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Edit Cells with the F2 Function Key in Excel

Make fast changes with a function key shortcut

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. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on February 9, 2020 Tweet Share Email LinkedIn Sales Navigator / Pexels Tweet Share Email MS Office Excel Word Powerpoint Outlook The function key F2 allows you to quickly and easily edit the data of a cell by activating Excel's edit mode and placing the insertion point at the end of the active cell's existing contents. Here is how you can use the F2 key to edit cells.

Example Using F2 Key to Edit a Cell' s Contents

This example covers how to edit a formula in Excel If the option to allow editing directly in cells is turned off, pressing the F2 key will still put Excel in edit mode, but the insertion point will be moved to the formula bar above the worksheet in order to edit the cell's contents. Enter 4 into cell D1, 5 into cell D2, and 6 into cell D3. Select cell E1 to make it the active cell. Enter the following formula into cell E1 = D1 + D2 Press the Enter key on the keyboard to complete the formula. The answer 9 should appear in cell E1. Select cell E1 to again make it the active cell. Press the F2 key on the keyboard. Excel enters edit mode and the insertion point is placed at the end of the current formula. This is the same as double-clicking the cell with the mouse. Modify the formula by adding + D3 to the end of it. Press the Enter key on the keyboard to complete the formula and leave edit mode. The new total for the formula (15) should appear in cell E1. You can tell when Excel is in Edit mode by looking in the lower-left corner of the window. The word Edit will appear in the Status bar when Edit mode is activated. Edit mode enables you to move the text cursor within the formula using the right and left arrow keys. If you press F2 again, the formula goes into Enter mode. In Enter mode, you can use the arrow keys to select cells instead of moving the text cursor. If you notice that when you press the F2 key, it increases the computer's audio volume instead of making the cell active, you might need to press and hold the Fn key, which is in the lower-left corner of the keyboard just to the right of the Ctrl key, while pressing the F2 key. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Combine the ROUND and SUM Functions in Excel How to Count Data in Selected Cells With Excel's COUNTIF Function Ignore Error Values When Finding the Average in Excel How to Subtract Dates in Excel How to Round Numbers Down in Excel With the ROUNDDOWN Function Excel SUMIFS: Sum Only Values Meeting Multiple Criteria How to Hide and Unhide Columns, Rows, and Cells in Excel How to Wrap Text and Formulas on Multiple Lines in Excel How to Use the Round Function in Excel Round up Numbers in Excel With the ROUNDUP Function How to Use a Dynamic Range in Excel With COUNTIF and INDIRECT How to Use the MONTH Formula in Excel How to Use the DAY function in Excel How to Add Numbers in Excel Using a Formula Relative, Absolute, and Mixed Cell References in Excel and Sheets How to Nest Multiple IF Functions in Excel Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies