Do you still use a mouse for every action in Tally, opening vouchers, printing, or changing dates? If yes, you are wasting precious time without realising it.
Shortcut keys in Tally can cut your working time in half and make your accounting flow smoother and faster.
What Are Shortcut Keys in Tally and Why Are They Useful?
TallyPrime is designed to help accountants work faster without using the mouse again and again. Shortcut keys are built-in key combinations that let you jump to menus, open vouchers, change dates, print reports and do daily entries quickly. When you start using shortcuts, even simple repetitive tasks like opening a sales voucher or checking a ledger become 2–3 times faster because there is no screen navigation with cursor clicks.
For an accountant who works 6–7 hours daily in Tally, these shortcuts save hours every week and also reduce errors that happen due to slow manual navigation.
Most-Used Shortcut Keys in Tally for Everyday Accounting
Below are the keys that most people use daily when entering or checking business accounts:
| Action | Shortcut Key |
| Open Company | Alt + F3 |
| Change Company | Alt + F3 → Company Info |
| Open Gateway of Tally | Ctrl + M |
| Switch to Calculator | Ctrl + N |
| Quit Tally | Ctrl + Q |
| Change Current Date | F2 |
| Change Period | Alt + F2 |
These are the base keys every accountant should memorise first before moving to vouchers and reports.
Voucher-Related Shortcut Keys You Must Know
Most of the daily work in Tally happens in the voucher area. Whether you are recording sales, purchases, receipts or payments, using vouchers through shortcuts reduces huge time.
| Voucher Type | Shortcut Key |
| Accounting Vouchers (Main screen) | V |
| Sales Voucher | F8 |
| Purchase Voucher | F9 |
| Payment Voucher | F5 |
| Receipt Voucher | F6 |
| Contra Voucher | F4 |
| Journal Voucher | F7 |
| Debit Note | Ctrl + F9 |
| Credit Note | Ctrl + F8 |
| Print Current Voucher | Alt + P |
These are the shortcuts accountants use dozens of times every day, so memorising them gives an instant speed boost.
Report Navigation and Printing Shortcuts
Report checking is another major daily task in accounting. Tally provides quick keys to open, navigate and print reports without using the mouse.
| Action in Reports | Shortcut Key |
| Open Balance Sheet | Alt + F1 → B/S (Expand view also F1 inside report) |
| Open Profit & Loss A/c | Alt + F1 → P/L |
| Open Stock Summary | Alt + F1 → S |
| Open Day Book | D → O |
| Export/Email/Print any report | Alt + P |
| Drill down inside the report | Enter |
| Go back to the previous screen | Esc |
These keys matter the most when you are doing an audit, month-end closing or MIS reporting.
Ledger & Master Creation Shortcuts
Creating and editing ledgers is a basic activity in Tally. These shortcuts help you open the ledger creation screen instantly without browsing menus.
| Action | Shortcut Key |
| Create Ledger from anywhere | Alt + C |
| Create Stock Item from anywhere | Alt + C (while cursor on item field) |
| Create Unit of Measure | Alt + C (in UOM field) |
| Modify Master in report | Ctrl + Enter |
These shortcuts remove unnecessary back-and-forth navigation — you create masters directly at the moment of entry.
Hidden & Lesser-Known Shortcut Keys That Save Extra Time
Some Tally shortcuts are not commonly used, but they save a lot of time in real life when auditing or explaining entries to someone.
| Action | Shortcut Key |
| Hide/Unhide details inside reports | Alt + S |
| Duplicate a voucher | Alt + 2 |
| Delete a voucher | Alt + D |
| View full-screen report | Alt + F1 |
| Switch between screens | Alt + Tab (Windows) |
These are “power-user” keys, not mandatory to start, but extremely useful once you are comfortable.
How Shortcuts Reduce Time in a Daily Accounting Task?
Suppose you want to record 5 sales invoices and email a report to your manager.
Without shortcuts:
You click menus, open vouchers manually, print, export — total ~7–8 minutes.
With shortcuts (F8 → Enter → Alt+P → Alt+E):
The same work finishes in 2–3 minutes.
Multiply this saving by 30 days, shortcuts easily save 5–6 hours per month.
Tips to Practice and Memorise Tally Shortcuts Quickly
- Start with top 10 vouchers and navigation keys first, do not try all at once
- Paste a printed cheat sheet near your monitor
- Force yourself to not use mouse for 30 minutes daily
- Revise shortcut use during live work, not separately
- Test yourself weekly by doing one task using only keys
Within 7–10 days you will operate Tally without touching the mouse.
Easily Upgrade / Switch to TallyPrime in Tanzania
If you are still running older Tally versions or facing speed, security, or compatibility issues, it is the right time to move to TallyPrime. As an officially certified Tally Solutions Partner in Tanzania, we provide Tally installation, upgrade, customisation, Tally on Cloud, and ongoing support with end-to-end implementation. Get in touch to switch smoothly.
Conclusion
Shortcut keys are not an optional skill; they are a practical time-saving tool. If you are working in accounts daily, even saving a few seconds on every entry adds up to hours. By using TallyPrime shortcuts, you work faster, reduce mistakes, and become more confident and professional in your job.
FAQs
Are Tally shortcut keys same in ERP 9 and TallyPrime?
Many base keys are same, but some menu paths differ in TallyPrime.
Do shortcuts work in TallyPrime Educational Mode?
Yes, shortcuts work in both licensed and educational modes.
Can I customize shortcut keys in TallyPrime?
No, Tally does not allow custom key mapping.
Are there shortcut keys for GST reports?
Yes, GST reports open inside Display More Reports, and you can use Enter/Alt+P/Alt+E inside them.
Is there a shortcut to hide entries?
You can mark vouchers optional or hide details inside reports using relevant keys — full hiding is not one-key in Tally.