Lots of us have switched over from Microsoft Excel to Google Sheets over the last few years. Google’s spreadsheet offering is not as feature rich, but it’s free & incredibly convenient because it was built as a Cloud app from the outset. The feature set is very complete, but if you want to be as productive as you can with Sheets, you should definitely take advantage of all the keyboard shortcuts that Google provides.
The following is a list of shortcuts, weaned from Google’s support pages. Google divides the shortcuts into the 3 main platforms supported: Computer (PC, Mac & Chrome OS), Android & iPad. For brevity, here, we’ll just show you the PC & Android shortcuts, but you can check the rest of them out as well on the referenced Google support page.
PC Shortcuts
|
Common actions |
|
|---|---|
| Select column | Ctrl + Space |
| Select row | Shift + Space |
| Select all | Ctrl + a Ctrl + Shift + Space |
| Undo | Ctrl + z |
| Redo | Ctrl + y Ctrl + Shift + z F4 |
| Find | Ctrl + f |
| Find & replace | Ctrl + h |
| Fill range | Ctrl + Enter |
| Fill down | Ctrl + d |
| Fill right | Ctrl + r |
| Save (every change is saved automatically in Drive) |
Ctrl + s |
| Open | Ctrl + o |
| Ctrl + p | |
| Copy | Ctrl + c |
| Cut | Ctrl + x |
| Paste | Ctrl + v |
| Paste values only | Ctrl + Shift + v |
| Show common keyboard shortcuts | Ctrl + / |
| Insert new sheet | Shift + F11 |
| Compact controls | Ctrl + Shift + f |
| Input tools on/off (available in spreadsheets in non-Latin languages) |
Ctrl + Shift + k |
| Select input tools | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + k |
|
Format cells |
|
| Bold | Ctrl + b |
| Underline | Ctrl + u |
| Italic | Ctrl + i |
| Strikethrough | Alt + Shift + 5 |
| Center align | Ctrl + Shift + e |
| Left align | Ctrl + Shift + l |
| Right align | Ctrl + Shift + r |
| Apply top border | Alt + Shift + 1 |
| Apply right border | Alt + Shift + 2 |
| Apply bottom border | Alt + Shift + 3 |
| Apply left border | Alt + Shift + 4 |
| Remove borders | Alt + Shift + 6 |
| Apply outer border | Alt + Shift + 7
Ctrl + Shift + 7 |
| Insert link | Ctrl + k |
| Insert time | Ctrl + Shift + ; |
| Insert date | Ctrl + ; |
| Insert date & time | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + ; |
| Format as decimal | Ctrl + Shift + 1 |
| Format as time | Ctrl + Shift + 2 |
| Format as date | Ctrl + Shift + 3 |
| Format as currency | Ctrl + Shift + 4 |
| Format as percentage | Ctrl + Shift + 5 |
| Format as exponent | Ctrl + Shift + 6 |
| Clear formatting | Ctrl + \ |
|
Navigate spreadsheet |
|
| Move to beginning of row | Home |
| Move to beginning of sheet | Ctrl + Home |
| Move to end of row | End |
| Move to end of sheet | Ctrl + End |
| Scroll to active cell | Ctrl + Backspace |
| Move to next sheet | Ctrl + Shift + Page Down |
| Move to previous sheet | Ctrl + Shift + Page Up |
| Display list of sheets | Alt + Shift + k |
| Open hyperlink | Alt + Enter |
| Open Explore | Alt + Shift + x |
| Move focus out of spreadsheet | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + m |
| Move to quicksum (when a range of cells is selected) |
Alt + Shift + q |
| Move focus to popup (for links, bookmarks, & images) |
holding Ctrl + Alt, press e then p |
| Open drop-down menu on filtered cell | Ctrl + Alt + r |
| Open revision history | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + h |
| Open chat inside the spreadsheet | Shift + Esc |
| Close drawing editor | Shift + Esc |
|
Edit notes & comments |
|
| Insert/edit note | Shift + F2 |
| Insert/edit comment | Ctrl + Alt + m |
| Open comment discussion thread | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + a |
| Enter current comment | holding Ctrl + Alt, press e then c |
| Move to next comment | holding Ctrl + Alt, press n then c |
| Move to previous comment | holding Ctrl + Alt, press p then c |
|
Open a menu |
|
| File menu | in Google Chrome: Alt + f other browsers: Alt + Shift + f |
| Edit menu | in Google Chrome: Alt + e other browsers: Alt + Shift + e |
| View menu | in Google Chrome: Alt + v other browsers: Alt + Shift + v |
| Insert menu | in Google Chrome: Alt + i other browsers: Alt + Shift + i |
| Format menu | in Google Chrome: Alt + o other browsers: Alt + Shift + o |
| Data menu | in Google Chrome: Alt + d other browsers: Alt + Shift + d |
| Tools menu | in Google Chrome: Alt + t other browsers: Alt + Shift + t |
| Open insert menu | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + = Ctrl + Alt + = (with cells selected) |
| Open delete menu | Ctrl + Alt + – (with cells selected) |
| Form menu (present when the spreadsheet is connected to a form) |
in Google Chrome: Alt + m other browsers: Alt + Shift + m |
| Add-ons menu | in Google Chrome: Alt + n other browsers: Alt + Shift + n |
| Help menu | in Google Chrome: Alt + h other browsers: Alt + Shift + h |
| Accessibility menu (present when screen reader support is enabled) |
in Google Chrome: Alt + a other browsers: Alt + Shift + a |
| Sheet menu (copy, delete, & other sheet actions) |
Alt + Shift + s |
| Context menu | Ctrl + Shift + \ |
|
Insert, delete, hide, or unhide rows or columns |
|
| Insert rows above | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + = Ctrl + Alt + = (with rows selected)in Google Chrome: Alt + i, then r other browsers: Alt + Shift + i, then r |
| Insert rows below | in Google Chrome: Alt + i, then w other browsers: Alt + Shift + i, then w |
| Insert columns to the left | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + = Ctrl + Alt + = (with columns selected)in Google Chrome: Alt + i, then c other browsers: Alt + Shift + i, then c |
| Insert columns to the right | in Google Chrome: Alt + i, then o other browsers: Alt + Shift + i, then o |
| Delete rows | Ctrl + Alt + – (with rows selected)
in Google Chrome: Alt + e, then d |
| Delete columns | Ctrl + Alt + – (with columns selected)
in Google Chrome: Alt + e, then e |
| Hide row | Ctrl + Alt + 9 |
| Hide column | Ctrl + Alt + 0 |
| Unhide row | Ctrl + Shift + 9 |
| Unhide column | Ctrl + Shift + 0 |
|
Use formulas |
|
| Show all formulas | Ctrl + ~ |
| Insert array formula | Ctrl + Shift + Enter |
| Collapse an expanded array formula | Ctrl + e |
| Show/hide formula help (when entering a formula) |
Shift + F1 |
| Full/compact formula help (when entering a formula) |
F1 |
| Absolute/relative references (when entering a formula) |
F4 |
| Toggle formula result previews (when entering a formula) |
F9 |
| Resize formula bar (move up or down) |
Ctrl + Up / Ctrl + Down |
|
Help for screen readers |
|
| Turn on screen reader support Learn more about using Google Sheets with a screen reader |
Ctrl + Alt + z |
| Read column | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + c |
| Read row | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + r |
Android Shortcuts
Common actions
|
Action |
Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Select column | Ctrl + Space |
| Select row | Shift + Space |
| Select all | Ctrl + a Ctrl + Shift + Space |
| Undo | Ctrl + z |
| Redo | Ctrl + y Ctrl + Shift + z |
| Find | Ctrl + f |
| Find & replace | Ctrl + h |
| Fill range | Ctrl + Enter |
| Fill down | Ctrl + d |
| Fill right | Ctrl + r |
| Ctrl + p | |
| Copy | Ctrl + c |
| Cut | Ctrl + x |
| Paste | Ctrl + v |
| Paste values only | Ctrl + Shift + v |
| Paste format only | Ctrl + Alt + v |
| Show common keyboard shortcuts | Ctrl + / |
| Insert new sheet | Ctrl + t |
| Move to sheet at index # | Ctrl + [1-9] |
Format cells
|
Action |
Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Bold | Ctrl + b |
| Underline | Ctrl + u |
| Italic | Ctrl + i |
| Strikethrough | Alt + Shift + 5 |
| Center align | Ctrl + Shift + e |
| Left align | Ctrl + Shift + l |
| Right align | Ctrl + Shift + r |
| Apply top border | Alt + Shift + 1 |
| Apply right border | Alt + Shift + 2 |
| Apply bottom border | Alt + Shift + 3 |
| Apply left border | Alt + Shift + 4 |
| Remove borders | Alt + Shift + 6 |
| Apply outer border | Alt + Shift + 7 |
| Insert link | Ctrl + k |
| Insert time | Ctrl + Shift + ; |
| Insert date | Ctrl + ; |
| Format as automatic | Ctrl + Shift + ‘ |
| Format as decimal | Ctrl + Shift + 1 |
| Format as time | Ctrl + Shift + 2 |
| Format as date | Ctrl + Shift + 3 |
| Format as currency | Ctrl + Shift + 4 |
| Format as percentage | Ctrl + Shift + 5 |
| Format as exponent | Ctrl + Shift + 6 |
| Clear formatting | Ctrl + \ |
| Insert rows | Ctrl + Alt + = Ctrl + Alt + Shift + = (with rows selected) |
| Insert columns | Ctrl + Alt + = Ctrl + Alt + Shift + = (with columns selected) |
| Delete rows | Ctrl + Alt + – (with rows selected) |
| Delete columns | Ctrl + Alt + – (with columns selected) |
Navigate spreadsheet
|
Action |
Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Move to section boundary | Ctrl + Arrow keys |
| Select from current position to section boundary | Ctrl + Shift + Arrow keys |
| Scroll to active cell | Ctrl + Backspace |
| Move to next sheet | Ctrl + Tab |
| Move to previous sheet | Ctrl + Shift + Tab |
| Display list of sheets | Alt + Shift + k |
| Open hyperlink | Alt + Enter |
| Open Explore | Alt + Shift + x |
Edit notes & comments
|
Action |
Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Insert/edit note | Shift + F2 |
| Insert/edit comment | Ctrl + Alt + m |
| Open comment discussion thread | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + a |
Open a menu
|
Action |
Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Insert menu | in Google Chrome: Alt + i other browsers: Alt + Shift + i |
| Format menu | in Google Chrome: Alt + o other browsers: Alt + Shift + o |
| Sheet menu (copy, delete, & other sheet actions) |
Alt + Shift + s |
| Context menu | Ctrl + Shift + \ |
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