Ctrl + Shift + Down (or any arrow key) not working properly in MS Excel. How to Solve?

Users often find that Ctrl Shift Down key function stops at an intermediate cell and does not select all cells up to the bottom. This is because it stops at the first blank cell in the column.

One solution to avoid this issue is to fill in the blank cells with value 0 (zero) if it doesn’t affect the purpose of the sheet.

Step 1 – Before entering values in blank cells

Step 2 – Select the range of cells that you need to navigate. Go to ‘Find & Select’ in the Home tab. Choose the option ‘Go To Special’. Select ‘Blanks’ as below and click ok.

Step 3 – Type ‘0’. Press ‘Ctrl+Enter’. Excel fills in all blank cells with the value 0.

Step 4 – Now press Ctrl+Shift+Down to select all the cells up to the bottom (up to the row which you selected in Step 2)

Note: If the problem is not yet resolved and excel still partially selects the data after pressing Ctrl+shift+down, then press the key combination again a few more times until the selection reaches down to the required row.

Another problem with Ctrl+Shift+Down function is associated with Transition Navigation Keys. If the key combination is not at all working, try changing the settings by going to Excel Options> Advanced> Tools>Options>Uncheck Transition Navigation Keys.

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