Are you as efficient as you could be in Tableau when in comes to finding functionality? 

Most of Tableau’s functionality is designed for access with Drop-Down Menus, Right Click Menus and Toolbar Buttons, but the software also has over 250 keyboard shortcuts. Coming in from the world of architecture and design, most of my previous software programs (AutoCad, Illustrator, Revit) were heavily dependent on Keyboard Shortcuts and Hot Keys. For me, there was a huge shift in thinking as I transitioned into the tool, having to focus heavily on menu actions instead of coding in commands from my keyboard.

In my time working with Tableau and training new users, I have found some really helpful keyboard shortcuts. I’ve honestly been surprised at the interest level in my classes. I always poll my students to find out what their favorite part of training was. When one of my students last week said “CTRL + SHIFT + B,” I ran over and gave them a High Five … then decided it was time to publish this post of my favorite efficiency increasing hot keys. 

A printable PDF is attached at the bottom for your use as well.

Tableau Specific Hot Keys/Keyboard Shortcuts

CTRL + SHIFT + B

In any view in Tableau, this combination allows you to increase your row size one level at a time instead of trying to hover over the bottom of a row, trying to align your mouse to the perfect location where you see the double up/down arrow. Huge timesaver. To make rows skinnier, use CTRL + B.

     

 

CTRL + W

Swap all fields from columns to rows and rows to columns.

      to       

 

Windows Hot Keys/Keyboard Shortcuts That Carry Over to Tableau

CTRL + S

Saving is a manual process as there is no auto-save or recovery feature in Tableau. 

Best practice: Anytime you have the “Wow, that looks kind of cool” or “Yes! I figured it out” moment, let your fingers celebrate your success with a CTRL + S, “Happy Dance.”

CTRL + CLICK

Selects multiple fields and adds them to grouped selections. 

(Left click on Discount, then while holding CTRL on your keyboard, click Sales. Individual fields can be selected in any order.)

SHIFT + CLICK

Selects multiple fields including any members between the two clicks. 

(Left click on Discount, then while holding shift on your keyboard, click Sales. All fields in between first and last value will be selected.)

 

More Resources

For further reference, check out the following links:

http://onlinehelp.tableausoftware.com/v8.0/public/online/en-us/shortcut.html

http://www.clearlyandsimply.com/clearly_and_simply/2011/04/tableau-quick-tip-3-keyboard-shortcuts.html

Did I miss one of your favorite shortcuts? Please feel free to leave a comment below to share the knowledge with our Tableau User Community.