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Google Sheets keyboard shortcuts

Navigation, formulas, formatting: the Google Sheets shortcuts that actually speed up data entry and analysis.

Free Updated on September 11, 2026

Navigation and selection

Shortcut Action
Ctrl + arrow Jump to the edge of the data range
Ctrl + Shift + arrow Select to the edge of the range
Ctrl + A Select all data
Ctrl + Home Go to cell A1
Ctrl + End Go to the last used cell

Editing and formulas

Shortcut Action
F4 (or Cmd + Y on Mac) Toggle absolute/relative references ($A$1)
Ctrl + Enter Confirm and stay on the same cell
Alt + Enter Line break within a cell
Ctrl + ; Insert today's date
Ctrl + Shift + ; Insert the current time
Ctrl + \ Clear formatting

Formatting

Shortcut Action
Ctrl + B / I / U Bold / Italic / Underline
Ctrl + Shift + 1 Number format
Ctrl + Shift + 4 Currency format
Ctrl + Shift + 5 Percentage format

Ctrl + / (or Cmd + / on Mac) opens the full shortcut list right inside Google Sheets — handy for discovering more without leaving the sheet.

Rows and columns

Shortcut Action
Ctrl + Alt + = Insert a row/column
Ctrl + Alt + - Delete a row/column
Alt + Shift + 9 (Windows) Hide the selected row

Google Sheets-specific functions

Function Purpose
=IMPORTRANGE() Import a range from another Google Sheets file
=GOOGLEFINANCE() Fetch a live stock quote or exchange rate
=GOOGLETRANSLATE() Translate a cell's text on the fly
=QUERY() Query a range with SQL-like syntax

These functions don't exist in Excel — they take advantage of Google Sheets running in the cloud, with live access to other Google services.

Real-time collaboration

Shortcut Action
Ctrl + Alt + M Add a comment on the selected cell
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + H Version history (view/restore an earlier version)
@ + name Mention someone in a comment to notify them

Protecting a range or sheet

Data menu → Protected sheets and ranges: restricts editing of a specific area to certain people, while leaving the rest of the sheet editable — useful for locking formulas without blocking data entry around them.

#Shortcuts
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