Growing up with Microsoft Office in school had a lot of focus on Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. What many of us did not learn, however, is how to use Microsoft Excel like a pro. This is most likely due to the fact that as students, Word and PowerPoint were used the most for projects, papers, and other tasks.
There weren’t too many times when our teachers or professors asked us to use Excel to complete a project or gave us Excel tips. Because of this lack of use for the program, not many people are well-versed in using Excel. When Excel is needed, you might even feel anxious about using it, nervous, and intimidated.
As much as you might want to avoid using the program, there are times when you have no other choice but to learn how to use Excel like a pro. You might need to use Excel for your job, for a college assignment, for your business, or something else. It’s time to learn how to become an Excel pro by learning these tips listed below!
1. Selecting a Full Data Set
There will most likely be times when you need to select and copy all of the data on your Excel sheet. When this time comes, you’ll want to use the quickest and simplest way of doing so. If you’re not already familiar with the Ctrl + A shortcut, then that is one way to do it.
However, there’s another way of doing this that’s even easier! At the top of your datasheet, there’s a corner button that touches the first row and first column. It looks like an arrow pointing downwards.
Clicking on this button will copy all of your data at once! Only need to copy data in one row or column? Use Ctrl + Shift to copy data depending on where your mouse cursor is.
To copy all data in the column above the cursor, you’ll hit the up arrow after Ctrl + Shift. Hit the down arrow to copy all data below the cursor in the column and the left or right arrows to copy data to the left or right of the cursor in that row.
2. Auto-Filling Columns
When you need to fill in repetitive information such as dates or numbers, this could take you a lot of time. To speed things up, you can auto-fill columns. To do this, begin entering your series of data.
Then, head to the bottom of the last cell and place the cursor over the fill handle on the lower-right part of the cell. The “+” sign should then appear. Click this and then drag to select all of the cells that you want to fill with this repetitive information.
The cells will then fill themselves using the pattern you’ve started. The more of a pattern you have, the easier it’ll be for Excel to auto-fill for you, but you don’t always need a pattern for auto-fill. Even without a pattern, you can still do this and Excel will pop up a window with options for you.
3. Opening Multiple Files at Once
When you need to work with multiple files within Excel all at one time, you’ll need a way to open multiple files at once. Doing so is much simpler than having to open each file individually, which takes up a lot of time. To open multiple files with only one click, you’ll first need to select the files you want to open and then hit the “Enter” key.
All of the selected files will then open at the same time.
4. Creating Your Own Shortcut Menu
Shortcut menus are a blessing when working with Microsoft programs, but what happens when the tool you use the most isn’t featured on the shortcut menu? The most common shortcut menu options that you’ll most likely find are “Save,” “Undo,” and “Repeat.”
If you’d rather have shortcuts such as, “Copy,” “Paste,” or “Cut,” then you can create your own shortcut menu with these options. To do so, you’ll need to click on the following:
File>Options>Quick Access Toolbar. You can then add the shortcuts you’d like. When you’re done, hit, “Save.”
These options will then show in the shortcut menu, making your Excel experience that much better!
5. Adding Multiple Rows or Columns at Once
Adding one new row or column to your datasheet is simple and doesn’t take a special tip to know how to do it. Adding multiple rows or columns at once can be a bit more challenging, however. Rather than spending the time adding each row or column individually, you can add multiple rows and columns at one time.
To do this, drag and select how many rows or columns you’d like to add in a specific place on your datasheet. When done, right-click on these new rows or columns and select, “Insert.” The new rows will now be added!
Which Excel Tips Were Most Useful to You?
Using Microsoft Excel can sometimes be a daunting task, but don’t let this program intimidate you. Use these Excel tips listed above to help you master Excel like a pro!
Are you interested in more tech information such as learning how to convert files? Be sure to click here to learn more about formatting tips and tricks that can help you!
These tips will come in handy when needing to convert files for your business, school project, or personal life as well!
And when you need the help of conversion online, let us help you!