This technique works best in Word, but you can also use it in Excel. There is a keyboard shortcut to delete the current word. The shortcut is Ctrl + Backspace. When creating a formula in Excel that shortcut has another use that I covered in the blog post below. Note: in Excel you may now need to use Ctrl + Shift + Backspace. Whichever works - it can be useful. https://a4accounting.com.au/keyboard-shortcut-to-return-to-the-formula/ When you are in a text box (or in…
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.
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Sometimes when you’re building a formula the range that you select is further down the sheet than the formula cell. There is a keyboard shortcut that you can press to return to the formula cell. Shout out to Mike Girvin for sharing this tip in his latest book Excel the Only App that Matters.
(more…)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…
Laptop keyboards tend to re-purpose function keys to handle other features. Often the default for the function keys is the laptop features. You then must press the Fn key to access the software function key options. Look out for a FnLock option.
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When making entries in Excel there are a few keyboard shortcuts worth knowing. These can save you time and effort.
(more…)Excel has a new keyboard shortcut for Paste Special Values. Ctrl + Shift + V
AutoSum's cryptonite is a blank cell - it stops AutoSum in its tracks every time. Here's how you can avoid AutoSum's blind spot. https://vimeo.com/725251431
If you right click the arrows on the left of the sheet tabs at the bottom, left of the Excel screen you can see a list of all the sheets in the file. You can use VBA to show this list anywhere.
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When you have multiple filters across columns you may want to clear just the filter in one column. There is a keyboard technique to do that.
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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.
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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. I am not saying you should use them, just that you can.
(more…)My first article was published on 10 August 2001 in the Accountants Weekly magazine. I have scanned the original article and it is shown below. 20 years later I thought I would update the 10 points from the article. The right mouse button is still a time saver and now has even more options. You can now Filter and Sort using the right click. Try right clicking the navigation icons on the left of the sheet tabs for a complete…
There are a few lock downs in place around Australia at the moment, so let’s look at putting Excel into lock down.
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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.
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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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When you protect a sheet in Excel many icons are turned off (greyed out), including the ever popular AutoSum icon. That’s when it pays to know keyboard shortcuts.
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You can use a keyboard shortcut to enter today’s date in a cell, but you can also use it in lots of other places in Excel.
(more…)![Read more about the article Copying between sheets in Excel [VIDEO]](https://a4accounting.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/vimeo-221396947-1.jpg)
Copying between sheets or files is a common task. I’d like to share a quick and easy way to do it. (more…)
When you create an Excel file that handles inputs it is best practice to colour code the input cells. The colour you choose isn’t important but making sure you use it consistently is. You may need to unlock the input cells if you plan to add sheet protection to the file. Here’s a couple of ways to do that. (more…)
In some cases you may have to make manual inputs across multiple cells that are spread across a sheet. Before making the entries you need to clear the existing entries. Creating a range name can make that process much quicker. (more…)
When a list is filtered you are only seeing the rows that match the filter. The other rows are still there, just hidden. If you want to make the same entry in a group of filtered cells you can’t use the fill handle to drag and copy as you will overwrite the hidden rows. There is an easy way to do it.
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When you are moving images, charts or other objects that float above the grid you can use the Shift key to make it easier.
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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…)
Do you use the Ctrl key and the mouse to select multiple ranges? Well you may want to watch this short video. (more…)
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…
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…)
There are a number of mouse and keyboard shortcuts for copying. But there is one type of copy that can be frustrating. Copying dates can be challenging because, in general, Excel wants to increment them, not copy them. There is a simple technique to instruct Excel to copy a date. (more…)