Select the whole column keyboard shortcut in 3 apps
Select the whole column has a documented keyboard shortcut in 3 apps here, among them Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc, Microsoft Excel. The most common keys are Ctrl + Space on Windows and Ctrl + Space on a Mac.
Keys on this page were last checked against their sources on September 11, 2026.
| App | Windows | Mac | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Sheets | Windows Ctrl + Space | Mac Ctrl + Space | Highlight the whole column |
| LibreOffice Calc | Windows Ctrl + Space | Mac Not documented | Select column |
| Microsoft Excel | Windows Ctrl + Space | Mac Not documented | Highlight the whole column |
What most apps settled on for Select the whole column
On Windows, Ctrl + Space is the combination in 3 of the 3 apps here that document one. All 3 apps here that document a Windows key use Ctrl + Space, which makes this one of the safer habits to carry between apps.
Where the table is deliberately empty
2 apps here publish no Mac key for Select the whole column, so those cells are left blank. A blank there is a gap in that maker documentation for Select the whole column, not an oversight here, and it is never filled by converting the other system.
If the keys for Select the whole column do nothing
The 3 apps listed here each decide this for themselves, so the first thing to check is that you are reading the row for the app you are actually in, and the column for your system. After that, check the app version, since select the whole column is the kind of command makers move between releases. Report a correction
Looking for everything one app can do? Browse apps