It is estimated that more than 750 million people around the globe use Microsoft Excel.
Microsoft Excel is used for organizing data and financial analysis. People use it for school and at work daily.
If you are new to Excel or want to freshen up on your abilities, there are several tips you should know.
Continue reading to discover the best quick Excel tips that will make your life easier!
1. Wrap Text
Have you ever been writing in a cell only to realize that none of the information you typed is showing?
One of the best tips for using Excel is to wrap text. To do this, you can simply select the desired cell(s) and press “Wrap Text.” You can find this button in the Home tab under Alignment. Once you wrap the text, your box will add lines to show all of your content.
2. Flash Fill
Excel helps organize information like names and phone numbers. But what happens when they aren’t formatted correctly?
If you have separate columns with first and last names, you can create a new column to show their full name. By writing the name in the first cell, it will create a pattern that Excel will recognize. It will then pre-fill cells to match what you did on the first one.
3. Fill Cells Automatically
Do you work a job where you must create timetables and schedules?
If so, you might want to take advantage of auto-filling cells. Enter in your data and only start with your date or time pattern. Once the pattern is started, you can move your cursor over the bottom right corner of the cell.
In that corner, the cursor will change to “+.” Click the “+” and drag it down to the end of the cells that you want to fill.
4. Recovering an Excel Document
If you want to recover unsaved Excel file Mac, you must click the File tab and select “Recent”.
You will then scroll to the bottom of your recent documents. Once you find the file that you want, click on “Recover Unsaved Workbooks.” This will allow you access to your document so that you can resume where you left off!
5. Go From Columns to Rows
Do you have information neatly typed but it needs to be in columns instead of rows, or vice versa?
To fix these issues, all you need to do is select the data and press “Paste Special.” You will then select “Transpose box” and click on “Okay.” This will turn your rows into columns and columns into rows without mixing data.
6. Enter the Same Data in Multiple Cells
Are you creating a work schedule or some form of a chart with names or duplicated cells?
You can use your cursor to select the cells that you want or click on them while holding the Control Key. Once you have selected all of the cells that you want to fill, you can type in the cell content and press enter. This will auto-fill the cells and make your job go much quicker.
7. Fill Charts With Graphics
Did you know that you can put an image in any component of an Excel chart?
Select the part of the chart that you want to place an image in and select “Series Options” on the menu. You will then select “Picture or texture fill.” Insert your desired photo and it will appear on your chart.
You can also select “no fill,” which will leave a gap in your chart.
8. Turn Decimals Into Percentages
Many people recommend using this trick if you are working with decimals and want to turn them into percentages.
By selecting Control-Shift-%, you can change the percent style, but this isn’t accurate if you have a 1 and want it to be 1%, not 100%. To fix this, type 100 in a cell to the right of your chart and copy it. You will select the numbers to be reformatted and select “Paste Special.”
Click on “Divide” and the data will be turned into percentages instantly!
9. Make a Chart a Template
If you have perfected a chart and want to continue working off of it, you can turn it into a template.
All you need to do is right-click on the chart and select “Save as Template.” This will save a file of the chart in CRTX under the default Excel templates folder. Then click on the data that you want to include and go to the Insert tab to press “Recommended Charts.”
Under “All Charts” you will go into templates and can view your chart.
10. Hide Columns & Rows
Do you have a spreadsheet that is filled with details that don’t necessarily need to be seen?
If you want to hide cells, all you need to do is highlight the desired rows or columns and right-click. Select “Hide Cells” and they will disappear. The numbers on the left-hand side will still reflect what is hidden though.
To view the information again, hover your cursor over the hidden cells and right-click. Select “Unhide Cells” and they will appear again.
11. Transfer Data to Word
Have you ever needed to put your Excel data on a Microsoft Word document?
Pasting typically doesn’t work because the table and the charts need to be transferred, but there is a way to do this. On Excel, go to the Home tab and select “Copy Menu.” Select “Copy as Picture” and you will be able to paste it into any program.
12. Freeze the Top Column
When you have a lot of data to review, it can become overwhelming if you don’t see the column titles.
By freezing the top column, you can scroll through your information and still see what you are looking at. Highlight the desired column or row titles and go to the View tab and select “Freeze Panes.” This will make it easier to understand your data and work more efficiently.
Quick Excel Tips You Should Know
There are many quick Excel tips that you can learn about by utilizing this guide.
These tips help make your work easier and more manageable. You can impress your boss, coworkers, and professors with some of these tricks and put out outstanding work.
Don’t be afraid to open Excel and test some of them out. The more experience you gain, the simpler it will become.
Be sure to check out our blog for more articles about how to use computer programs!
