Google just made your mouse a secret spreadsheet superstar

spreadsheets
(Image credit: Pexels)

Google Workspace may have just solved hours of cumulative frustration and annoyance with a new addition to its spreadsheet software that utilizes the flexibility of your mouse.

The company has revealed a new feature which will allow users to autofill by dragging or double clicking a selection handle using a mouse in the Google Sheets Android app.

The new feature is available to users on Rapid Release domains now, with other users set to see it soon - but it seems like a genuine game-changer from Google that could be a huge productivity boost.

Google Sheets mouse autofill

It sounds so simple that we can't quite figure out why this hasn't always been a thing - and in a gif on its Google Workspace updates blog, the company shows that the new tool really is that easy to use - you simply click on the highlighted field, then hold and drag over the boxes you'd like to expand to - and voila.

Google says that the launch comes shortly after the roll out of full mouse support for Google Sheets on Android, and is the latest in a series of improvements for users to enjoy.

Recently, the spreadsheet software, part of the Google Workspace office suite, said it would begin offering named functions, allowing users to create high-performance custom functions that support built-in Sheets formula constructs.

google sheets android app mouse autofill

(Image credit: Google Workspace)

Users will also be able to import named functions from existing Sheets files, allowing them to use functions created in one Sheets file in a different Sheets file, boosting reusability across spreadsheets. 

The company also recently launched "intelligent corrections" for formulas in Google Sheets, context-aware fixes that it says help you improve and troubleshoot many different kinds of formulas.

Mike Moore
Deputy Editor, TechRadar Pro

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.