Have you ever opened a workbook and not been able to see the data? Instead of manually adjusting the column widths in the header, use ALT H O I. ALT H O I automatically adjusts the selected cells’ column widths to equal the size of their contents.
2. CTRL E
CTRL E makes complicated tasks easier than ever, thanks to Flash Fill. Flash Fill automatically fills data down a column based on detected patterns. Just enter how you want the data to appear, hit CTRL E, and Excel will fill the pattern down the column in a flash.
3. ALT F1
If you spend too much time creating charts to visualize data, meet ALT F1. These two magical keys automatically generate a bar chart using the selected data and insert it right into the active worksheet!
4. CTRL ENTER
Dragging formulas down columns and then again across rows can be a drag. Say goodbye to the fill handle and hello to CTRL ENTER! CTRL ENTER fills the active cell’s contents into selected cells. Note: The active cell has to be in editing mode for this to work.
5. CTRL `
When cranking out formulas in Excel, checking each one individually in the formula bar can be tedious. Instead, try the CTRL ` shortcut! CTRL ` toggles between displaying the cells’ formulas and values in the active worksheet.
6. ALT ↓
If you are entering repetitive data in Excel, ALT ↓ is a must-know shortcut. The ALT ↓ shortcut displays a dropdown list of all values previously entered in the column. Now, you can simply select any value, which will automatically be entered into the active cell!
7. CTRL [
Tracing down cell references can be like finding a needle in a haystack. Instead of tracing the file path, opening the file, navigating to the worksheet and mapping the cell, just press CTRL [ to teleport to a cell reference. So much faster.
8. ALT W FF
Nothing’s worse than not being able to see headers when scrolling through a worksheet. To prevent this, select the first cell containing data in the table and press ALT W FF to freeze the panes. Now, the headers remain visible when scrolling throughout the worksheet.
9. CTRL SHIFT L
Last but not least, CTRL SHIFT L. CTRL SHIFT L makes analyzing large data sets a little easier by adding the Sort &Filter toggles to the top row of the data set, so you can quickly sort and filter data.
7. CTRL T
Start getting into the routine of using Tables with CTRL T. CTRL T converts data to an Excel Table. Tables are a powerful tool that clean up formatting, auto-fill formulas down columns, automatically expand and update linked charts when new rows are added, and more!
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We’ve all accidentally forgotten to lock a cell reference in a formula. Well, at least I know I have. To ensure this mistake never happens again, just use the F4 shortcut. F4 cycles through absolute and relative cell references.
2. ALT =
If you don’t like math, luckily, Excel’s AutoSum tool can do the math for you. AutoSum automatically sums detected data. Just select the cell you want to calculate the sum in, and press ALT =.
Instead of using the caps lock key to manually type out text in uppercase format, try the UPPER function. The UPPER function automatically converts all characters in the text string to uppercase.
2. LOWER
Have you ever been in the zone typing away, and suddenly you look up to realize caps lock was on the whole time? Instead of retyping all of the text, we can use the LOWER function. LOWER automatically converts all characters in the text string to lowercase.
6 text formatting hacks all Excel user should know: ✍️
1. Split Cell
Can’t decide whether to label a row or column? Try splitting the cell to label both. To split a cell, enter both labels on separate lines and move the top header to the right of the cell. Next, open the Format Cells box > Border Tab > Split Diagonal Border > OK.
2. Center Across Selection
CAS cleans up data by centering text across cells without the issues that merged cells cause. Select the text followed by the cells you want to center the text across > Home tab > Alignment Settings > Center Across Selection under horizontal > OK.
Need to break up data in a text string into multiple rows or columns? Use the TEXTSPLIT function to split up text at a specified delimiter. For example, this function can split full names into first, middle, and last name columns by defining the col_delimiter.
2. TEXTJOIN
Now that we’ve learned how to split text, let’s learn how to combine it. The TEXTJOIN function combines values into one with a delimiter in between each value. For example, we can combine first, middle, and last name back together with a space in between each name.
CTRL SHIFT F3 creates a named range named after the row/column header that can be referenced directly in formulas. Now, you can simply type the name of the column you want to reference in your formula instead of manually selecting it!
2. CTRL SHIFT &
Instead of clicking through the ribbon every time you want to add borders to a selected data, try the CTRL SHIFT & shortcut instead! CTRL SHIFT & automatically adds outside borders to the selection.