Excel Show Formula Shortcut Key

What this does

The Show Formulas shortcut Ctrl+` on Windows (Ctrl+` on Mac) toggles the active sheet between calculated results and the formulas stored in its cells. It changes the view, not the formulas or values. Press the same keys again to return to results. The same idea underpins a lot of everyday Excel work, so the few minutes spent getting it right here pay back across every sheet you build afterwards. Treat it as a pattern, not a one-off, and it stops being something you look up and starts being something you reach for. The difference between a quick fix and a sheet you can trust is the extra minute you spend validating “excel show formula shortcut key”. Start on a copy or a tiny sample, keep the affected formula visible, and compare the result with the outcome you expected before you touch the real workbook. When this is a ribbon command, the selection matters more than the button: confirm the range, apply the command, then spot-check the output before saving. The point is a workflow that saves repeating the same clicks every week, but the practical win is that someone else can open the file and understand what happened without asking you.

A worked example

Worked case: A budget sheet shows 150 in B2, while the cell contains =SUM(C2:D2). With that sheet active, use the shortcut to show the formula in the grid; use it again to return to the result. Compare the state before and after Ctrl+` (or Ctrl+` on Mac) so you can tell whether Excel Show Formula did what you needed. Use Show Formulas when you need to audit references or compare calculations across several cells. Toggle back to results after checking the formulas; the shortcut does not edit the cells. If this is something you do often, add the command to the Quick Access Toolbar (right-click it on the ribbon and choose Add to Quick Access Toolbar) or learn its shortcut, so next time it is one click instead of a hunt through the menus.

In Google Sheets

This is a command rather than a formula, so there is no syntax to carry over. Google Sheets arranges its commands in menus across the top instead of a ribbon, names some of them differently and does not have every Excel command — look for the equivalent in the Sheets menus or its help before assuming the steps match. Keep this page bookmarked for the next time the same question comes up. Better still, repeat the steps once in your own workbook — doing it yourself is what turns a copied answer into something you remember. Treat “excel show formula shortcut key” as a routine rather than a one-off. Once you know which setting or command controls it, the same few steps handle every workbook where it comes up in Excel, and you can explain them to a colleague in a sentence.

Common mistakes

• Looking only at the formula bar shows one selected cell; Show Formulas displays formulas across the active sheet.
• Pressing the shortcut a second time turns the formula view off. It does not repeat an edit.
• If a formula appears as plain text after leaving Show Formulas, check the cell format and leading apostrophe.

Frequently asked questions