How can I delete cell contents immediately with the Delete key like in Excel?

How can I delete cell contents immediately with the Delete key like in Excel?

If you press Delete in Calc, you get by default a Delete window that lets you delete formats, text, formulas and/or other elements. And to delete cell contents immediately you have to press Backspace.

If you want to use the Delete key for immediate deletion you have to do the following:

1. Choose Tools > Customize, Keyboard tab. Be sure that the Calc radio button is selected.
2. In the Shortcut Keys area of the window at the top, select "Delete". In the Functions area of the window at the bottom: under Category select "Edit", and under Function select the FIRST of the two "Delete Contents" items. This is the one that just deletes, with no window.
3. Click the Modify button. In the Functions area you will see "Delete" now listed as a key.
4. If you don't want Backspace to delete contents, then select "Backspace" in the Keys list in the lower right corner and click the Delete button.
5. Now scroll through the Shortcut Keys list at the top and select "Backspace" as the function you want to use to bring up the Delete window.
6. Then in the lower part of the window, as before, under Category select "Edit" and under Function select the SECOND "Delete Contents" item.
7. Click the Modify button to bring up the interactive Delete window by pressing the Backspace key.

This FAQ comes from Solveig Haugland's Blog

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