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Is there a way to fill down a series using just the keyboard instead of the mouse? This is that function where you highlight a group of cells, then click on the bottom right corner of the highlighted box, and drag down with the mouse to make a series list.

see screenshot - numbered list

I've found shortcuts to do this in Excel: Excel Auto-Fill a Series Without Mouse (Keyboard Only) but they don't work on Google Sheets.

I have some wrist issues and have been minimizing mouse usage as a result. I'd appreciate hearing about some shortcuts since I need to do this every day! Thank you!

Donald Duck
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Joanne
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3 Answers3

2

If you just want to increment numbers as you go down a column, say from A1 to A100, so that you have the number 1 in A1 and the number 100 in A100, you could

  1. Type the number 1 (or whatever number you want to start with) in cell A1.
  2. Type the formula =A1+1 in cell A2. This will put the number 2 in cell A2.  Use the step (increment) value you want here.  For example, if you want the series 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, …, enter 10 in A1 and =A1+3 in A2.
  3. Go to cell A2 using the cursor keys on the keyboard.
  4. With the cell A2 now highlighted, while holding down a Shift key, use the down arrow key on the keyboard to get to the last cell where you want your series to end. You can then release the Shift key. This selects all cells from A2 to the end.
  5. Hit Ctrl+D. This will copy the formula from A2 down through all the selected cells, so that in cell A100 you would have the formula =A99+1, which will put the value 100 in cell A100.
  6. (Optional) Hit Ctrl+C and then Ctrl+Shift+V. This will copy the already-selected cells and then paste only their values, as opposed to the formulas that were there at the end of step 5.
G-Man Says 'Reinstate Monica'
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moonpoint
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  • Doesn't work when you want to specifically preserve original row position with a number. Unless you copy and paste only values. (Ctrl-Shift-V) – int_ua Jul 31 '20 at 21:25
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I didn't find such combination in all hotkeys list.

Possible solutions:

  • slow but built-in: To use mouse control from the keyboard. Enabled by: Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Ease of Access Center\Set up Mouse Keys. Here is YouTube video of config and use

  • Try to use vertical mouse (google it). In my case of the shelf MS Sculpt Ergonomic Mouse solved wrist issue.

  • Implement or find already implemented script that will do this task of pointing mouse and dragging it. Possibly with AutoIt or its alternatives.

AlBaZ
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Yes. Just 'copy' cell, select target range and 'paste'.

Masterhard
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    Welcome to superuser: While this may or may not answer the question, it would be a better answer if you could provide some more explanation why your solution works with detail and an easy to follow instructions. If you feel your answer is correct do these things and re-edit. Please take a couple of minutes and read:- http://superuser.com/help .Answering: http://superuser.com/help/how-to-answer, again welcome to superuser.Thankyou – mic84 Mar 08 '18 at 04:37
  • Does this fill a series or just a value?  It looks like it fills just ***a value***. The question asks how to auto-fill a series; e.g., enter `10`, ``13`` and `16`, and get `19`, `22`, `25`, … – Scott - Слава Україні Jul 28 '18 at 20:35