Excel shortcut?

Doing data entry for a thing.  Been about 6 years since I had to do this.  long complicated story behind why using this system and such.  Maybe the short info would be enough?

Basically, using Excel.  
Much faster if I can type only, no mouse once set up.
Need a keyboard short cut for ... not sure what to call it so I can't find it on google.  It's like carriage return on a typewriter.  Go down one line and back to the start of the line.

Please help.  So many numbers have to go in the computer today before I can do fun farm things.  



(might need more shortcuts later like how to type a date like "070124" and when I press tab, it becomes "07/01/2024")

There may be a better way, but in TWO keystrokes, how about the down arrow, followed by the home key?

As for the date thing: I use different software, but it's designed similarly enough that a lot of controls are similar too. Mine usually does that automatically, but if it ever doesn't (and I want it to) I'd highlight the area that should behave that way, (cell? row? column?) click on Format, hover on Number Format, click Date in the menu that pops out.

I too prefer keyboarding over mousing as it's faster. I use Open Office, which is very similar to Excel (you can save files in Excel format if needed). Anyway, if you're entering data across several columns, like a date, description, and a price, then hit "Enter" and you will move down a row to the next entry of date, description, etc.  If you're just entering data in 1 column, when you hit "Enter" you will move down one cell in the column.

If you want a column or row formulated for dates, go to the cell format and choose the date format you desire, such as 01/01/2025, January 1, 2025, 01/01/25, etc. Then use the paintbrush format tool to copy this format and apply it to any cell that you want the same format. For instance, if doing a column of dates, set the first cell in the column to your desired format and paint the format onto the rest of the column. Or you can copy the first cell and paste its contents into the other cells and edit the date content and it will retain the cell format.

I hope this makes sense. Been using spreadsheets for decades - they're really handy tools for so many applications.

T Melville wrote:There may be a better way, but in TWO keystrokes, how about the down arrow, followed by the home key?

That's not so bad.  Thank you.  Much better than back, back, back and a whole bunch of back buttons.

I'll play with the enter button.  It seems to be moving me in lots of directions.  Not sure why it moves one way when.  But it sometimes gets me to the next line.  

Thanks for the tip.

at least I remember the first rule of using microsoft anything

Save every 2 min.  Apparently it won't auto-save now unless I use a cloud but Ctrl+s still works


And the second rule of using microsoft anything.

Before I get out of the chair, save a copy and email a backup to myself and a second person.  Because the one time I don't do that is going to be the time it all dies a difficult death.  

I have my computer set up for Mouse Keys.  Is this what you are looking for.

I dont remember how I set this up and I only wrote the instruction for how to use Mouse Keys.

google said, Mouse Keys is a feature that allows you to control your mouse pointer and simulate mouse clicks using your keyboard's numeric keypad.

Maybe this will help explain:

Mouse keys is a feature of some graphical user interfaces that uses the keyboard (especially numeric keypad) as a pointing device (usually replacing a mouse).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mouse_keys

I'm done.

That enter trick saved me about 3 hours.  

Thank you.

(going to go look up mouse keys.  I seem to be hard on mice so I often have times when I'm keyboard only until I can get a new mouse.  Modern browsers are a bit difficult to use keyboard only so this might be the breakthrough I need)

If you use Tab to move over to the next column, you can usually use Enter to go  down and all the way to the left. It might return you to whichever column you clicked into before your started hitting Tab.

Jeremy VanGelder wrote:If you use Tab to move over to the next column, you can usually use Enter to go  down and all the way to the left. It might return you to whichever column you clicked into before your started hitting Tab.

Sometimes enter goes all the way to the left.  Sometimes it just goes down but stays in the same place.  There must be some sort of method to it, but I couldn't figure it out.  hopefully it's four more years before I need to do this again.

didn't know the (an) answer off the top of my head so had a fiddle . . .
The down arrow takes it down one cell, then the go-left arrow held down goes to the beginning of the line.  Just a step away from the numbers block.  Looks like you are sorted anyway - but maybe useful for a next time.