Type the start of your pattern into at least two neighbouring cells, highlight them and drag the small blue box at the lower-right corner of the selection down or across. A run of numbers or dates carries on through every cell you cover. Text or values that don't make a series simply repeat instead.
What Google Sheets autofill is, and what it isn't
Autofill is a shortcut for building a series of numbers, letters or dates. You give it a starting point, and it extends that pattern into as many cells as you drag across, which saves you typing each entry by hand. Enter 1 and 2, drag down, and the cells beneath continue the count.
It isn't a formula, and it doesn't work out what your data means. When the opening cells don't form a run of numbers or dates, Sheets copies the same values over and over rather than inventing a sequence. That's useful for repeating a label down a column, and surprising if you expected a count. Two names such as Anna and Ben, for instance, come back as Anna, Ben, Anna, Ben for as far as you drag.
Extending a series with the blue fill box
- Open your spreadsheet on a computer.
- Enter your starting values in two or more adjacent cells, within a single column or row.
- Highlight those cells so both are selected.
- Find the small blue box in the lower-right corner of the selection.
- Drag that box down or across over the cells you want filled.
- Let go and check the result: a series continues, anything else repeats.
Google's help page on autofill asks for at least two starting cells, so begin with two even when the pattern seems obvious to you. Whether the result counts up or copies depends entirely on those first entries.
Accepting autofill suggestions while you type
Sheets doesn't only fill when you drag. Sometimes it notices what you're entering and offers a suggestion with a preview of the values it would add. On a Mac, press Command + Enter to accept that suggestion and fill the cells shown in the preview.
These previews belong to autocomplete, which you can switch off if they get in your way.
Smart Fill for patterns autofill can't follow
Smart Fill is a separate, related feature. Rather than continuing a run, it detects a pattern in data you already have and suggests values to match. Google's example is a column of full names: Smart Fill can pull each first name out into the next column, a job that would otherwise mean retyping every entry.
To call it up, press Command + Shift + Y on a Mac, or Ctrl + Shift + Y on Windows and Chromebook. The Smart Fill help article covers the feature in its own right.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Turning off the suggestion pop-ups
If previews keep appearing while you enter data by hand, open the Tools menu, choose Suggestion controls and deselect Enable autocomplete. That one switch covers both autofill suggestions and Smart Fill, so turning it off removes the two together. If you rely on Smart Fill to split names, leave autocomplete on.
When dragging the fill box is the wrong fix
- Values looked up from another table: XLOOKUP in Google Sheets.
- A result that depends on another cell: an IF formula.
- A total of only the rows that meet a condition: SUMIF.
- Data from a different spreadsheet file: IMPORTRANGE.
Frequently asked questions
Can autofill continue letters of the alphabet?
Google lists letters among the series autofill can build, alongside numbers and dates. Google's continue rule names numbers and dates, so check the result after dragging.
Does autofill work along a row?
It does. Pull the box sideways exactly as you would pull it down a column, which is handy for a row of dates across the top of a sheet.
Is there a limit to how far I can drag?
No set limit is given. You can extend it over any number of cells.
Which menu holds Suggestion controls?
Look under Tools.
Do I need a computer for the fill box?
Google's steps are for a computer.
