Selection · original practice scenario
Extend a rectangular selection to a clicked cell
You need the rectangular block B2:E8 for a formatting change.
Start here: Worksheet grid with an active anchor cell; no cell edit in progress
Follow these instructions in your own desktop Excel workbook. This page explains the operation; it does not send commands to Excel.
Windows keys and context
Click the anchor first, then hold Shift while clicking the opposite corner.
Shift+Click
Select one or more cells. Microsoft reference ↗
Walk through the operation
- Click B2.
- Hold Shift and click E8.
- Release Shift before making the formatting change.
Instruction 1 of 3: Click B2.
Expected result: B2:E8 is selected, including all cells inside the rectangle.
Recall the keys
Which listed Windows combination or sequence starts this operation in the context above?
Related walkthroughs
- Add a separate cell or range to a selection
- Select nonadjacent worksheet tabs
- Select adjacent worksheet tabs
- Select differences within one column
Catalog updated 2026-10-18. US keyboard notation: + joins held keys; commas separate successive presses. Function keys may require Fn. Desktop instructions are separate from this browser's own keyboard shortcuts.