Tally Prime Hacks: Shortcut Keys That Actually Save Time

If you have ever watched a seasoned accountant fly through Tally Prime without touching the mouse, you already know what shortcut keys can do for your workflow. For anyone managing invoices, payroll, inventory, or GST filings on a daily basis, these shortcuts are not optional extras — they are the difference between spending two hours on data entry and finishing the same work in forty minutes.

This guide from BizWithTech covers every major shortcut key category in Tally Prime, explains how to use them in context, and answers the questions that come up most often in our community.

Why Shortcut Keys Matter in Tally Prime?

Tally Prime is designed around keyboard-first navigation. Unlike typical Windows software, it does not rely heavily on menus that require multiple mouse clicks. The entire application — from creating ledgers to generating balance sheets — can be operated without lifting your hands off the keyboard. Once you build the muscle memory, your data entry speed increases significantly, and the risk of navigating to the wrong screen drops to nearly zero.

Beyond speed, shortcuts reduce cognitive load. Instead of scanning menus and sub-menus, your fingers go directly to the task. This matters especially during high-volume periods like month-end closing or GST return filing.

Navigation and Function Key Shortcuts

The function keys are the foundation of Tally Prime. Every screen you open, every report you access, every transaction you save — these keys are involved.

General Navigation Shortcuts

Moving between screens and managing day-to-day actions in Tally Prime becomes effortless once you internalise these keys.

Enter is used to select a menu item or accept an entry. Escape takes you back one step at a time, so pressing it repeatedly will bring you all the way back to the Gateway of Tally. Backspace within a voucher moves the cursor to the previous field without discarding the entry. Page Up and Page Down scroll through ledger entries and reports. Ctrl + A saves the current voucher or master without needing to navigate to the accept button manually.

Ctrl + Q discards the current entry and quits without saving — use this when you have made a mistake mid-entry and want to start fresh. Tab moves to the next field, and Shift + Tab moves to the previous one. Spacebar is used to select items in a list, which is particularly useful during stock item selection in invoices.

Alt + C creates a new master — a ledger, stock group, or cost centre — directly from within a voucher without leaving the transaction screen. This is one of the most productive shortcuts in the application because it removes the need to exit, create the master, and come back.

Voucher Mode Shortcuts

When you are inside any voucher — sales, purchase, payment, or receipt — a separate set of shortcuts takes over.

Ctrl + Enter opens the ledger master of whichever ledger your cursor is currently on. This lets you quickly verify or edit account details without exiting the voucher. Alt + D deletes the current voucher entirely after confirmation. Alt + I inserts a line between existing lines in an invoice. Alt + R removes a line from the current voucher. Alt + U retrieves the last deleted line.

For multi-currency transactions, Ctrl + F2 opens the currency selection. Alt + J is used to stat adjustment in GST-related vouchers. Ctrl + L marks a voucher as optional, which is useful for provisional entries that are not yet finalised.

Alt + X cancels a voucher without deletion — a critical distinction from Alt + D. The cancelled voucher remains in the books but is marked inactive.

Report and Display Shortcuts

Generating, filtering, and reading reports is where Tally Prime users spend a significant portion of their time. These shortcuts make it faster.

Alt + F1 switches any report from a summary view to a detailed view, showing every underlying transaction. Alt + F2 changes the reporting period without going back to the main menu. Alt + F5 switches a report to a columnar format, which is useful for side-by-side period comparisons in the profit and loss account or the balance sheet.

Ctrl + B applies a basis of values filter — for instance, showing only transactions above a certain amount. Ctrl + H changes the report view mode between detailed, condensed, and other available formats depending on the report type. Ctrl + J opens outstanding reports from within a ledger, saving several navigation steps.

Alt + G opens the Go To feature in Tally Prime, which is one of the most powerful additions in recent versions. From any screen, pressing Alt + G lets you jump directly to any report, voucher type, or master by typing its name. This replaces the need to memorise the exact menu path for less frequently used reports.

Printing Shortcuts

Once a voucher or report is ready, these shortcuts handle the output without opening menus.

Alt + P opens the print configuration for the current voucher or report. From there, Enter confirms the print action. Ctrl + P is another print trigger available in some report screens. Ctrl + E exports the current report to formats like PDF, Excel, or JPEG depending on your export settings.

For GST returns and audit reports, using Ctrl + E regularly is more efficient than navigating to the export option through the menu every time.

Inventory and Stock Shortcuts

For businesses that track inventory in Tally Prime, these shortcuts apply during stock entry and reporting.

Alt + F7 opens the Stock Journal, used for inter-godown transfers and manufacturing journal entries. Alt + F10 is for Physical Stock vouchers, used during stock verification to record actual quantities and compare them with book stock. Ctrl + W opens the stock summary report from within vouchers.

During item entry in an invoice, Ctrl + A confirms the batch and quantity details. This matters in businesses that use batch tracking for pharmaceuticals, FMCG, or perishables.

Company and Configuration Shortcuts

Alt + F3 gives you access to company management — creating a new company, altering an existing one, or shutting the current company. This shortcut is available from the Gateway of Tally at all times.

F11 opens company features, where you enable or disable modules such as GST, payroll, multi-currency, and job costing. F12 opens configuration settings that control display formats, number styles, and voucher numbering.

Ctrl + Alt + B checks the company data for any structural errors. This is a maintenance shortcut that every Tally administrator should run periodically, especially after power failures or unexpected shutdowns.

Day-to-Day Productivity Tips

Knowing shortcuts is one thing. Building them into your daily habit requires a slightly different approach.

Start by mastering the voucher entry keys — F5 through F9 — because these are used every single day in most accounting setups. Once those are automatic, add the Alt shortcuts for viewing and editing. Finally, layer in the Ctrl combinations for advanced operations like filtering, exporting, and company management.

BizWithTech recommends printing the function key shortcuts and keeping them at your workstation during the first two weeks. After that period, most users find they no longer need the reference sheet for the keys they use daily.

If you work in a team, share this guide with junior staff who are onboarding to Tally Prime. Consistent shortcut usage across the team reduces training time and prevents the common issue of newer users developing slow, mouse-dependent workflows that are difficult to break later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is the shortcut to change the date in Tally Prime?

Press F2 from any screen to change the current transaction date. This is one of the most frequently used shortcuts in daily accounting because Tally Prime remembers the last used date and applies it to each new entry by default.

Q2.How do I delete a voucher in Tally Prime using the keyboard?

Open the voucher you want to delete, then press Alt + D. Tally Prime will prompt for confirmation before permanently removing the entry. Make sure you are not confusing this with Alt + X, which cancels rather than deletes.

Q3.What does Alt + G do in Tally Prime?

Alt + G opens the Go To search panel, which lets you navigate to any report, voucher type, or feature by typing its name. It is one of the most time-saving features in Tally Prime for users who work across multiple modules.

Q4.Can I create a new ledger while entering a voucher?

Yes. While your cursor is in a ledger field inside any voucher, press Alt + C to open the ledger creation screen. After creating the ledger, Tally Prime returns you to the same voucher with the new ledger already populated in the field.

Q5.What is the difference between Ctrl + Q and Escape in Tally Prime?

Escape takes you back one step at a time and may ask whether to save unsaved data. Ctrl + Q discards the current entry immediately without saving and exits the voucher. Use Ctrl + Q when you want to abandon an entry entirely.

Q6.How do I switch between summary and detailed view in a report?

Press Alt + F1 to toggle between the summary view and the detailed transaction-level view in most reports including the balance sheet, profit and loss account, and ledger reports.

Q7.Is there a shortcut to export a Tally Prime report to Excel?

Press Ctrl + E from any report screen to open the export options. From there, choose the format — Excel, PDF, or others — and confirm. This works for most standard and custom reports in Tally Prime.

Q8.What shortcut opens the GST return filing option?

GST returns are accessed through the Gateway of Tally under the GST module. Using Alt + G and typing “GST” is the fastest way to reach the return filing screen without navigating through menus.

Q9.How do I mark a voucher as optional in Tally Prime?

While inside the voucher, press Ctrl + L to toggle it as an optional entry. Optional vouchers appear in reports with a marker and do not affect the books of accounts until converted to regular vouchers.

Q10.What is F11 used for in Tally Prime?

F11 opens the company features screen where you can enable or disable modules such as GST, payroll, multi-currency, cost centres, job costing, and inventory features. Any change made here applies only to the currently selected company.