Moving Around with Arrow Keys
The arrow keys move the active cell one square at a time, which is faster than the mouse for small moves.
Hands Stay on the Keyboard
Reaching for the mouse to move one cell costs more time than you think. The arrow keys keep your hands where the typing happens.
- Arrow keys — Move one cell
- Enter — Moves down
- Tab — Moves right
How to do it
Arrows = one cell · Enter = down · Tab = right · Shift + Enter or Tab = back
Change what Enter does at File ▸ Options ▸ Advanced ▸ After pressing Enter, move selection.
| Item | What it does |
|---|---|
| Arrow keys | One cell in any direction |
| Enter | Down one row |
| Tab | Right one column |
| Shift + key | The opposite direction |
Movement Keys
Type across with Tab, then press Enter to drop to the next row's first column
| Key | Moves | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| Arrows | One cell | Navigating |
| Enter | Down | Entering a column |
| Tab | Right | Entering a row |
| Shift + Enter | Up | Correcting |
| Shift + Tab | Left | Correcting |
Result: Tab + Enter
Tab across a record, Enter at the end, and you land ready for the next record.
Do this
- Use Tab across a row and Enter to finish it
- Learn Shift to reverse any movement key
- Change the Enter direction if it suits you
Avoid
- Reaching for the mouse to move one cell
- Pressing Enter after every cell in a row
- Not knowing Enter returns to the starting column
📌 After typing across a row with Tab, pressing Enter jumps back to the column you started in.
Practice
- Type five values across a row using Tab.
- Press Enter and see where you land.
- Try Shift + Tab to go back.
Quick quiz: You Tab across five columns then press Enter. Where does the cursor land?
- The sixth column, one row down
- Back at the first column, one row down
- It stays where it is
Show answer
Tab across the record ▸ Enter ▸ back to the start, one row down — This is why Tab and Enter together are the fastest way to type a table.
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