How to Use the Excel Show Formulas Shortcut? 3 Methods

What is the Excel Show Formulas Shortcut?

The Excel show formulas shortcut is the command that allows you to show formulas instead of their calculated results.

It is useful because it is easier to see how the data is calculated when working with a complex worksheet.

Apart from that, it is easy to see and identify if there’s an error.

And, if you use the shortcut showing formulas in Excel, it will display the formulated formula in the cells instead of the calculated results.

How to Use the Excel Show Formulas Shortcut? Tips and Tricks

You can show or hide the formulas in various ways by using different shortcuts or keyboard shortcuts and using a formula in order to show formulas in your worksheet.

These shortcuts that show formulas in Excel that we are going to show you are applicable to all versions of Excel.

Now, let’s explore the different ways of showing the formulas in Excel.

1. Using the FORMULATEXT

In this kind of formula, you can show the formula in a specific cell.

To show a formula using the FORMULATEXT, follow these steps:

1. Click the formula bar or in the cell itself.
2. Just type =FORMULATEXT or click the suggested formula.
3. Then put the cell where you want to show the formula. In our case, we put (=FORMULATEXT(G2)).
4. After that, press Enter, and it will automatically show the formula that you can see in column “H.”

Kindly refer to the video below:

Tip: If you want to see the remaining formula of the next cell, you just have to drag the arrow down, as you can see in the video above.

Tricks: The easiest way to see the formulas in your worksheet is to double-click the selected cell using your mouse. However, it is one by one, and it will not stay longer. When you click another cell, it will disappear.

2. Using the button

To show a formula using the button, follow these steps:

1. Select “Formulas” in the menu bar.
2. Highlight or select the cells that you want to show their formulas; in our example, we select the columns “F” and “G.”
3. In the “Formula Auditing” section, click the button for “Show Formulas” on the right side of “Trace Precedents.”
4. After you click that, it will automatically show the formula in each cell you have selected.

Kindly refer to the video below:

3. Excel Show Formulas Shortcut Using a keyboard shortcut

These are keyboard shortcuts showing the formulas in Excel:

• 1. Select cell and press F2.

Note: This keyboard shortcut will only show in one cell, and if you click another cell, it will disappear.

1. 2. Press Ctrl + ~ in the worksheet, and then it will automatically display the formula in the cells.

Tip: If you want to see formulas over a long period of time, this is the perfect keyboard shortcut for you.

Note: This keyboard shortcut will display all the formulas in the cells.

FAQs

Conclusion

The different ways you discover above on how to use the Excel Show Formulas shortcut will be a big help for you to see the formulas in a quick and easy way with this tutorial.

There are a lot of ways to do that, but we just choose the best and easiest ones so that it won’t be hard for you to follow.

Thank you very much for continuing to read until the end of this article. In case you have more questions, feel free to comment.

What is new for the Show Formulas shortcut in 2026

The 2026 Excel Copilot update added an Audit formulas action that goes beyond the Show Formulas toggle. Open the Copilot pane, type Audit formulas on this sheet, and Copilot reveals every formula, highlights inconsistencies (for example, one row using SUM while adjacent rows use +), flags external references, and suggests fixes.

Excel for the web now supports the Ctrl + ` shortcut natively. Older browser versions of Excel required using the Formulas tab. As of the 2026 update, the keyboard shortcut works identically on desktop, web, and Mac (Cmd + ` on Mac).

Common pitfalls with the Show Formulas shortcut

• Nothing changes when you press the shortcut. Some keyboard layouts (UK, DE, ES) place the grave key differently. Use the Formulas tab > Show Formulas button as a fallback.
• Cells show as ###. Formulas are wider than values. Double-click column borders to auto-fit before printing.
• Text-format cells show text. If a cell was formatted as Text before you typed the formula, Excel treats the formula as text. Change to General format (Ctrl 1 > General) and re-enter the formula.
• Show Formulas is worksheet-specific. Toggling it on one sheet does not affect other sheets. Repeat the shortcut on each sheet you need to audit.

Printing formulas instead of values

To include formulas in a printout instead of the calculated values, first toggle Show Formulas (Ctrl + `), then adjust column widths, and then print. Excel prints exactly what is displayed. Remember to toggle back to values view (Ctrl + ` again) after printing so downstream users do not see raw formulas by accident.

Quick step-by-step summary (click to expand)

1. Use the keyboard shortcut Press Ctrl + ` (the grave accent key, usually below Esc). Every cell now shows its formula instead of the calculated value.
2. Use the Formulas tab Click the Formulas tab on the ribbon and click Show Formulas in the Formula Auditing group. Same effect as the shortcut.
3. Use Excel Options Go to File > Options > Advanced > Display options for this worksheet, tick Show formulas in cells instead of their calculated results, click OK.
4. Toggle back to values Press Ctrl + ` again (or click Show Formulas again) to return to normal calculated values view.
5. Auto-adjust column widths Formulas are usually wider than values. Select all (Ctrl A), then double-click any column border to auto-fit widths for the formula view.