!

 

Conclusion

So, you can avoid typing the same text, formula, or formatting on each and every cell of the sheet. You can repeat your last action by either using the shortcuts – F4 or Ctrl + Y or by adding the Repeat Command on your Quick Access Toolbar.

 

Keyboard shortcuts can save you heaps of time when working with Excel data. It is extremely helpful and increases your productivity! Click here to learn more about it.

Further Learning:

• Mastering Excel Skills from Basic to Advanced
• How to Split Cells in Excel
• 3 Easy Methods to Count Unique Values in Excel

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