To select a row, press Shift + Space
For selecting a column, press Ctrl + Space. That’s when respecting the « never use merge » rule gets beneficial. If you’ve merged cells, using Ctrl + Space will select all merged columns—not what you want.
With a row selected, Ctrl + ‘+’ adds a new row, and Ctrl + ‘-‘ removes the selected one.
Similarly, for columns, Ctrl + ‘+’ adds a new column, and Ctrl + ‘-‘ removes the selected one.
Of course you also have Ctrl + C to copy, Ctrl + X to cut and Ctrl + V to paste, Ctrl + Z to cancel last action and Ctrl + Y to redo the last action canceled but these are not specific to Excel.
Press F4 to redo the exact same action you just performed. It can be adding color, inserting a row or anything you just did.
Use these shortcuts regularly, and they’ll soon become second nature.