Bullet Points in Excel
Bullet points are more a Word or PowerPoint feature, but you can use them in Excel. There are a few tricks required to use them though.
(more…)Another Alt key Shortcut in Excel
When you press the Alt key there are numbers and letters that appear above the Quick Access Toolbar. These allow you to access those icons. Here is a trick I learned from Mike Girvin (ExcelisFun) to use the QAT shortcuts multiple times. When you press the Alt key and then press another key you perform the action once. If you want to repeat the action and you are only pressing one key for the QAT options, you can hold the…
Excel Alt key Shortcuts
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.
(more…)Filter Issue with Excel
When you have a filter in place in Excel you typically only affect the visible cells when you edit multiple cells. There is a case when you are affecting all cells not just the visible ones.
(more…)Save and Close in Excel
I started using Excel in the late 80’s on a Mac. It had a Save and Close button. When I discovered VBA in Excel on the PC, the very first macro I ever made was save and close.
I thought this would be a good example to take you through creating a macro from scratch and sharing a technique to make it easy to use.
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Free Webinar Recording – Excel Formatting Tips
In October 2019 I re-ran my Formatting Tips session. The detailed pdf manual and example file can downloaded by using the button below. Content listed below the video. Download Materials CPD note - if you are claiming CPD for watching this recording you need to keep your own records. People who attend the live sessions receive an annual listing of attendances. https://vimeo.com/366395923 This session covers: a format to avoid and the one to use in its place keyboard and mouse…
Data Validation Shortcut
The Data Validation dialog allows you to limit or control what a user enters into a cell. There are two keyboard shortcuts to open it. (more…)
Free Excel Webinar Recording – Mouse Shortcuts
When I ran some face to face training sessions recently I was reminded how much people LOVE shortcuts. I did a keyboard shortcut webinar session in October 2018. In November 2018 I shared lots of mouse shortcuts. Download the materials using the button below and watch the video. CPD note - if you are claiming CPD for watching this recording you need to keep your own records. People who attend the live sessions receive an annual listing of attendances. [button…
Free Excel Webinar Recording – Keyboard Shortcuts
When I ran some face to face training sessions recently I was reminded how much people LOVE keyboard shortcuts. So I decided to update my keyboard shortcut webinar. In October 2018 I shared lots of keyboard shortcuts. Download the materials using the button below and watch the video. CPD note - if you are claiming CPD for watching this recording you need to keep your own records. People who attend the live sessions receive an annual listing of attendances. Download…
Filling a large range in Excel with a series [Video]
Let’s assume you need to fill a vertical range with all the whole numbers from 1 to 100. There are lots of ways to do this, but I think the keyboard could be the quickest.
(more…)Unable to Unhide Columns or Rows in Excel
There are certain situations when you can’t “unhide” columns on the left and/or rows at the top and it is not a sheet protection issue. (more…)
Alt Key Shortcuts
I use Alt key shortcuts a lot when I am working and I have found a couple more useful ones. (more…)
Excel Full Screen
There are times in Excel when you want to see as much of the Excel grid as possible. You may be reviewing or presenting a dashboard or looking at a large PivotTable. Excel has a Full Screen mode that shows just the grid and the sheet tabs.
Custom List Trick
It is common to use Q1 for quarter one. Excel will even cycle through Q1,Q2,Q3 and Q4 when you drag a cell contain Q1. What if you want to use the sequence M1 to M12 for months? Custom Lists to the rescue! (more…)
Restricting the Scroll Area in Excel
If you need to limit where a user can scroll to in a sheet you can change a setting in the VBA screen to restrict access to a specific range.
(more…)Printing in Excel
It is easy to print things from Word. It is not so easy in Excel. Excel has this huge grid and if you don’t tell Excel otherwise, it will print everything on the sheet, whether you want it to or not. (more…)
Techniques to Paste Values in Excel
Sometimes in Excel you need to paste just the values from copied cells. You don’t want the formulas. You may have created temporary formulas that you need to replace with their values. You may need to capture the current values, make some changes and then compare the new values with their old values to see the difference. (more…)
Excel Data and Formula Entry Tips
There are number of shortcuts you can use to speed up your data and formula entry in Excel.
Number keypad
Use the number keypad on the right of the keyboard. This has all the numbers, as well as most of the formula operators (+ * – /), you need to create formulas. It also has a large Enter key. The numbers are laid out like a calculator and so are easy to use. (more…)
Excel Macro Keyboard Shortcut
Macros can really improve your productivity in Excel. When you record a macro you have the option to define a shortcut key. Did you know you can also define a shortcut key for non-recorded macros? (more…)
Excel Drop Down Selection and Free Form Entry
When creating a drop down selection you usually want to restrict the user to certain entries. There are cases however when you want to allow the user to choose an option or allow them to type in their own entry. (more…)
DO NOT PASS GO TO in Excel
Excel’s Go To feature provides a quick way to select certain types of cells. For example, if you wanted to apply the same fill colour to all formula cells on a sheet, you can do that in five easy steps using Go To. (more…)
Excel Alt key shortcuts
The ALT key (there’s one on either side of your Spacebar) has some really useful shortcuts. See if they can save you some time and effort. These can be handy if, like me, you sometimes struggle with your laptop’s built-in mouse controller and you don’t have your external mouse handy. And remember most keyboard shortcuts work in all versions of Excel. (more…)
Insert a line break in a cell
The shortcut is
Alt + Enter
To insert a line break within a cell hold down the Alt key (next to your space bar) and press Enter. This inserts a fixed line break within the cell. (more…)