Editing without the mouse

Fix formulas in place, lock references, fill down and right, and undo mistakes from the keyboard. Beginner · 6 min · F2, F4, Ctrl+D, Ctrl+R, Ctrl+Enter, Ctrl+Z

Most spreadsheet editing is small and repetitive: fix one formula, copy it down, fill a column with the same word. Each of those can be a single keystroke:

F2: edit the selected cell without retyping it
F4: while typing a formula, add $ signs to the reference at the cursor
Ctrl+D and Ctrl+R: fill down or right from the first cell of the selection
Ctrl+Enter: put what you typed into every selected cell
Delete: clear the selected cells
Ctrl+Z: undo

> On a Mac laptop, the F-keys may need fn held down, and the forward Delete key is fn + delete.

Steps

The office party order is half done. The subtotal in D5 is far too small: someone typed =B5+C5 instead of multiplying. Select D5, press F2 to edit it in place, change the + to * and press Enter.
Rows 6 to 15 have no subtotals yet. Select D5:D15 and press Ctrl+D. The formula in the top cell is copied into every cell below it.
Now the service charge. In E2, type =D2*B18. With the cursor still just after B18, press F4 to turn it into $B$18, then press Enter.
Copy the service charge down: select E2:E15 and press Ctrl+D.
C16 already totals the quantities. Select C16:E16 and press Ctrl+R to copy that SUM to the right.
The caterer has confirmed every item. Select F2:F15, type Confirmed and press Ctrl+Enter instead of Enter. What you type goes into every selected cell.
Everyone slips up sometimes. Select F2:F15 and press Delete to clear the statuses. Oops! Press Ctrl+Z to bring them all back.

Remember

F2 edits a cell in place; F4 locks the reference at the cursor.
Ctrl+D fills down and Ctrl+R fills right, copying from the first cell of the selection.
Ctrl+Enter puts the same entry into every selected cell.
Delete clears, Ctrl+Z undoes and Ctrl+Y redoes.

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