Work faster with the keyboard
StretchSheets is built for keyboard-first editing. Once you know a handful of shortcuts, you can enter data, navigate large grids, and format cells without reaching for the mouse. This article is a complete reference to the shortcuts the editor supports.
Moving around the grid
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Move one cell up / down / left / right | Arrow keys |
| Extend the selection while moving | Shift + Arrow |
| Move down after entering a value | Enter |
| Move up after entering a value | Shift + Enter |
| Move right after entering a value | Tab |
| Move left after entering a value | Shift + Tab |
| Select the entire grid | Ctrl + A (Cmd + A on Mac) |
When you type into a cell and press Enter, StretchSheets commits the value and moves the selection down so you can keep entering a column of data quickly. Tab commits and moves right, which is ideal for filling a row of headers.
Editing cells
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Start editing the selected cell (in place) | F2 |
| Start editing by typing | Just start typing |
| Commit the edit and move down | Enter |
| Commit the edit and move right | Tab |
| Cancel the edit (discard changes) | Escape |
| Clear the contents of the selected cell(s) | Delete or Backspace |
F2 opens the current cell for editing without clearing what's already there — perfect for tweaking a long formula. Escape backs out of an edit and restores the original value, so you can experiment safely.
Formatting
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Bold the selected cell(s) | Ctrl + B (Cmd + B) |
| Italicize the selected cell(s) | Ctrl + I (Cmd + I) |
Formatting shortcuts apply to your whole current selection, so you can select a range with Shift + Arrow and bold it all at once. Both toggles are also available as toolbar buttons alongside alignment and fill color.
The name box and formula bar
- The name box (far left of the formula bar) always shows the address of the selected cell, such as
A1. It's the quickest way to confirm where you are in a large sheet. - The formula bar (marked
fx) shows the underlying value or formula for the selected cell and is where you can review exactly what a cell contains.
A realistic example
You're entering a five-column header row and ten rows of data. Click A1, type Category, press Tab; type Budget, press Tab; and continue across the row. When you finish the last header, click A2 and type your first data value, pressing Tab across and Enter to drop to the next row. Then select A1:E1 with Shift + Arrow, press Ctrl + B to bold the whole header row, and you've built a clean, formatted table entirely from the keyboard.
Tips
- Combine Shift + Arrow to select a range, then apply Ctrl + B, fill color, or alignment to the entire block in one move.
- Use Enter to work down a column and Tab to work across a row — matching the direction you're entering data keeps your hands on the keys.
- Pressing Escape mid-edit is your safety net: it always discards the in-progress change and leaves the original value intact.
- Delete and Backspace both clear a selection, so you can wipe a range quickly after selecting it.
FAQ
Do these shortcuts work on both Windows and Mac?
Yes. Where Windows uses Ctrl, macOS uses Cmd — StretchSheets recognizes both for select-all, bold, and italic.
Can I select the whole sheet at once?
Yes — Ctrl + A (or Cmd + A) selects the entire grid so you can format or clear it in a single action.
Is there an undo shortcut?
Your strongest safety net is StretchSheets' automatic version history — every save captures a snapshot. If you need to step back further than an in-cell Escape, see Version History and Snapshots.
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