Move around a spreadsheet
Select cells, check a formula against the cells it reads, and jump around the grid with the Excel keys you already know.
A spreadsheet preview takes the Excel keys. Click a cell first: the shortcuts below work while the grid has your focus, and the arrow keys move the selected cell.
Select cells and read the total
| To select | Do this |
|---|---|
| A block | Drag across the cells |
| A block from the cell you're on | Hold Shift and press an arrow key, or Shift-click the far corner |
| A second block as well | Hold Cmd or Ctrl and click, or drag |
With two or more cells selected, a readout appears beside the sheet tabs: Count for the cells that hold something, plus Average and Sum when some of them hold numbers.
Jump to the edge of a block
Cmd or Ctrl with an arrow key goes to the last filled cell in that direction, so one keystroke takes you to the bottom of a column of numbers. Add Shift and it selects everything on the way.
Ctrl+PageUp and Ctrl+PageDown move to the previous and next sheet.
Go to a cell or range
F5 opens Go To. Type an address in "Reference:" and press Enter: a single cell such as C15, a range such as B4:D20, or a reference on another sheet such as 'Inputs'!B4:D20, which switches sheets for you.
Above the field, Go To lists the places you jumped from, most recent first, up to ten of them. Pick one and it fills the field, so you can get back to where you were reading. An address past the last filled cell reports "Cell is outside this preview".
Check a formula
Formula cells can't be edited in the preview, so F2 on one inspects it instead: each reference in the formula bar takes a color, and the cells it points at are marked in the same color. When a reference is one the preview can't mark, the formula bar shows "partial".
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
F2 | Colors each reference in the formula and the cells it points at |
Cmd+[ / Ctrl+[ | Selects the cells the formula reads, switching sheets if they're elsewhere |
Cmd+] / Ctrl+] | Selects the formulas that read the selected cell |
Esc | Clears the marks |
Following a formula records where you came from, so F5 gets you back.
Clear cells
Delete or Backspace empties every cell in the selection you can edit, in one step that Cmd+Z / Ctrl+Z takes back. Formula cells stay as they are.
Cleared cells are an edit like any other: they live in your preview until you save. See Editing in the preview.
Next steps
- Editing in the preview: change values, watch formulas recalculate, and save when you're sure.
- Give feedback on a file: note a cell and send the terminal your feedback with the reference attached.
- Previews: what opens when you click a file, and how previews stay current.