Selection · original practice scenario
Select differences within one column
Enter Paid, Paid, Late, Paid and Review in D2:D6. Select D2:D6 with D2 as the active comparison cell.
Start here: A preselected single-column range, with its top cell active; worksheet selection mode
Keep the range and active comparison cell explicit. This exercise does not teach row differences, case-sensitive text comparison or error/blank comparison rules.
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
The publisher prints the vertical-bar key. On a US layout, vertical bar and backslash share a physical key; Shift remains part of the chord. This is a selection operation, not conditional formatting.
Ctrl+Shift+|
Publisher-documented binding. Native desktop execution has not been tested.
Desktop key table and operation notes. Exceljet publisher reference ↗
Walk through the operation
- Select the populated range D2:D6, keeping D2 active.
- Use the listed combination; on a US keyboard the bar is on the backslash key.
- Inspect the remaining selected cells without typing over them.
- Click outside the selection to leave the original status values unchanged.
Instruction 1 of 4: Select the populated range D2:D6, keeping D2 active.
Expected result: D4 and D6 are the differences from the active Paid value in this one-column example. No statuses are replaced.
Recall the keys
Which listed Windows combination or sequence starts this operation in the context above?
Related walkthroughs
- Extend a rectangular selection to a clicked cell
- Add a separate cell or range to a selection
- Select nonadjacent worksheet tabs
- Select adjacent worksheet tabs
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.