Today’s QuickBooks tip may seem obvious to many people, but I see users struggle with this every day and I want to make sure to get this information out in the open.

Tip #4 of 30: Use the “Tab” key on your keyboard to navigate from field to field when entering information in QuickBooks

There is no doubt in my mind that the fastest and easiest way to move around in QuickBooks is to use the Tab key.  Any time you are filling out a form such as the “Enter Bills” or “Create Invoice” screens, tap the Tab key to move forward one field at a time.  After you use the Tab key for a  while you will develop a rhythm and know exactly how many taps of the key it takes to get to the next relevant field.  If you need to go backwards, hold down the Shift key and then press Tab.  It will move you back one field at a time.

I see so many QuickBooks users fill out the first field on a form and then grab their mouse, click in the next field and then use the backspace or delete key to remove the default date or text that is in the input box, then start typing their input.  It takes at least 3 or 4 times as long as just hitting the Tab key and start typing your input.  When you tab into a field, it automatically highlights or selects the text that is already in that field so you can either tap the delete key to instantly clear the field or start typing and it will replace whatever default value was there.  This is a huge time saver!  So if you’re not currently using the Tab key to move around with QuickBooks, you are really missing out and I highly recommend that you start using it right away.

Did you find this tip useful?  If so, please leave a comment below!  Also, I would love to hear about your favorite QuickBooks tips or tricks!

This post was written by Michael Debyah.