This article is relevant if you tried NetSuite’s keyboard shortcuts for dates and gave up thinking they didn’t work.
TL;DR Summary
After years of assuming NetSuite’s keyboard shortcuts were broken or inconsistent, I recently found they now work reliably. This quick article and short video show how to use date and numeric field shortcuts, along with a reference table. If you’ve ignored these features like I did, it may be worth a second look.
Background
NetSuite has long advertised the ability to use keyboard shortcuts, especially for date fields. Years ago, on multiple attempts, I tried them and found they didn’t work. So I stopped trying. After more than 15 years of using the platform, I recently noticed the date shortcuts actually functioned as expected. I may have been mistaken all along. The recent discovery led me to put together this short tip for anyone else who has given up on them.
This article is a departure from my usual deep-dive content. It’s a brief heads-up for those who may have missed something simple, like I did.
NetSuite Keyboard Shortcuts That Are Worth Revisiting
There are two shortcuts I use most often now:
Date field shortcuts: You can enter “+” or “-” to adjust the date forward or backward by one day.
Inline arithmetic: Numeric fields accept math expressions like 100+200 and will calculate automatically when you tab or click away.
These tips are likely old news to some, but they might make your everyday work a little smoother if you haven’t tried them recently.
Video Demonstration of Keyboard Shortcuts
Here’s a brief (1:25) video showing both in action.
Watch the Brief Demo
NetSuite Keyboard Shortcuts Reference Table
| Shortcut | Function |
|---|---|
| Alt + T | Today’s date |
| Alt + Shift + T | Tomorrow’s date |
| Alt + Y | Yesterday’s date |
| Alt + ← / → | Previous/next day |
| Alt + Shift + ← / → | Previous/next month |
| Alt + Home / End | First/last day of month |
| Alt + Page Up / Page Down | Next/previous month |
| Alt + M / L | Last day current/previous month |
| T, Y, M, P, L (plain) | Alternative single-key entries |
| Numeric expressions | Supports “+ – * /” directly in numeric fields |
Invitation to Share More NetSuite Keyboard Shortcuts
There are likely other useful shortcuts out there. If you have your own favorites or ones that aren’t widely known, please share them with me. I’m always looking to learn from others in the community and will contribute to give back.
Sometimes it’s the simple things that go unnoticed. This small discovery saved me a little time and reminded me not to dismiss features too quickly. I hope it helps you too.
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