Master efficient data entry techniques in Excel, including quick keyboard shortcuts to streamline your workflow. Enhance your spreadsheet editing skills with easy tips for cutting, copying, and pasting data.
Key Insights
- Use the Tab key instead of arrow keys for efficient data entry into Excel spreadsheets; pressing Enter after using Tab automatically moves the cursor to the correct cell for seamless continuation of data input.
- Pressing the F2 key activates edit mode in Excel cells, allowing quick text editing without the need to double-click with the mouse, promoting efficiency and ease of use.
- Utilize keyboard shortcuts like Control+C for copying, Control+X for cutting, and Control+V for pasting data, or alternatively, use your mouse to select and drag data to new locations within your spreadsheet.
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Basic data entry. In this section, we're going to take a look at how to efficiently add information into your spreadsheet as well as edit, copy, paste, and maybe potentially cut information and move it to different places in your spreadsheet. For this first exercise, we have a table of products.
We don't have all the products, so I'm going to add information to the table using data entry techniques. Underneath video games, I'm going to add laptops. So I'll type laptops.
I'll press TAB and enter 2,500. Now I’m going to keep pressing TAB until I get to the end of the table. Now, I want you to notice what happens when I press ENTER.
I go directly underneath laptops and I can enter my next row of data. I'm going to enter smartphone. I'm going to press TAB and enter 900.
Press TAB again and again until I get to the end. When I press ENTER, I'm exactly at the place I need to be to enter headphones. I'll do that as well.
Press TAB, then enter 400. So using TAB allows you to efficiently add data. Now, someone might say, “Well, what if I use the arrow keys?” I’ll use the arrow keys now to travel over to the end of the table.
Right arrow, right arrow, right arrow, right arrow. As soon as I press ENTER, I don’t get the same type of carriage return effect. Some of you are familiar with this.
You’ve used an old-fashioned device that has a very special name. It’s called the typewriter. When you get to the end, you hear a ding and the carriage return brings you right back to the beginning.
Now let’s take a look at editing some information in this table. I would like to add the word type right after the word product. Now I don’t want to necessarily double click with my mouse, although I could do that.
But let’s say I don’t want to overly exercise my index finger by double clicking each time I need to edit a cell. So what I’m going to do is on my keyboard, I’m going to use the F2 key. Pressing F2 once automatically displays the flashing cursor that lets me know I’m in edit mode.
If I look down at the bottom of the status bar, it says “Edit.” Now, I’ll press the space bar and then type the word "type." Then, I’ve edited that text. If I continue with the exercises, I’ll head over to iPads and I want to change iPads to iPads and tablets.
So F2, space bar, and I'll type in and tablets. One more edit. I’m going to head over to 950.
I’ll simply press F2 and type in zero. When I press ENTER, I’ve edited the amount for TVs from 950 to 9,500. Now, let’s move down and take a look at copying and pasting.
This is something you're probably already familiar with. The keyboard shortcut on the PC to copy is going to be Control + C. On the Mac, it’s Command + C. So, I’ll press Control + C. I’ll see a little animation and this animation lets me know that the cell has been selected for copying. I’ll head over to the right using the arrow keys and then press Control + V to paste.
That duplicates the text I originally copied. Now, I’ll press Escape to release that option from the clipboard.
Now, let’s take a look at how you can cut information.
I’m moving down the spreadsheet a little bit to bring this into focus. I’m going to select the text in Exercise 5. Instead of Control + C, I’ll press Control + X as an exacto knife.
I’m cutting information from this cell. I’m going to head over to the right where I see the words paste here and I’ll press Control + V. That moves the text from Exercise 5 over to the right in cell E37.
Now, I want to do the same thing, but I’d like to use my mouse this time.
I’ll click on the cell that contains text right next to Exercise 6. I’ll move my mouse over the green border until I see four arrows. As soon as I see four arrows, I’m going to click and drag to move it over to the outline box in E39. When I let go, I’ve moved the information to that cell.
So in this section, we took a look at basic data entry, ways you can enter information into your Excel spreadsheet efficiently, edit text, as well as copy, paste, cut, and move information across your spreadsheet.
