Add content to table cells

When you double-tap a cell, a keyboard appears. The input bar above the keyboard is where you type. Buttons in the input bar allow you to switch between keyboards to enter the type of data you want: numbers, text, currency, percentages, dates and times, durations denoting a span of time (for example, “3 weeks 4 days 2 hours”), formulas and functions, checkboxes, and star ratings.

Input bar with buttons to open different keyboards

Select cells

Do the following:

Add content to a cell

  1. Double-tap the cell you want to edit, then tap the keyboard symbol for the type of data you want to enter:

    • Numerical data: Tap Number keyboard button, then type values. You can add data in more specific formats by first tapping a symbol on the keyboard:

      • Currency: Currency button.

      • Percentage: Percent button.

      • Star ratings: Star Rating button. Slide your finger along the dots in the input bar to indicate the number of stars you want.

      • Checkboxes: Checkbox button. To mark the checkbox as selected, tap the checkbox in the input bar so that it reads “true,” or tap the checkbox in the table.

    • Date and time: Tap Date and duration keyboard button, then tap Date and time button. Tap a token in the input bar, then tap the value you want to give it in the keyboard.

    • Duration: Tap Date and duration keyboard button, then tap Duration button. Tap a token in the input bar, then tap the value you want to give it in the keyboard.

    • Alphanumeric data (text): Tap Text keyboard button. To include digits or punctuation, tap More numbers button.

  2. Move to another cell by tapping Next cell button or Next row button in the keyboard, or by tapping a cell if you’re entering text.

  3. Tap Ok button in the input bar to dismiss the keyboard.

For information about keyboard layouts, see Keyboard for entering numerical values, Keyboards for entering time-related data, Keyboards for entering text, and Keyboards for entering formulas and functions.

Clear data from table cells

Enter data using forms

A systematic and quick way to enter data into a large table, row-by-row, is to display the table as a “form.” A form lets you edit all the data within a single table row at once, and quickly move between rows. Forms can speed up your workflow, for example, if you’re entering similar data on a large sample population and you want to move quickly between individual records.

You can use forms for entering data in a table only if the table includes a header row and doesn’t include any merged cells. A header column is optional.

  1. Create a table with a header column listing the record names, and a header row listing the data categories you want to enter in each record.

    Table properly set up for use with forms, with header row and column
  2. Tap Add Sheet button in the upper-left corner of the sheet, then tap New Form. If your spreadsheet includes several tables, a list of tables appears.

  3. Tap the name of the table for which you want to create a form.

    Tap to choose a table from this sheet.
  4. In the form that appears, tap a field in the right column to edit it.

  5. Tap one of the up or down arrows in the keyboard to move between the fields in the form. You can also scroll the form to see all the fields, then tap the one you want to edit.

    If you can’t place the insertion point in a field, it means that field contains the result of a calculation and can’t be edited from the form.

  6. Tap Next button to go to the next record in the table, or tap Previous button to return to the previous record.

  7. Tap Add Sheet button to add a new record or tap Trash button to delete the current record.

Tap another tab to exit the form.

Autofill cells

You can quickly add the content from selected cells to adjacent cells without typing it. You can also fill a row or column with a logical sequence of data—for example, a series of digits, dates, or letters.

Autofilling doesn’t set up an ongoing relationship among cells in the group. After autofilling, you can change the cells independently of each other.

When you autofill cells, any formulas that refer to those cells are updated automatically to use the new value.

Copy and paste cells

When you copy a cell, or move a cell’s data to a new location in the table, all of the cell’s properties are also copied, including its data format, fill, border, and comments.

Select the cells you want to copy or move, then do one of the following:

If you copy a range of cells that include hidden data (either hidden or filtered), the hidden data is also copied. If you paste to a range of cells with a matching arrangement of hidden cells, the hidden data is also pasted. Otherwise, the hidden content isn’t pasted.

See also
Format cells to display different types of data
Add checkboxes, star ratings, and other controls to cells
Copy and paste formulas