I recently helped a client reduce the size of an Excel file. The file took a while to save which was frustrating and time consuming. I thought I would share this reasonably easy solution.
Tag Archives: Shortcut key
Filter by Cell Value Keyboard Shortcut
Its quicker to use the keyboard
I have found a keyboard shortcut combination to one on my favourite right click options and its quicker to use.
Alt Key Shortcuts
Two more
I use Alt key shortcuts a lot when I am working and I have found a couple more useful ones.
Excel and Ctrl + A
A powerful shortcut
This Excel keyboard shortcut is powerful, but it has a few quirks you need to be aware of. Its quick to use because the A and Ctrl keys are so close together.
Excel Full Screen
Maximise your grid area
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
Create looping sequential codes
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!
Clearing Input Cells with Colour
Let’s say you have a file that has numerous input cells, in numerous sheets. Each month you must clear the input cells and start the new month. There is a technique that allows you to clear the input cells if you have used a dedicated colour for those cells.
Is Excel a drag? [Video]
Maybe a few dragging tips will help
Excel’s Fill Handle has a lot of cool tricks. This short video demonstrates a couple of them.
Getting Excel to Recognise an Email Address
Converting it into a hyperlink
Sometimes when Excel imports email addresses they are not recognised as emails and are not hyperlinks. They are two ways to fix this.
Selecting Cells in Excel Using Comments
Comments are like post it notes for cells. They are a great documentation feature because you can add cell-specific notes to help you and other users understand the spreadsheet better. There are also a few “outside the box” uses for cell comments.
Restricting the Scroll Area in Excel
Non-VBA and VBA solution
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.
Printing in Excel
Some tips and tricks
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.
Excel Navigation Quick Tips
Making moving around quick and easy
There are numerous keyboard and mouse shortcuts to navigate around your spreadsheet and file.
Excel Data and Formula Entry Tips
Speeding up data entry
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.
Handling Relative References in Excel [VIDEO]
When you copy a formula in Excel, any relative references (those without dollar signs) may change depending on where you paste the formula. If you would like to copy a formula and not have the relative references change you have two options.
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?
Excel Format as Table Part 2 [VIDEO]
The Format As Table feature has many useful features that are worth taking advantage of. The previous post listed them. The video of this blog is shown at the bottom of the post.
Excel Hyperlink on a Logo
Using images for hyperlinks
In some files there is a central sheet that you keep returning to. It might hold the inputs or the controls for the file. You can simplify getting to that sheet by using a logo as a hyperlink.
Using a logo means you can place it anywhere on another sheet. It’s also easy to copy and paste the logo on other sheets once created.
You can add a hyperlink to any image, so it doesn’t have to be a logo.
There are two easy ways to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog.
Either right-click the image and select Hyperlink – see image below.
Or select the image and press Ctrl + k.
Click the Place in This Document button and select the sheet to go to. You can also link to a named range. They would be listed under Defined Names. Using a range name avoids sheet name changes that can break hyperlinks.
Click OK and it’s done.
Useful Shortcut – return from hyperlink
After you follow a hyperlink you can return to where you were when you clicked it by first pressing F5 and then pressing Enter.
Stay tuned for a way to create an almost unbreakable hyperlink in a future blog post.
Excel Formula Dialog Frustration Solved
Make editing easy
In many Excel dialogs when you use the arrow keys to move around the formula you actually insert cell references from the active cell in the sheet below.
This is frustrating as you usually only want to move within the formula and you might have to exit out of the dialog and start again.
Excel Drop Down Selection and Free Form Entry
Flexible data 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.