Increase ease of navigation with Focus Cell in Excel

Increase ease of navigation with Focus Cell in Excel

Focus Cell applies vibrant highlights to the corresponding row and column of the active cell and increases the active cell’s border thickness. This makes the active cell more visible and facilitates easy identification of data across the same row and column.

Animation showing the Focus Cell command being used in an Excel worksheet

How it works

1. Open an existing worksheet that contains a large data set.

2. On the View tab, select Focus Cell button to toggle the feature on and off, or press Alt + W + E + F.

Focus Cell button on the View tab

3. To change the color of the highlights, select the arrow to the right of the Focus Cell button, then select Focus Cell Color.

Colors available when using the Focus Cell Color command

Tips and tricks

To access the command more easily, right-click the Focus Cell button, and then clicking Add to Quick Access Toolbar.

Add to Quick Access Toolbar command in the foreground and worksheet and View tab in the background

After the command has been added to the Quick Access Toolbar, you can turn Focus Cell on and off by simply selecting the corresponding icon on the top left-hand corner of the Excel window.

Focus Cell button on the Quick Access Toolbar

By default, Focus Cell will automatically activate when you use Find & Replace commands in Excel for Windows, making it easier to locate the active cell as it shifts positions. To change this setting, select View > Focus Cell > Show Auto-Highlight.

Show Auto-Highlight command on the Focus Cell drop-down menu

Focus Cell is not supported while Freeze Panes or Split Panes are in use.

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Increase ease of navigation with Focus Cell in Excel