Keyboard Shortcut to Switch Between Google Sheets Tabs (All Devices)

If you work with big spreadsheets, you already know the pain. You have ten tabs open, and you need to click back and forth between them all day. Your mouse gets tired. Your work slows down.

There is a faster way. A simple keyboard shortcut to switch between Google Sheets tabs lets you jump from one sheet to another in less than a second, without touching your mouse at all.

This article shows you the exact keys for Windows, Mac, and Chromebook. You will also find a hidden shortcut that most other pages forget to mention, plus what to do if the keys stop working on your laptop.

The Fastest Way to Switch Between Sheets in Google Sheets

Here is the short answer first.

• Windows or Chromebook: Press Alt + Down Arrow to move to the next sheet. Press Alt + Up Arrow to move to the previous sheet.
• Mac: Press Option + Down Arrow to move to the next sheet. Press Option + Up Arrow to move to the previous sheet.

That is it. No clicking. No searching for the right tab at the bottom of your screen. Just two keys, and you move one tab to the left or right.

Now let’s look at each device closely, because there are a few small tricks that make this shortcut even more useful.

Windows and Chromebook: Step by Step

1. Open any Google Sheets file with more than one sheet.
2. Click once anywhere inside the spreadsheet, so your cursor is active.
3. Hold Alt and press the Down Arrow key. You will move to the next sheet tab.
4. Hold Alt and press the Up Arrow key. You will move back to the previous sheet tab.
5. Keep the Alt key held down and tap the arrow key again to keep moving through your tabs, one at a time.

This shortcut cycles through your sheets in the order they appear at the bottom of your screen. If sheet three sits next to sheet four, pressing the shortcut will move you straight there.

Mac: Step by Step

Mac users get a very similar keyboard shortcut to switch between Google Sheets tabs, just with a different key name.

1. Click inside your spreadsheet to make it active.
2. Hold Option and press the Down Arrow key to move to the next sheet.
3. Hold Option and press the Up Arrow key to move to the previous sheet.
4. On some MacBook keyboards, you may need Option + Right Arrow and Option + Left Arrow instead, depending on your keyboard settings.

If you use a lot of shortcuts on your Mac already, it helps to check the full list of Mac keyboard shortcuts so you know which keys are free for your own custom setups.

Chromebook: One Extra Shortcut You Might Need

Most Chromebooks use the same Alt + Arrow keys as Windows. But Chrome OS has its own separate shortcut too, and it comes in handy if the regular one does not respond on your device.

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Search + Down Arrow to move to the next sheet.
• Press Ctrl + Shift + Search + Up Arrow to move to the previous sheet.

The Search key is the button with the magnifying glass icon, usually found where the Caps Lock key sits on a normal keyboard. If you switch between many Google apps on a school or work Chromebook, this is worth remembering. For everything else your Chromebook keys can do, this list of Chromebook keyboard shortcuts covers the rest.

The Hidden Shortcut Most Articles Forget

Here is something you will not find on many other pages about this topic. Google Sheets has a second shortcut that shows you a full list of every sheet in your file, so you can jump straight to the one you want, even if you have twenty tabs open.

• Windows or Chromebook: Press Alt + Shift + K.
• Mac: Press Option + Shift + K.

A small list pops up showing every sheet name. Click the one you need, or use your arrow keys and press Enter. This beats pressing Alt + Down Arrow ten times in a row when the sheet you want is far from where you started.

What to Do When the Shortcut Does Not Work

If you press the keys and nothing happens, try these fixes.

• Check your cursor. Click inside a cell first. If your cursor sits in the address bar or a menu, the shortcut will not fire.
• Look for a shared Fn key. On many slim laptops, the arrow keys double as other keys. You may need to hold Fn along with Alt (or Option) and the arrow key.
• Turn off browser extensions. Some Chrome extensions grab keyboard shortcuts before Google Sheets can use them. Try switching to an incognito window to test.
• Check for a conflicting app. Screen readers and some accessibility tools also use Alt or Option combinations, so they can block the sheet-switching shortcut.

Switching Between Different Google Sheets Files, Not Just Tabs

There is a second, common question hiding inside this topic. Some people do not mean switching sheet tabs inside one file. They mean switching between two separate Google Sheets files open in different browser tabs.

For that, you are not using a Google Sheets shortcut at all. You are using a browser shortcut.

• Press Ctrl + Tab (or Control + Tab on Mac) to move to the next open browser tab.
• Press Ctrl + Shift + Tab to move to the previous browser tab.
• Press Ctrl + 1 through Ctrl + 8 to jump straight to a specific tab by its position.

This is a small difference, but it matters. One shortcut moves you between sheets inside a single file. The other moves you between entire files or browser tabs. If your work also involves Excel files, the shortcuts work a little differently there too, so it’s worth comparing them with these Excel keyboard shortcuts if you switch between both tools during your day.

Bonus: Switching Without a Keyboard

Not every task needs the keyboard shortcut to switch between Google Sheets tabs. Sometimes your hand is already on the mouse.

• Click any sheet tab name at the bottom of the screen to jump straight to it.
• Click the small All Sheets icon (the tiny grid icon next to the plus sign) to see every tab in a dropdown list.
• Right-click a tab and choose a sheet from the menu that appears.

Once you have a lot of tabs, right-clicking to reorder them can also make the keyboard shortcut faster, since it moves through tabs in the order you set.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the keyboard shortcut to switch between Google Sheets tabs on Windows?

Press Alt + Down Arrow to move to the next sheet, and Alt + Up Arrow to move to the previous one.

What is the shortcut on a Mac?

Press Option + Down Arrow for the next sheet and Option + Up Arrow for the previous sheet. Some MacBooks use the left and right arrows instead.

Why does my Alt + Arrow shortcut not switch sheets?

Your cursor is probably not active inside the spreadsheet, a browser extension may be blocking it, or your laptop needs the Fn key held down with the shortcut. Click a cell first, then try again.

Is there a shortcut to see every sheet at once?

Yes. Press Alt + Shift + K on Windows or Chromebook, or Option + Shift + K on Mac, to open a full list of your sheets.

Does this shortcut work the same in Excel?

No. Excel uses Ctrl + Page Up and Ctrl + Page Down to move between sheets, which is different from the Alt and Option keys used in Google Sheets.

Before You Try It

Small shortcuts like this one save real time once they become a habit. Give it a day or two of practice, and switching sheets in Google Sheets will start to feel automatic. Once you are comfortable with tab switching, there are plenty of other hidden Google Sheets functions worth adding to your toolbox next.

Harris K.

Harris loves digging into software to find what others miss. He has a real passion for sharing Tricks and Hidden Features that simplify your digital life. He writes these guides to help you get more done with less effort.