Make fast changes with a function key shortcut
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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.
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How to type in or edit cell without double clicking it in Excel?
Usually, when editing a cell with content, you need to double click it to get into the editing mode at first. For editing a cell with long content that exceeds the cell size, you need to get into the editing mode, and then find the accurate position to make the change. This tutorial introduces three methods, which can help to edit cell easily in Excel.
Type in or edit cell with pressing the F2 key
You can press the F2 key to get into the editing mode of a cell without double clicking it.
It is easy to operate, you just need to select the cell you want to edit and press the F2 key, and the cursor will be located at the end of the cell value, then you can edit the cell immediately.
Note: You need to press the F2 key repeatedly for editing all cells in a list.
View and edit a long content cell easily in Excel:
The Enhanced Edit Bar utility of Kutools for Excel can help you easily view and edit a long content cell without double clicking the cell or enlarging the Formula Bar.
Download and try it now! ( 30-day free trail)
Type in or edit cell with VBA code
If pressing F2 key is also time-consuming for you, you can try the following VBA method.
1. Press Alt + F11 keys simultaneously to open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.
2. In the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window, please double click the sheet name (cells you need to edit locating in this worksheet) in the left bar to open the code window. Then copy and paste the below VBA code into the window.
VBA code: type in or edit cell without double clicking it
3. Press Alt + Q keys simultaneously to close the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.
From now on, when selecting a cell or pressing the Enter key to move to the next cell in this worksheet, it will get into the editing mode automatically.
Edit a long content cell easily with an awesome feature
Here we introduce the Enhanced Edit Bar feature of Kutools for Excel. With this feature, you can edit a cell with long content easily without double clicking the cell.
Before applying the below operation, please go to download and install Kutools for Excel firstly.
1. Enable this feature by clicking Kutools > Show & Hide > Enhanced Edit Bar.
From now on, when selecting a cell, a window will pop up to display the whole content of it.
Directly editing the content in the window will simultaneously take effect to the cell.
Tip: Click Kutools > Enhanced Edit Bar to turn off the feature.
If you want to have a free trial ( 30-day) of this utility, please click to download it, and then go to apply the operation according above steps.
