There is a keyboard shortcut to select the first column in a row, but as far as I know there is no shortcut for the first row in a column.
Category Archives: Excel Blog
Dynamic Arrays and a Book Index
Another solution
Years back when I wrote my Excel book, I had to create an index for the book. I shared the file I used including the macro in this post. Recently I thought dynamic arrays could do much of the work for this.
Financial Year Month in a Pivot Table
Create new column
I wrote an article years ago explaining how to use a related table to handle financial years in Excel Pivot Tables. You can read the article here. If you only want the months in financial year order you can just add an extra column to your table.
Extracting Time from Date and Time in Excel
Another MOD function solution
I had a recent query regarding checking time in a column that had both date and time. There is an easy way to extract time from a date-time combination.
Excel Chart Label Line Break
When adding labels to a chart sometimes you need a line break. Well it is possible.
Handling Multiple Columns in Power Query
Choose Columns drop down
In general, you should reduce the number of columns you import via Power Query to the minimum you require. Here is a quick technique to make that a bit easier.
Show the cells to be removed by Remove Duplicates in Excel
A formula-based Conditional Format
Excel has a Remove Duplicates option in the Data ribbon. It keeps the first item and removes any further items that match.
Excel Power Query and Data Types
Get the Type right
Data types are an important part of Power Query in Excel and Power BI. They define the type of data that should be in a column. When performing some calculations, getting the column data type right is vital.
Excel and Emojis
Have some fun with emojis
Yes, you can use emojis (those little images you see in text messages, tweets and posts) in Excel. You can even use them in formulas. 😀
Input Data Display Hack for Excel
Getting the format white
When creating data input sheets, it is a good idea to use a table layout. Sometimes they can end up looking a little bit busy, especially if you are repeating entries down rows. To help users focus on what they need to do, you can use a little formatting hack to make the layout look a little less cluttered.
One Minute to Excel #23 – Text numbers to real number again
Another solution
One thing you learn quickly about Excel is that there are many ways to achieve the same outcome.
This is another example. In an earlier video I showed two separate ways to convert text numbers into real numbers.
Well, I have just learned another way. An Excel MVP Rick Rothstein shared a third way. I tweaked it and share a keyboard shortcut to do it as well.
Hope you enjoy it.
Added Nov 27, 2021
If you use Text to Columns for other conversion in the same session, you may need to use Alt A E W F as the Delimiter defaults may interfere with the conversion.
Another Excel Custom List Tweak
Adding Total to the end
I posted recently about how you can amend a custom list to change the sequence of a slicer – read it here. Here is another tweak I learned from Mr Excel (Bill Jelen).
Excel Alt key Shortcuts
Short video at bottom of post
The Alt key offers a way to use icons without using the mouse. In some cases, these Alt key shortcuts can be quicker than using the mouse.
Find the Closest Value in Excel
Dynamic array solution
On LinkedIn recently someone posted an Excel formula solution lamenting that it was long and complex. That of course was a challenge to me to simplify it.
One Minute to Excel #22 – Normalise a budget
Power Query can be quick
The standard budget layout isn’t great for pivot tables. You can easily and quickly convert it in to data using Power Query
See now in this short video.
Monitor Cells with Excel’s Watch Window
Don't wait, watch
When you are developing a file for a report, budget or forecast you may need to keep track of certain cells. They could be validations or profits or some other important value. The Watch Window can help you monitor multiple cells in one place.
In the Formulas tab in the Formula Auditing section is the Watch Window icon.
Clicking the icon opens the Watch Window. It will be blank.
You can click the Add Watch button to add a cell to monitor. You can chose cells from any sheet.
Click Add to watch the cell. You can widen the Watch Window and change column widths as well.
You can click the column headings to sort by the column.
You can also select a range to watch. but it will list the range as a series of cells – see images below.
When you save and close the file the watch entries are saved. When you open the file the Watch Window won’t be open, you will have to re-open it.
The shortcut Alt M W (pressed in sequence, not held down) will open the Watch Window. The same shortcut also closes the Watch Window.
Related Posts
One Minute to Excel #21 – Hiding Zeroes
Two ways
If you want to display a blank cell instead of a zero there are two ways to do it.
See both in this short video.
Time differences in Excel
ABS to the rescue again
Here’s a technique to calculate the time differences when you aren’t sure which time is first or last. Note with standard Excel settings you cannot report negative time.
One Minute to Excel #20 – Custom Lists
Built-in feature
Do you have a list or lists that you use all the time? Would you like to write the first entry and then drag it like January to get the rest of the list? Here’s how.
Back when text was just text
Text functions revisited
20 years ago my last article for the Accountants Weekly magazine was published. They spelled my name wrong after getting it right for all the other articles, maybe that’s why I stopped.
One Minute to Excel #19 – Skip Blanks
Paste Special Technique
If you have data that has blanks in it you may be able to combine columns using Paste Special – Skip Blanks.
Excel Shortcut keys revisited 20 years on
Some things don't change much
20 years ago I had an article published on Excel shortcuts keys – let’s revisit it.
One Minute to Excel #18 – Convert real numbers to text numbers
Two techniques
When you are working with text numbers in tables sometimes you need to convert real numbers into text numbers to do look ups.
There are at least two ways to do this.
Let’s see how to convert real numbers into test numbers, real fast.
Excel Custom List Override
In Australia our financial year starts in July. Excel is set up to work with calendar years and we need to do some date gymnastics to have our reports start in July. Here is a hack for Custom Lists that can make some things better in Excel.
May the fours be with you
Excel and Star Wars combine
On the weekend Sunday the 5th of September 2021 is a big day for Excel.
In Excel the date system starts on 1/1/1900 – that was day 1, and each day since has its own sequential number.
On Saturday September 5, 2021 (Father’s day in Australia) that number is – wait for it – see the image below.
May the fours be with you!
If you remove the formatting from a cell with a date you will see the underlying number.
One Minute to Excel #17 – Convert text numbers to real numbers
Two techniques
When you import numbers from other systems they sometimes come in as text and are left aligned.
There are a couple of ways to fix them and they can both be done in less than a minute.
Pasting into a Large Formatted Table
There is a quick way to do this
There are times when pasting to the bottom of an existing large, formatted table can take a few minutes to update. There is a quicker way.
When the formatted table is selected there is a Table Design (or Design) tab visible.
On the far left-hand side the Resize Table icon allows you to easily extend the range of the formatted.
You can amend the range and add sufficient rows to handle the new data in the dialog that opens.
When you paste into an existing formatted table (rather on the end of the table) you will find it will update a lot quicker.
Twenty Years Ago – Top 10 Excel Functions
How things change
My second article in Accountants Weekly was published 20 years ago today and it was Top 10 Functions for Accountants.
Sort by value and ignore sign revisited
Dynamic array solution
I covered a solution to sorting and ignoring the sign a couple of years back, but it is time to revisit this thanks to dynamic arrays.
Happy Birthday IBM PC
40 years old
The IBM PC was launched 12 August 1981 – 40 years ago – wow!
When I was looking at my first Excel articles I found this article from 20 years ago.
Its amazing that PC’s are roughly the same price these days.
I remember using an IBM PC at college in the early 80’s for word processing. Instead of using a typewriter for your assignments you could use the PC and printer.
You had to book times to use it because there were only two PC’s available and they were used 24 hours a day. There were dual floppy drives – one was for the operating system and one was for data storage – your files. You carried around a floppy drive with all your assignments on it.