Sheets Tip 323: Browser Shortcuts

Published 8 months ago • 1 min read

Brought to you by:

Hi Reader,

Welcome to the Google Sheets Tips newsletter #323, your Monday morning espresso, in spreadsheet form!

Today's tip is a simple one, but it's super useful.

I first shared it six(!) years ago, almost to the day, in tip 23.

I'm bringing you an updated version of the tip today, with the addition of a shortcut for Gemini AI.

Brought to you by: Formulas HQ

Make Sheets Easy Again

We’ve harnessed the brilliance of AI to turbocharge your Spreadsheet mastery. Work smarter, not harder, with AI-powered formula generation.

Master Sheets Today

➜ News

I.
This article from The Guardian shares the best bloopers from 40 years of Excel spreadsheet errors. Although focused on Excel, there are undoubtedly similar Sheets bloopers out there too.

Read Microsoft Excel’s bloopers reel

➜ Sheets Tip #323: Browser Shortcuts

Type these shortcuts into your web browser address bar to instantly create new Google Workspace apps:

sheet.new

doc.new

slide.new

form.new

(The plural app name also works e.g. sheets.new)

This is what it looks like in your browser:

And, new for 2024, we can use Gemini AI directly from the browser address bar. Type:

@gemini

(this one requires "@" in front)

And then you can type in your prompt:

If you're not logged into your Google account you'll be prompted to do that first.

➜ Sheets Insiders Live Session

This week in Sheets Insiders, we're looking at the family of amazing data analysis formulas that no-one knows about (the Database functions).

In addition to the newsletter, we have a live session covering this topic on Thursday, November 7th at 12 pm Eastern Time (that's noon in New York timezone).

I'll record it for those who can't make it live.

Register here

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend who might enjoy it.

Have a great week!

Cheers,
Ben

P.S. Why you only get sick on work days

Sheets Tip 354: Pivot or Unpivot? How to go from tall to wide data and back again

Brought to you by: Hi Reader, Welcome to the Google Sheets Tips newsletter #354, your Monday morning espresso, in spreadsheet form! In last week's newsletter we compared wide and tall data, and what the pros and cons of each data "shape" were. Today, I want to show you how to move from one format to the other. How to transform tall data into wide data and vice versa. Going in one direction is easy. Going back, in the other direction, is less so. Find out which way round below! ➜ News I. It's...

8 days ago • 2 min read

Sheets Tip 353: The Shape of Data (Wide vs. Tall)

Brought to you by: Hi Reader, Welcome to the Google Sheets Tips newsletter #353, your Monday morning espresso, in spreadsheet form! Today we're looking at the shape of data. It's foundational concept that underpins pivot tables and charts in Google Sheets. Once you understand the difference between wide data (for charts) and tall data (for pivot tables), you'll be off to the races! This week is all about the pros and cons of each data shape. Next week, I'll show you how to use formulas and...

15 days ago • 2 min read

Sheets Tip 352: When functions are better together 🤝

Brought to you by: Hi Reader, Welcome to the Google Sheets Tips newsletter #352, your Monday morning espresso, in spreadsheet form! If you're a parent, then you've undoubtedly watched a lifetime's worth of Disney movies. You can appreciate the genius storytelling, rich characters and beautiful visuals. (But I'm sure you'd also be content to watch a film once, not 10 times!) Anyway, there's a scene in the Disney film Ratatouille where Remy bites into a strawberry and a piece of cheese at the...

22 days ago • 2 min read