Show Formulas in Excel: Keyboard Shortcut Guide

To show formulas in Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, press Ctrl+` (Ctrl plus the grave accent key, usually just below Esc). Press the same shortcut again to return to calculated results. This switches the display for the active worksheet; it does not replace or change the formulas in your cells.

Showing formulas is useful when checking how a workbook is built, reviewing calculations, or finding cells that do not behave as expected. If the shortcut is unavailable on your keyboard, you can use the ribbon instead. The steps below cover Excel for Windows first, with notes for Mac and Excel for the web.

What You’ll Need

A workbook open in Excel. The shortcut applies to the active worksheet, so select the sheet you want to inspect first.
A keyboard with a grave accent key, or access to the Excel ribbon. On many US keyboards, the grave accent shares the key with the tilde and sits below Esc, to the left of 1. Keyboard layouts vary.
For the Mac instructions, Excel for Mac. For Excel for the web, a browser and access to the workbook are enough; the ribbon is the most dependable method there.

Step-by-Step

Open the worksheet you want to inspect. Click its sheet tab at the bottom of the workbook. The Show Formulas command changes the view of the active sheet, not every sheet at once. If you need to review several sheets, repeat the toggle on each one.
Use the Windows keyboard shortcut. Press and hold Ctrl, then tap the grave accent key once. Do not hold Shift unless your keyboard layout requires it to produce the grave accent. On a common US layout, the key is in the upper-left area, below Esc and left of the number 1. The tilde printed on the same key is not the character you are aiming for, though the key itself is the same.
Check that the view changed. Cells containing formulas should now show the formula text, usually beginning with an equals sign, instead of their calculated results. For example, a cell that normally displays a total such as 125 may display the expression used to calculate that total. The formula remains active in the cell; Excel is only showing a different view of it.
Use the ribbon if the shortcut does not work. In Excel for Windows, select Formulas > Formula Auditing > Show Formulas. The command is a toggle: select it once to display formulas and select it again to show calculated values. Depending on the size of the Excel window, some ribbon commands may be grouped or collapsed, so maximize the window or open the Formula Auditing group if you do not see the button immediately.
Return to the normal results view. Press Ctrl+` again, or select Formulas > Formula Auditing > Show Formulas again. Make this check before continuing normal data entry or presenting the sheet, so you do not mistake formula text for the worksheet’s usual output.
On a Mac, use the Mac shortcut or ribbon. In Excel for Mac, the shortcut is generally Control+` (Control plus grave accent), rather than Command plus grave accent. Mac keyboard layouts can place the character differently or require a different keystroke to enter it. If the shortcut does not toggle the view, select Formulas > Show Formulas from the ribbon. Avoid assuming that the Windows key location or key combination will match your Mac keyboard.
In Excel for the web, use the ribbon. Open the workbook in the browser, select the worksheet, and choose Formulas > Show Formulas if the command is available in the ribbon. Browser and keyboard settings can intercept key combinations, so the ribbon is a useful fallback. If you do not see the command, widen the browser window or check the ribbon’s overflow menus. The workbook may also open in the desktop app, where the Windows or Mac instructions apply.

Common Mistakes

Using an apostrophe instead of a grave accent. The grave accent looks like a small slanted mark: `. An apostrophe looks different: '. They are not interchangeable. Locate the correct key for your keyboard layout, or use the ribbon command instead.
Pressing Command on Windows, or assuming the Mac uses Command. The Windows combination uses Ctrl. Excel for Mac generally uses Control for this toggle, not Command. If a Mac layout makes the key awkward to enter, the ribbon avoids the issue.
Thinking the formulas have been edited or converted. Show Formulas changes what Excel displays, not the underlying cell contents or calculation results. Toggling it back restores the usual results view. It is not the same as copying formulas, replacing values, or converting a workbook.
Expecting the shortcut to change every worksheet. The command acts on the active sheet. A different sheet can still display calculated values. Click each relevant sheet tab and turn on Show Formulas there if you are checking the whole workbook.
Confusing formula display with the formula bar. The formula bar shows the contents of the selected cell, even while the worksheet normally shows results. Show Formulas changes the display of formula cells across the active sheet, which makes it easier to scan many formulas at once.

Tips

Use the feature for a quick audit. It can help reveal whether nearby cells use consistent references, whether a formula was copied down, and which cells contain formulas rather than fixed values. It is a visual aid, not a full error check: a formula can be displayed clearly and still contain a logic mistake.
Make formula text easier to read. Formula strings can be longer than their calculated results. Widen a column by dragging the boundary between its column letters, or double-click that boundary to AutoFit. You can also zoom out temporarily. These changes affect the view or layout, not the formula itself.
Keep track of the active sheet. If you are comparing formulas across tabs, note which sheets have Show Formulas enabled. The view is controlled per worksheet, so it is possible for one tab to show expressions while another shows results.
Use the formula bar for a single-cell check. Select a cell to inspect its formula in the formula bar without changing the display of the entire sheet. This is often less disruptive when you only need to verify one calculation. If the formula bar is hidden, enable it from the View tab.
Remember that display is not protection. Showing formulas does not lock cells or hide sensitive calculations. If your goal is to prevent people from seeing or editing formulas, investigate worksheet protection and the formula-hiding options separately; simply toggling Show Formulas will not secure a workbook.

Troubleshooting

The shortcut does nothing. First confirm that Excel is the active application and that the worksheet grid has focus. Try the ribbon path for your platform: on Windows, Formulas > Formula Auditing > Show Formulas; on Mac, Formulas > Show Formulas. If the ribbon works, the issue is likely the key location, the keyboard layout, or another app or system shortcut intercepting the combination. On a laptop, check whether a function-key layer or keyboard setting changes how the key is entered.

The cell still shows text that looks like a formula. Show Formulas only changes the display of cells Excel recognizes as formulas. If a cell continues to show something like =A1+B1 as literal text, it may have been entered as text, or the cell may have been formatted as Text before the entry. Select the cell and inspect the formula bar. If it is text, change the number format to General, then edit the cell and press Enter. If the entry begins with an apostrophe, remove that leading apostrophe when appropriate. Check a copy or a small sample first if many cells are affected.

Formulas are cut off or difficult to read. Widen the relevant columns, use AutoFit, or reduce zoom. A long formula may extend beyond the visible cell area, especially when neighboring cells contain data. If you see hash marks, try making the column wider. You can also select a formula cell and read its full contents in the formula bar.

Only some sheets show formulas. This is expected when the toggle has been applied to only some worksheets. Visit each sheet and use the command as needed. If you grouped worksheets to make changes together, ungroup them when finished by right-clicking a selected sheet tab and choosing Ungroup Sheets; grouped sheets can share edits, so use that feature carefully.

The workbook opens showing formulas unexpectedly. The active worksheet may have been left in Show Formulas mode. Toggle it off with the shortcut or ribbon command. If the setting appears to return whenever you reopen the file, check whether the workbook is being reopened in the same state by another user, template, or saved copy. The display mode itself does not mean that the formulas have been changed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the shortcut to show formulas in Excel on Windows?
Press Ctrl+`. The grave accent key is commonly below Esc and left of 1 on a US keyboard. Press the same combination again to return to results.

What is the shortcut on a Mac?
Excel for Mac generally uses Control+`. The key position and how to type the grave accent depend on the Mac’s keyboard layout. If it is inconvenient, use Formulas > Show Formulas.

Does Show Formulas change or overwrite my calculations?
No. It changes the worksheet display so formula cells show their expressions rather than their calculated results. Toggle it off to see the results again.

Can I show formulas in just one cell?
Show Formulas is a worksheet-wide display toggle for formula cells. To inspect one cell without changing the sheet view, select it and read its formula in the formula bar.

Why does a cell keep displaying a formula after I turn Show Formulas off?
The entry may be stored as text rather than as a working formula. Check whether the cell was formatted as Text or whether the entry starts with an apostrophe. Change the format to General, re-enter the formula, and confirm that Excel calculates it.

Will the shortcut work in Excel for the web?
It may depend on your browser and keyboard settings. Use the Formulas ribbon and choose Show Formulas when available. If the command is not visible, check the ribbon overflow or open the workbook in the desktop version.

Try it: the Formula Explainer: paste any formula and see each function and reference in plain English.

More in Formulas & functions

Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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