Go To Special

Below is an overview of how to use the Go To Special function in Excel to improve your speed.

Written by CFI Team

Read Time 2 minutes

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What is the Go To Special Function in Excel?

The Go To Special Function[1] in Excel allows you to quickly select all cells that meet certain criteria, such as cells containing:

Formulas (numbers, text, logicals, errors)
Constants (numbers, text, logicals, errors)
Blank cells
Objects
Precedents and dependents

There are three ways to access Go To:

Press the F5 key
Press Ctrl + G
On the Home ribbon under “Find and Select” choose “Go To”

To see a video tutorial of Go To Special, check out our free Excel Crash Course.

Example of Go To Special in Excel

Below is an example of how to select all hardcoded (constant) numbers in a financial model.

Step 1: Press F5, click Special, then select constants and check only the numbers box

Step 2: Click OK and you will see all constants (hardcoded numbers) selected

Why Use Go To Special?

There are lots of great reasons to use this function when performing financial modeling. Not only does it allow you to speed up your navigation – it also allows you to thoroughly audit a spreadsheet or workbook.

Here is a list of all Excel shortcuts to speed up your modeling.

One great example of the function is to select all hardcoded numbers in a spreadsheet. This allows for easy formatting of all selected cells with one click. It also implies that all unselected cells are formulas, and therefore you can quickly make sure the model is set up properly in terms of assumptions, calculations, and outputs.

Another great reason to use the function is for organizing large amounts of data. It can be helpful to select all blank cells and delete them all at once.

Free Excel Crash Course

Learn Go To Special (F5) with CFI’s Free Excel Crash Course. This course gives you the most important spreadsheet formulas, Excel keyboard shortcuts (Mac and PC), and functions, all in one concise tutorial.

More Resources

Thank you for reading CFI’s guide to Go To Special. To keep learning and developing your Excel skills, check out these additional CFI resources:

Article Sources

Go To Special Function

Additional Resources

CFI is a global provider of financial modeling courses and of the FMVA Certification. CFI’s mission is to help all professionals improve their technical skills. If you are a student or looking for a career change, the CFI website has many free resources to help you jumpstart your Career in Finance. If you are seeking to improve your technical skills, check out some of our most popular courses. Below are some additional resources for you to further explore:

The Financial Modeling Certification

Analyst Certification FMVA® Program

The Financial Modeling Certification

Below is a break down of subject weightings in the FMVA® financial analyst program. As you can see there is a heavy focus on financial modeling, finance, Excel, business valuation, budgeting/forecasting, PowerPoint presentations, accounting and business strategy.

A well rounded financial analyst possesses all of the above skills!

Additional Questions & Answers

CFI is the global institution behind the financial modeling and valuation analyst FMVA® Designation. CFI is on a mission to enable anyone to be a great financial analyst and have a great career path. In order to help you advance your career, CFI has compiled many resources to assist you along the path.

In order to become a great financial analyst, here are some more questions and answers for you to discover: