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Clean a messy list fast

After this lesson you can clean a list quickly with undo and redo, fill down, copy and paste with spreadsheets, and the full-row panel.

1:14 video with captions, written steps and transcript. Checked against Duckrow on October 3, 2026.

0:00 / 1:14

Narration: preview voiceA recruiter tidies a shortlist before reaching out. The people are example data.

The short answer

In a Duckrow table, Cmd or Ctrl+Z undoes up to 15 changes and Cmd or Ctrl+Y redoes them. Select a cell and the cells below it, then Cmd or Ctrl+D to fill down. Copy and paste works with Excel and Google Sheets, into rows that already exist. Open any row to see and edit every field, and move with the arrow keys.

Step by step

  1. 1Undo and redoCmd+Z or Ctrl+Z undoes the last change, up to 15. Cmd+Y, Ctrl+Y or Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Z redoes. They don't fire while you're typing in a cell.
  2. 2Fill downSelect the cell to copy and the cells below it, then Cmd+D or Ctrl+D (or Fill down in the right-click menu). Columns filled by runs or formulas are skipped.
  3. 3Copy and paste with spreadsheetsCmd/Ctrl+C and Cmd/Ctrl+V move tab-separated cells to and from Excel and Google Sheets. Paste fills existing rows; it never adds rows, so use + Add N more rows at the bottom first.
  4. 4Open a rowHover a row number and click Open row. The panel shows every field in order; Previous row (↑), Next row (↓), Close (Esc). Enrichment values are read-only there.
  5. 5Add rows+ Add [10] more rows at the bottom; change the number to add more at once.

Try it in Duckrow

About five minutes, in your own workspace.

  1. Change a cell, then press Cmd or Ctrl+Z to undo and Cmd or Ctrl+Y to redo.
  2. Select a cell with a value and three cells below it, then press Cmd or Ctrl+D.
  3. Copy two cells from a spreadsheet and paste them into your table.
  4. Open a row, then press the down arrow to move to the next one.

You're done when you've cleaned a column without retyping anything.

Check what stuck

Three quick questions. Nothing is saved.

  1. 1. You paste 20 rows from a sheet into a table with 10 empty rows. What happens?

  2. 2. Which keys fill a value down?

  3. 3. How far back can you undo?

Transcript

0:00A list that needs a tidy

A shortlist with a typo, empty statuses and notes to add. Four moves get it clean in a minute.

0:08Undo and redo

Made a mistake? Command Z, or Control Z, undoes it, up to fifteen changes back. Command Y brings it back.

0:18Fill down

To copy one status down the list, select the cell and the cells below it, then press Command D. Columns filled by runs or formulas fill themselves, so fill down skips them.

0:32Copy and paste

Copy and paste works both ways with Excel and Google Sheets. Copy notes from a sheet, click the first cell, and paste. Paste fills rows that exist, so add rows at the bottom first if you need more.

0:47Open a row

To see everything about one person, open the row. Every field is listed in order and editable, and the arrow keys move to the next row.

0:57Recap

To recap. Command or Control Z undoes up to fifteen changes. Command or Control D fills a value down. Open a row to edit every field. Next, write a formula in plain English.