Google Sheets shortcut keys for editing and review

Last updated: 5 Oct 20262 min read

how-to

Sheets uses browser-based keyboard commands whose modifier keys differ by operating system and may be intercepted by the browser.

Open the current list

Press Ctrl + / on Windows or ChromeOS, or Command + / on Mac, to view the shortcut list inside Sheets. That list is safer than memorizing a command from another spreadsheet product because keyboard layout and browser can change behavior. Use the tool finder—Alt + / on Windows or Option + / on Mac—when you know the action name but not its key sequence.

Edit a selected range

Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V copy and paste on Windows; Command + C and Command + V do so on Mac. Paste values only uses Ctrl + Shift + V on Windows and Command + Shift + V on Mac. Test a formula cell and a formatted cell to see what is retained. Fill down uses Ctrl + D or Command + D for a selected range; review relative references before applying it to many rows.

Select carefully

Ctrl + Space selects a column and Shift + Space selects a row in the documented desktop shortcuts. With large sheets, a whole-column selection can affect far more cells than expected. Use the shortcut list to check platform-specific selection and undo commands. Excel shortcuts may look similar, but do not assume every Excel chord has the same result in Sheets.

Resolve conflicts

If a shortcut triggers a browser action or an input method, use Sheets menus or the tool finder and note the environment where the conflict occurs. Compatible spreadsheet shortcuts can be enabled from Sheets’ keyboard shortcut window, but that setting changes the meaning of some commands. Teach a team one tested set rather than mixing defaults and compatibility mode without saying which is active.

Common Mistakes

Do not mix default and compatible-shortcut modes without checking the current setting.
Do not paste formulas when the task requires fixed values.
Do not apply fill-down to a selection whose formulas have not been checked.