20 Tricks That Can Make

Anyone An Excel Expert

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After Microsoft developed Excel to the 2010 version, it offered more

surprises than ever. In order to deal with tons of big data, you cant
ignore the important role Excel plays in daily work. However, both for
beginners and advanced users, there are still many useful tips and tricks
that are inevitably overlooked. Here are 20 useful Excel spreadsheet
secrets you may not know. Please note that all these functions are based
on Microsoft Excel 2010.

1. One Click to Select All

You might know how to select all by using the Ctrl + A shortcut, but few
know that with only one click of the corner button, as shown in the
screenshot below, all data will be selected in seconds.
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2. Open Excel Files in Bulk

Rather than open files one by one when you have multiple files you need
to handle, there is a handy way to open them all with one click. Select the
files you would like to open then press the Enter key on the keyboard, all
files will open simultaneously.
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3. Shift Between Different Excel Files

When you have different spreadsheets open, its really annoying shifting
between different files because sometimes working on the wrong sheet
can ruin the whole project. Using Ctrl + Tab you can shift between
different files freely. This function is also applicable to other files like
different Windows tabs in Firefox when opened using Windows 7.
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4. Create a New Shortcut Menu

Generally there are three shortcuts in the top menu, which are Save,
Undo Typing and Repeat Typing. However, if you want to use more
shortcuts, like Copy and Cut, you can set them up as follows:

File->Options->Quick Access Toolbar, add Cut and Copy from the left
column to the right, save it. You will see two more shortcuts added in the
top menu.

5. Add a Diagonal Line to a Cell

When creating a classmate address list, for example, you may need a
diagonal link in the first cell to separate different attributes of rows and
columns. How to make it? Everyone knows that Home->Font-> Borders
can change different borders for a cell, and even add different colors.
However, if you click More Borders, you will get more surprises, like a
diagonal line. Click it and saveyou can now make it immediately.
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6. Add More Than One New Row or Column

You may know the way to add one new row or column, but it really
wastes a lot of time if you need to insert more than one of these by
repeating this action X number of times. The best way is to drag and
select X rows or columns (X is two or more) if you want to add X rows or
columns above or left. Right click the highlighted rows or columns and
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choose Insert from the drop down menu. New rows will be inserted
above the row or to the left of the column you first selected.

7. Speedily Move and Copy Data in Cells

If you want to move one column of data in a spreadsheet, the fast way is
to choose it and move the pointer to the border, after it turns to a crossed
arrow icon, drag to move the column freely. What if you want to copy the
data? You can press the Ctrl button before you drag to move; the new
column will copy all the selected data.
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8. Speedily Delete Blank Cells

Some default data will be blank, for various reasons. If you need to delete
these to maintain accuracy, especially when calculating the average
value, the speedy way is to filter out all blank cells and delete them with
one click. Choose the column you want to filter, go to Data->Filter, after
the downward button shows, undo Select All and then pick up the last
option, Blanks. All blank cells will show immediately. Go back to Home
and click Delete directly, all of them will be removed.
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9. Vague Search with Wild Card

You may know how to activate the speedy search by using the shortcut
Ctrl + F, but there are two main wild cardsQuestion Mark and Asterisk
used in Excel spreadsheets to activate a vague search. This is used
when you are not sure about the target result. Question Mark stands for
one character and Asterisk represents one or more characters. What if
you need to search Question Mark and Asterisk as a target result? Dont
forget add a Wave Line in front.
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10. Generate a Unique Value in a Column

You are aware of the key function of Filter, but few people use the
Advanced Filter, which will be repeatedly applied when you need to filter
a unique value from data in a column. Click to choose the column and go
to Data->Advanced. A pop-up window will show up. As the screenshot
shows, click Copy to another location, which should be in accord with the
second red rectangular area. Then specify the target location by typing
the value or clicking the area-choosing button. In this example, the
unique age can be generated from Column C and show in Column E.
Dont forget to choose Unique records only, then click OK. The unique
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value showing in column E can be the contrast of the original data in C,

thats the reason why it is recommended to copy to another location.

11. Input Restriction with Data Validation

Function
In order to retain the validity of data, sometimes you need to restrict the
input value and offer some tips for further steps. For example, age in this
sheet should be whole numbers and all people participating in this
survey should be between 18 and 60 years old. To ensure that data
outside of this age range isnt entered, go to Data->Data Validation-
>Setting, input the conditions and shift to Input Message to give
prompts like, Please input your age with whole number, which should
range from 18 to 60. Users will get this prompt when hanging the
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pointer in this area and get a warning message if the inputted

information is unqualified.

12. Fast Navigation with Ctrl + Arrow Button

When you click Ctrl + any arrow button on the keyboard, you can jump
to the edge of the sheet in different directions. If you want to jump to the
bottom line of the data, just try to click Ctrl + downward button.
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13. Transpose Data from a Row to a Column

You would use this feature if you want to transpose data to get a better
display; however, retyping all data would be the last thing you would
need to do if you know how to use the Transpose function in Paste.
Heres how: copy the area you want to transpose, move the pointer to
another blank location. Go to Home->Paste->Transpose, please note
that this function wont activate until you copy the data first.
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14. Hide Data Thoroughly

Almost all users know how to hide data by right clicking to select the
Hide function, but this can be easily noticed if there is only a little bit of
data. The best and easiest way to hide data thoroughly is to use the
Format Cells function. Choose the area and go to Home->Font->Open
Format Cells->Number Tab->Custom->Type ;;; -> Click OK, then all the
values in the area will be invisible, and can only be found in the preview
area next to the Function button.
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15. Compose Text with &

Complicated formulation is unnecessary, as long as you know how to use
&. You can compose any text freely with this symbol. Below I have four
columns with different texts, but what if I want to compose them to one
value in one cell? First, locate the cell that is to show the composed
result, use the formulation with & as shown in the screenshot below.
Click Enter: all texts in A2, B2, C2 and D2 will be composed together to
become LizaUSA25@ in F2.
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16. Transforming the Case of Text

With all the tricks shared here, Ive tried my best to avoid complicated
formulation. But there are still some simple and easy to use formulations
to show you, like UPPER, LOWER and PROPER, which can transform
texts for different purposes. UPPER will capitalize all characters,
LOWER can change text to all lower case and PROPER will only
capitalize the first character of a word.
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17. Input Values Starting with 0

When an input value starts with zero, Excel will delete the zero by
default. Rather than reset the Format Cells, this problem can be easily
solved by adding a single quote mark ahead of the first zero, as shown.

18. Speed up Inputting Complicated Terms

with AutoCorrect
If you need to repeat the same value and it is complicated to input, the
best way is to use the AutoCorrect function, which will replace your text
with the correct text. Take my name, Liza Brown, for example, which can
be replaced by LZ. Therefore, every time I input LZ, it can autocorrect to
Liza Brown. Go to File->Options->Proofing->AutoCorrect Options and
input Replace text with correct text in the red rectangular area, as below.
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19. One Click to Get More Status

Most users know how to check the data status in the bottom of an Excel
sheet, like Average and Sum Value. However, do you know you can move
the pointer to the bottom tab and right click to get more status, as shown
below?
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20. Rename a Sheet Using Double Click

There are multiple ways to rename sheets, and most users will right click
to choose Rename, which actually wastes a lot of time. The best way is to
just click twice, then you can rename it directly.
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Computer spreadsheet programs, like Excel, are an excellent tool

for organizing, storing and manipulating data. Here are tricks that will
assist with data entry into the spreadsheet:

1. Control the cell pointer during data entry:

Excel automatically moves the cell pointer to the next cell down when
you press Enter after entering data into a cell. This gets distracting,
especially, if you wish to add data in a row instead of a column. To
change the setting, use the Excel options dialog box.

Choose: File ->Excel Options -> Advanced ->Editing Options.

Enable Check-box After pressing Enter, move selection and the

corresponding drop-down, controls the action of the cell pointer
during data Entry.

Tip: On disabling the check-box, arrow keys can be used to control

the direction of the pointer. For example, if youre entering data in a
row, press the right-arrow key rather than Enter to move fluidly to the
next cell in the same row.
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2. Store data within Data Tables :

Excel Spreadsheet is grid of rows and columns. While adding data into
Excel, intuitively one does not use Data Tables. However, Excel Data
Tables are simple and powerful. They help in easily adding more rows
and columns without worrying about updating formula references,
formatting options, filter settings, etc. Data Tables take care of
everything.

To add Excel Data Tables, select a Range of Cells comprising of data and
click on Table button residing inside the Insert Ribbon.

Data Table Tricks:

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Data Tables comes with its own set of Data Filters and Sort Options
by default. Without Data Tables, Excel allows only one set of filters
per worksheet. However, if a worksheet has more than one table, then
each table comes with its own filters and sort options.

Formulas inside a data table can use meaningful header names

instead of using cell references. Moreover, on adding or removing
rows, one need not worry about updating the references.

With structured references, calculating inside columns becomes

very easy. In addition, excel automatically fills the formula inside rest
of the cells in the column.

Data Tables can be formatted with a single click inside Table Tools

Duplicate Data can be deleted from the Data Tables with a single
click inside Table Tools

Data Tables can be converted back to a Range with a single

click inside Table Tools
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Data Tables can be exported to a share point site with a single

click inside Table Tools

Data Tables can be summarized by adding a Total Row with a

single click inside Table Tools

3. Data Entry Forms

Once the Data Tables are set up in a worksheet, Excel Data forms provide
the ability to enter data into those tables using a Dialog box. To get the
Form Button on the Quick Access Toolbar, follow the below steps:

Click on Customize Quick Access Toolbar

Select More Commands from the list

Choose All Commands from the Dropdown

You should find Forms in the list of All Commands

Click on Add, and it should get added to the Quick Access Toolbar,
once you click on OK

In order to access the Forms Dialog box, simply select the Data Table
Range in the worksheet and Click on Forms from the Quick Access
Toolbar.
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The options on the Dialog box are as follows:

New: Adds a new record into the Data Table

Delete: Deletes the displayed record from the Data Table

Restore: Restores the changes made in a Data Table Entry

Find Prev/Find Next: Finds the records as specified in the Criteria

Field

Criteria: Retrieving data that meets a set criteria

Close: Closes the Dialog Box

4. Data Validation Lists:

Creating drop-down list and enforcing data entry using drop-down,
ensures that data consistency is always maintained in your worksheet. To
create a drop-down list:

Enter the list of items in a range.

Select the cell that will contain the drop-down list

Choose Data -> Data Tools -> Data Validation.

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In the Data Validation dialog box, click the Settings tab.

In the Allow drop-down list, select List.

In the Source box, specify the range that contains the items.

Make sure that the In-Cell drop-down option is checked and click
OK.
Tip: If the drop-down list is short, then you can enter the values directly in the Source Field separated
by commas.

5. AutoCorrect for short-hand data entry:

AutoCorrect, by default is meant to do useful things like capitalizing the
first letter of sentences, or correct the accidental use of the caps lock key.
In addition, one can customize the AutoCorrect to create shortcuts for
commonly used words or phrases. For example, below I use the
abbreviation: gro for Groceries, subsc for Subscriptions and so on.

In order to get to the AutoCorrect Options,

Click on Files -> Excel Options -> Proofing -> Auto Correct Options.
Alternatively, the key-board short cut is: ALT+T+A.
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AutoCorrect Tips and Tricks:

To Add an AutoCorrect Shortcut, type the shortcut text in the

Replace Field, and type the text that it will expand to in the With
Field, and then click Add.

To remove an AutoCorrect shortcut, locate the shortcut in the

AutoCorrect list and click on Delete.

To override AutoCorrect Press CTRL+Z while entering information

into the cell
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To share the AutoCorrect entries with your friends or across

machines, simply locate the *.acl file on your hard drive, and copy it to
the corresponding location on the other machine.

Excel converts email address or web URL entries into hyperlinks

using AutoCorrect. To override a single automatic hyperlink, just click
Undo (or press Ctrl+Z) after you enter the text. The hyperlink
disappears, but the text you entered remains intact. To disable this
feature completely, go to AutoCorrect Options -> Click on Tab: Auto
Format as you Type -> Disable the check box: Internet and network
paths with hyperlinks .

6. AutoComplete to automate Data Entry:

Excels AutoComplete feature makes it easy to enter the same text into
multiple cells. Simply type the first few letters of a text entry into a cell
and Excel automatically completes the entry, based on other entries that
you already made in the column. It helps to not only reduce the typing,
but also to maintain consistency in the data entered.

Auto Complete Tips and Tricks:

Auto complete works only on contiguous column of cells, so do not

leave blank rows to fully utilize Auto completes potential
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Auto complete changes the case of letters automatically

If the column contains multipls entries that match the first few
characters, then Auto Complete does not kick off until your entry
matches one of them quickly.

You can access the Mouse controlled version of Auto Complete by

right clicking the cell and choosing the Pick from Drop Down List
Option.

You can access the same drop down list from keyboard by pressing:
Shift+F10.

7. Proofread with Audio

Excel has a handy text-to-speech capability, that is capable of reading the
contents of the cell as you enter it. In addition, it can also read back a
specific range of cells.

To enable the feature in the Quick Access Tool bar:

Click on Customize Quick Access Toolbar

Select More Commands from the list

Choose All Commands from the Dropdown

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Select all the Cells starting with Speak Cells and Add them to the
Quick Access Toolbar, by clicking on Add.

To read a range of cells, select the range of cells, and Click the Speak
Cells button.

You can change the orientation, by clicking on Speak Cells on Column

or Speak Cells on Rows.

If you wish the excel to speak the contents of the cell as you enter, then
click on Speak Cells on Enter.
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The below Image shows the symbols for each of the options:

Have I missed out on some of your favourite tricks on data entry? I

would love to hear about them in the comments section.