digestVidSign in
summary

excelisfun - Excel Magic Trick 1461: Ctrl + Enter or Ctrl + D, What is the Difference and When to Use Each?

Thumbnail of the video “excelisfun - Excel Magic Trick 1461: Ctrl + Enter or Ctrl + D, What is the Difference and When to Use Each?”
Community upload. AI output has not been independently verified.
Author: excelisfun
Categories: Science Technology
Tags: science, technology
Views: 2 · Last viewed: 2026-10-16 00:53 UTC

Short Summary

Main recommendation: Use Ctrl + D to copy a formula down a highlighted range when the formula is already in the active cell, and use Ctrl + Enter when you are in Edit mode and need to fill a formula through the highlighted range, or when you want to enter a value and keep the cell selected. The video also highlights Ctrl + Enter for editing an already-filled formula and Ctrl + D for making macro recorder code work on variable-height tables, which he calls his two favorite uses.

Key Points

  • Ctrl + D fills the active cell's formula down through the highlighted range, but it does not work while the cell is in Edit mode.
  • Ctrl + Enter works while in Edit mode: type the formula, highlight the range beforehand, and press Ctrl + Enter to populate it all the way down.
  • Ctrl + Enter also enters a value and keeps the same cell selected, which avoids the extra click back up and double-click to fill down.
  • To change an already-copied formula, select the range, press F2 in the active cell, edit, and press Ctrl + Enter to update the whole range.
  • In macro recording, Ctrl + D can be used to fill a range with relative references so the recorded code works on a variable-height table instead of hard-coding a row such as E28.

Details Worth Noting

  • Concrete instructions:
    • To copy a formula down with Ctrl + D: enter the formula in the top cell, highlight the range including that cell, then press Ctrl + D.
    • To fill a formula with Ctrl + Enter: highlight the full target range first, click the active cell, press F2 or otherwise enter Edit mode, type the formula, then press Ctrl + Enter.
    • To avoid the enter-click-double-click method: after entering a formula in a single cell, press Ctrl + Enter so the cell stays selected, then double-click the fill handle to send it down.
    • To edit a formula already filled down: highlight the range, press F2 in the active cell, edit the formula, then press Ctrl + Enter.
    • For macro recording on a variable-height table: record the formula using relative references (Left Arrow, Ctrl + Down Arrow, Right Arrow, Ctrl + Shift + Up Arrow), then use Ctrl + D to fill the range down so the code is not tied to a fixed cell such as E28.
  • The example formula used is gross pay multiplied by a tax rate, with the tax rate reference locked using F4.
  • The video notes that most Excel users enter the formula, click back up, and double-click to fill down, which the Ctrl + Enter method avoids.

Bottom Line

Ctrl + D and Ctrl + Enter both fill formulas down a range, but they work in different modes: Ctrl + D from a ready active cell, Ctrl + Enter while editing with the range pre-highlighted.