Essential Keyboard Shortcuts for everyday users
Ctrl + H: Using this shortcut key user can switch in and out of presentation mode
Alt + Shift + P: This is used to place the selected field on “Pages” shelf
Ctrl + S: To save the Tableau workbook
Ctrl + W: This shortcut key is used for swapping fields between “Rows” and “Columns”.
Ctrl + P: To print the complete dashboard or sheet of Tableau workbook
Ctrl + D: To connect new data source
Ctrl + Command + F: Enter full screen in Mac
Ctrl + 1: Open or close Show Me Card
Alt + Shift + F: This is used to place the selected field on “Filters” shelf
Ctrl + W: This shortcut key is used for swapping fields between “Rows” and “Columns”.
Alt + Shift + Backspace: This shortcut key is used to clear all the contents from current worksheet
Ctrl + A: This shortcut key is used to “select all data” in sheet of tableau workbook.
Ctrl + C: This is used to “copy” the selected data in the tableau workbook sheet
Ctrl + Z: This is used to Undo your last step
Crtl + Alt + C: Create a calculated field
Esc: Clears selection
Adjusting Data Table
Ctrl + B: Press this key to reduce the cell size in data table
Ctrl + Shift + B: Press this key to increase the cell size in data table
Ctrl + Left Arrow: Press this key to make the rows narrower
Ctrl + Right Arrow: Press this key to make the rows wider
Ctrl + Up Arrow: Press this key to make the columns larger
Ctrl + Down Arrow: Press this key to make the columns shorter
Place fields directly in Columns/Rows shelf
Alt + Shift + C: This shortcut key helps user to directly place the selected field in “Columns” shelf
Alt + Shift + R: This shortcut key helps user to directly place the selected field in “Rows” shelf
Moving fields to Marks card
Alt + Shift + O: This is used to place the field on “Color” marks card
Alt + Shift + L: This is used to place the field on “Detail” marks card
Alt + Shift + I: This is used to place the selected field on “Size” marks card
Alt + Shift + T: This is used to place the selected field on “Text” marks card
To do File operations:
Ctrl + M: To open a new worksheet
Ctrl + N: To open a new workbook
Ctrl + O: To open existing Tableau workbook
Using function keys:
F1: This opens up the “Help” window, where user can read about different functionalities of tableau
Alt + F4: This close the current workbook
F5: To refresh the data sources
F9: This runs the updates and tableau desktop start getting updated
F12: Goes back to last saved state
F7: Presentation Mode
To navigate between sheets:
Ctrl + PgDn: To navigate through the sheets/dashboards on right side
Ctrl + PgUp: To navigate through the sheets/dashboards on left side
Ctrl+ Tab: Cycle through sheets
Shortcuts for managing workbooks and sheets
| Description | Windows shortcut | Mac shortcut |
| New workbook | Ctrl+N | Command+N |
| New worksheet | Ctrl+M | Command+T |
| Describe sheet | Ctrl+E | Command+E |
| Cycle forward through open worksheets | Ctrl+Tab , Ctrl+F6 | Shift+Command+Right Bracket |
| Cycle backward through open worksheets | Ctrl+Shift+Tab , Ctrl+Shift+F6 | Shift+Command+Left Bracket |
| Switch in and out of Presentation Mode | F7 , Ctrl+H | Option+Return |
| Enter/Exit Full Screen | Control+Command+F | |
| Open file | Ctrl+O | Command+O |
| Save file | Ctrl+S | Command+S |
| Revert workbook to last saved state | F12 | Option+Command+E |
| Close the current workbook | Alt+F4 | Command+W |
| Ctrl+P | Command+P | |
| Open Help | F1 | Control+Command+Question Mark |
Shortcuts for data
| Description | Windows shortcut | Mac shortcut |
| Connect to data source | Ctrl+D | Command+D |
| Activate the find command in the Data pane | Ctrl+F | Command+F |
| Refresh the data source | F5 | Command+R |
| Run data updates on a view | F9 | Shift+Command+0 |
| Toggle automatic data updates on and off | F10 | Option+Command+0 |
Shortcuts for authoring views
| Description | Windows shortcut | Mac shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Show Me! | Ctrl+1 , Ctrl+Shift+1 | Command+1 |
| Add the selected field to the sheet. (Only works with a single field.) | Enter or double-click | Return or double-click |
| Place selected field on Columns shelf | Alt+Shift+C | Option+Shift+C |
| Place selected field on Filters shelf | Alt+Shift+F | Option+Shift+F |
| Place selected field on Size | Alt+Shift+I | Option+Shift+I |
| Place selected field on Detail | Alt+Shift+L | Option+Shift+L |
| Place selected field on Color | Alt+Shift+O | Option+Shift+O |
| Place selected field on Pages shelf | Alt+Shift+P | Option+Shift+P |
| Place selected field on Rows shelf | Alt+Shift+R | Option+Shift+R |
| Place selected field on Shape | Alt+Shift+S | Option+Shift+S |
| Place selected field on Text/Label | Alt+Shift+T | Option+Shift+T |
| Place selected field on Rows shelf | Alt+Shift+X | Option+Shift+X |
| Place selected field on Columns shelf | Alt+Shift+Y | Option+Shift+Y |
| Open the Drop Field menu | Right-click+Drag to shelf | Option+Drag to shelf |
| Copy a field in the view and place it on another shelf or card | Ctrl+Drag | Command+Drag |
| Make rows narrower | Ctrl+Left Arrow | Control+Command+Left Arrow |
| Make rows wider | Ctrl+Right Arrow | Control+Command+Right Arrow |
| Make columns shorter | Ctrl+Down Arrow | Control+Command+Down Arrow |
| Make columns taller | Ctrl+Up Arrow | Control+Command+Up Arrow |
| Swap rows and columns | Ctrl+W | Control+Command+W |
| Flip orientation of column labels at bottom of view | Ctrl+L | |
| Smaller cell size | Ctrl+B | Command+B |
| Bigger cell size | Ctrl+Shift+B | Command+Shift+B |
| Cut text selection (in captions, titles, formulas, etc.) | Ctrl+X | Command+X |
| Paste clipboard | Ctrl+V | Command+V |
| Undo | Ctrl+Z | Command+Z |
| Redo | Ctrl+Y | Command+Shift+Z |
| Clear the current worksheet | Alt+Shift+Backspace | Option+Shift+Delete |
Shortcuts for navigating and selecting marks
| Description | Windows shortcut | Mac shortcut |
| Select all data | Ctrl+A | Command+A |
| Copy selected data | Ctrl+C | Command+C |
| Use Rectangular Selection tool | A | A |
| Use Lasso Selection Tool | D | D |
| Use Radial Selection Tool | S | S |
| Select a mark | Click | Click |
| Select a group of marks | Drag | Drag |
| Add individual marks to the selection | Ctrl+Click | Command+Click |
| Add a group of marks to the selection | Ctrl+Drag | Command+Drag |
| Clear the selection (Desktop and Reader only) | Esc | Esc |
| Pan around the view | Shift+Drag | Shift+Drag |
| Zoom in to a point in the view (if not map, requires zoom mode) | Double-click , Ctrl+Shift+Click | Double-click, Shift+Command+Click |
| Zoom out from a point on a map (if not map, requires zoom mode) | Ctrl+Shift+Alt+Click | Shift+Option+Command-Click |
| Zoom out | Shift+Double-click | Shift+Double+click |
| Zoom in to an area in the view (requires zoom mode if not map) | Ctrl+Shift+Drag | Shift+Command+Drag |
| Zoom in and out on a map | Scroll | Scroll |
| Drag a row and scroll through a long list simultaneously | Click+Drag to bottom of pane+Hold | Click+Scroll, Command+Hold |
Shortcuts for pages
| Description | Windows shortcut | Mac shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Start or stop forward playback on the Pages shelf | F4 | F4 |
| Start or stop backward playback on the Pages shelf | Shift+F4 | Shift+F4 |
| Skip forward one page | Ctrl+Period | Command+Period |
| Skip backward one page | Ctrl+Comma | Command+Comma |
