Freeze, in the name of being able to see what is what.
When you have a large sheet and you want to be able to see the top rows, even if you have scrolled down, then Freeze Panes is your friend. For example, if you have headings in the top row and want to be able to see them, even when you are at the end of […]
Easily add names for cells.
I have written about naming cells and why it is a good idea before. Here is an easy way to do a whole lot of those at once. Your data has to be set out in a particular way. I have a small example here. Select all the data, from the Income cell to the […]
Trace dependents and precedents
I am often working on spreadsheets that have been started by someone else. Two tools that are really helpful are trace dependents and trace precedents. Found on the Formula Menu in the Formula Auditing section, (short cut key Alt, M, P and Alt, M, D) Trace dependent/precedents allows you to see if a cell is […]
Make your spreadsheet look less like a spreadsheet.
If you want your spreadsheet to look less like a spreadsheet, or you want more space for your data when showing it to others, then you can change the look of your sheet with a few clicks. Turning off the gridlines and the headings (the letters across the top, and the numbers down the side) […]
What is faster than scrolling? Jumping. Go To…
Home menu, Editing section, Find & Select, Go To… or Shortcut key Ctrl + G, or F5. You can type in a cell reference, click OK and be taken right there. You can use it to jump to another sheet, but have to type in the name of the sheet, then !, then the cell […]
I still haven’t found what I am looking for… solved.
Hiding under the Find & Select drop down is Go To Special… Find & Select, can be found on the Home Menu and is the Editing section. Click on the drop down and choose Go To Special… Shortcut key F5 will open the Go To dialogue box, and from here you can choose Go To […]
When Delete just won’t do: How to Clear a cell.
Use Clear All when you want to remove everything from a cell. This will remove the value in the cell, and any formatting. Use the Clear options in the Editing section of the Home menu to remove data or formatting or both from the cells you have selected. Shortcut keys to Clear All are Alt, […]
Pivot Tables are amazing!
I was reminded again this week how great Pivot Tables are. If you haven’t used these little beauties in your Excel workbooks you might be missing out. Sometimes, they can require a little bit of manipulating to get your data into a state that is ready for a Pivot Table, but it is totally worth […]
Text to Columns to the rescue!
I have had two times in the past couple of days when I have needed to use Text to Columns. (Short cuts keys Alt, A, E) It is a niche tool, but so good when it is needed, saving a lot of time compared to doing things manually. So, what did I use it for? […]
Flash Fill: Fill in a flash!
The Flash Fill tool in Excel is a massive time saver and is very easy to use. Use to complete tasks like splitting out first names from a list with first and last names. Yes, you can achieve this with a formula, but for most people that is too complex, and it is quicker and […]