Use Excel's Fill Down Command With Shortcut Keys

Save time and increase accuracy by copying data to other cells

By
Ted French
Ted French
Writer
Former Lifewire writer Ted French is a Microsoft Certified Professional who teaches and writes about spreadsheets and spreadsheet programs.
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Updated on December 30, 2020
Reviewed by
Jessica Kormos
Jessica Kormos
Reviewed by Jessica Kormos
  • Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years' experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others.
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Lifewire / Alison Czinkota

What to Know

  • Select the source cell. Then, highlight the range to which you want to copy it and press Ctrl+D.
  • Alternatively, click the fill handle in the source cell and drag it over the target cells.

This article shows how to activate the Fill Down command with a keyboard or mouse shortcut in Excel 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, Excel Online, and Excel for Mac.

The Keyboard Method

The key combination that applies the Fill Down command is Ctrl+D.

Follow these steps to see how to use Fill Down in your own Excel spreadsheets:

  1. Type a number into a cell.

  2. Press and hold the Shift key.

  3. Press and hold the Down Arrow key on the keyboard to extend the cell highlight from cell D1 to D7. Then release both keys.

  4. Press and Ctrl+D and release.

    Screenshot of Excel showing the Fill Down solution

    The Mouse Method

    Use your mouse to select the cell that contains the number that you want to duplicate in the cells beneath it. Then, highlight the range to which you want to copy it, and press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+D .

    Alison Czinkota / Lifewire

    Use AutoFill to Duplicate the Data in a Cell

    Here's how to accomplish the same effect as the Fill Down command, but instead with the AutoFill feature:

  5. Type a number into a cell in an Excel spreadsheet.

  6. Click and hold the fill handle in the bottom right corner of the cell that contains the number.

  7. Drag the fill handle downward to select the cells that you want to contain the same number.

  8. Release the mouse and the number is copied into each of the selected cells.

The AutoFill feature also works horizontally to copy a number of adjacent cells in the same row. Just click and drag the fill handle across the cells horizontally. When you release the mouse, the number is copied into each selected cell.

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