One of my favorite features of Google Sheets spreadsheets is the ability to “fill down.” This copies a pattern and quickly allows me to count from 1 to 100 or apply a formula repeatedly.

Fill Down Square

When you click on a cell in the spreadsheet, notice the bottom right-hand corner of the cell has a small blue box. This is the fill down square. Click and hold down on the fill down square. Pull DOWN to copy the contents of the cell down the sheet. You can also pull up, right or left.

Double Click

If you want to fill down values in a spreadsheet that already has information on it. DOUBLE CLICK on the fill down square to instantly copy the cell contents to match the range of data. For example if you have a roster of student names on the spreadsheet, type a word/phrase/formula into a cell next to the student names. Press enter. Click back on that cell and double click on the fill down square.

I am using this trick of double clicking the fill down square on my “Grade the Folder” script. It allows me to set the grading status of all the students and renames the students document so they know if feedback has been given. I first type in “FB needed” and press the rename button in the sidebar. I then change the “FB needed” to “graded” and press the rename button again to update the grading status.