Whether you’re a Microsoft Office Excel beginner or an advanced user who has been around the block, you’re probably looking for ways to increase your productivity with Excel.

Here are three keyboard shortcuts, and a bonus shortcut, that will save you time today:

image 1. Create a line break in a cell: Press ALT+ENTER.

2. Create a bulleted list: Place your insertion point in the cell to the left of the first line of text. On the numeric keyboard, press ALT+0149, and then press Enter to add a space between the bullet and the text. Rinse and repeat.

3. Bring up the always useful Format Cells dialog box: Press CTRL+1.

· Bonus: To hide the Ribbon and save a little room on the screen in any Office program, press CTRL+F1 . (Press CTRL+F1 again to bring it back.)

For a few more Excel tips, take a look at Hidden gems in Excel 2007 by Jean Philippe Bagel. You’ll learn how to keep all worksheets in view, make a list look better with formatted icons, and sort data in a pivot table.

Do you have an Excel tip to share? Why not leave the community an Office Zip Tip.

--leslie