Comprehensive List of Excel Keyboard ShortcutsPosted on February 22nd, 2010 inFeatured,Keyboard Shortcuts,Learn Excel- 115 comments22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222

Few weeks back I have invited all of you toshare your excel keyboard shortcuts in a open thread. More than 50 people commented on that post and shared a hundred excel keyboard shortcuts with us. There were so many wonderful keyboard shortcuts and tricks buried in the comments section of that post. During the weekend, I spent sometime to collect all these beautiful shortcuts and arranged them neatly so that you can easily learn them.Special thanks to all the commenters on the original post. Without you I couldnt have learned these shortcuts.

Here is the complete list of excel keyboard shortcuts. Shortcuts for Selection Shortcuts for Editing Shortcuts for Navigation Shortcuts for Formatting Shortcuts for Formulas Shortcuts for Excel Options Shortcuts for Auto Complete Shortcuts for Everything ElseNote:I have *ed some of the most important shortcuts. These are very useful and extremely time saving ones. You may want to remember a few to boost your productivity.Select the whole columnSELECTIONCTRL + SPACE

Select the whole rowSELECTIONSHIFT + SPACE

Select tableSELECTIONSHIFT + CTRL + SPACE bar

SaveSELECTIONCTRL + s

Select visible cells onlySELECTIONALT + ;

Select entire regionSELECTIONCTRL + A

Select range from start cell to far leftSELECTIONSHIFT + Home

Select range from start cell to end in direction of arrowSELECTIONSHIFT + End + arrow

Select a continuous range of data (e.g. pivot), no matter where your cursor is.SELECTIONCTRL + *

Select blank cellsSELECTIONF5 + ALT + S + K + ENTER

Select all cells with commentsSELECTIONCTRL + SHIFT + O

Select all cells that are directly or indirectly referred to by formulas in the selectionSELECTIONCTRL + SHIFT + {

Select all cells with formulas that refer directly or indirectly to the active cellSELECTIONCTRL + SHIFT + }

Selects all the way to a1 from cursor positionSELECTIONCTRL + SHIFT + HOME

Select cells in the direction of arrowSELECTIONCTRL + SHIFT + Arrow

Previous sheetNAVIGATIONCTRL + Page Up

Next sheetNAVIGATIONCTRL + Page Down

Launch GO TO Dialog (from here you can select special or jump to a cell or range)NAVIGATIONF5

Go to top left (will go to top left of freezed pane if set)NAVIGATIONCTRL + Home

Go to last non-blank cellNAVIGATIONCTRL + end

Go to previous sheetNAVIGATIONCTRL + PgUp

Go to next sheetNAVIGATIONCTRL + PgDn

PrintNAVIGATIONCTRL + p

Toggle between workbooks in a given session of excel.NAVIGATIONCTRL + TAB

Change the type of cell reference from relative to absolute or semi-absoluteFORMULASF4

Repeat whatever you did lastFORMULASF4

Debug portions of a formula (select and press)FORMULASF9

Sum rangeFORMULASALT + =

Enter array formulaFORMULASCTRL + SHIFT + Enter

Select array formula rangeFORMULASCTRL + /

Display range names (can be used when typing formulas)FORMULASF3

Evaluate formulas. (its easy to remember when working with some tuf formulas!)FORMULASALT + TUF

Copy a formula from above cell and editFORMULASCTRL + '

Display the formula palette after you type a valid function name in a formulaFORMULASCTRL + A (while writing a formula)

Alternate between displaying cell values and displaying cell formulasFORMULASCTRL + ` (Single Left Quotation Mark)

Calculate formulasFORMULASF9

Select all precedent cellsFORMULASCTRL + [

Select all dependent cellsFORMULASCTRL + ]

Format Selection (cells, objects, charts)FORMATTINGCTRL + 1

Bold a cells contentFORMATTINGCTRL + B

Format Painter Paste formats from selectionFORMATTINGALT + EST

Format as number with 2 dpFORMATTINGCTRL + SHIFT + 1

Format as local currencyFORMATTINGCTRL + SHIFT + 4

Format as percentage with 0 dpFORMATTINGCTRL + SHIFT + 5

Hide rowFORMATTINGCTRL + 9

Hide columnFORMATTINGCTRL + 0

Unhide rowFORMATTINGCTRL + SHIFT + 9

Unhide columnFORMATTINGCTRL + SHIFT + 0

Display the style command format menuFORMATTINGALT + '

Sets/removes strikeout in current cellFORMATTINGCTRL + 5

Show/hide the top bar when you have a groupFORMATTINGCrtl + 8

Single border around selected cellsFORMATTINGCTRL + SHIFT + 7

SortFORMATTINGALT + DS

Insert hyperlinkFORMATTINGCTRL + K

Freeze panesFORMATTINGALT + WFF

Remove grid lines or (alt+t)ov(alt+g)[enter]FORMATTINGALT + WVG (2007+)

To wrap linesFORMATTINGALT + HW (2007+)

Save asEXCEL OPTIONSF12

Collapse the ribbon (press again to expand)EXCEL OPTIONSCTRL + F1

Opens print previewEXCEL OPTIONSCTRL + F2

Maximize the current windowEXCEL OPTIONSALT + SPACE X

Activate next windowEXCEL OPTIONSALT + TAB

Activate previous windowEXCEL OPTIONSALT + SHIFT + TAB

Close an excel workbookEXCEL OPTIONScrtl + F4

Split screensEXCEL OPTIONSALT + W + S

Create a pivot table in new sheet (of course after selecting the range)EVERYTHING ELSEALT + DPF

Create a pivot table in the same sheet.EVERYTHING ELSEALT + DPN

Show visual basic editorEVERYTHING ELSEALT + F11

Macro dialogEVERYTHING ELSEALT + F8

Apply/remove filterEVERYTHING ELSEALT + DFF

Keep filter on columns, but show all rowsEVERYTHING ELSEALT + DFS

Insert pivot tableEVERYTHING ELSEALT + NVT

Turn filter on or offEVERYTHING ELSECTRL + SHIFT + L

Paste values onlyEDITINGALT + ESV

Edit a cell, place cursor at the endEDITINGF2

Show in-cell drop down with previously entered valuesEDITINGALT + Down arrow

Fills down value from cell aboveEDITINGCTRL + D

Add a comment or Edit commentEDITINGSHIFT + F2

Insert new sheetEDITINGSHIFT + F11

Insert rowEDITINGCTRL + +

Delete rowEDITINGCTRL + -

CopyEDITINGCTRL + C

PasteEDITINGCTRL + V

CutEDITINGCTRL + X

UndoEDITINGCTRL + Z

Get a line break inside the cellEDITINGALT + Enter (while editing the cell)

Clear all contentsEDITINGALT + EAA

CopyEDITINGCTRL + insert

PasteEDITINGSHIFT + Insert

Make chart/pivot chartEDITINGF11

Edit a cell in Apple MacsEDITINGCTRL + U

Copy the value from the cell above the active cell into the cell or the formula barEDITINGCTRL + SHIFT + "

Copies whatever is in the cell to the left of it.EDITINGCTRL + R

Delete box (cell, row, column)EDITINGALT + ED

Insert box (cell, row, column)EDITINGALT + IE

Enter current dateAUTO COMPLETECTRL + ;

Enter current timeAUTO COMPLETECTRL + :

Thanks to the contributorshttp://chandoo.org/wp/advanced-excel-skills/Do you know these Double-click Tricks in Excel?Posted on June 12th, 2009 inExcel Howtos,Featured,Learn Excel- 124 comments

Most of us think of mastering formulas, learning macros and being supergood with charts when we think of being productive with spreadsheets. But often learning simple stuff like keyboard shortcuts, using mouse and working with menus and ribbons can be a huge productivity booster for us. So as part of this installment ofspreadcheatswe will learn 7 very cool and effective double click tricks in excel. (as an aside, try saying double click tricks several times faster)Double Click on the Office Button / Logo to Close Excel

This is simple. Displays do you want to save dialog if the workbook is not saved.Adjust column widths by selecting multiple columns and double clicking on the separators

This is my favorite. You can use the same trick to adjust row heights too.Double-click in the corner, just above scroll-bar to include a split

It is surprising that very few people know about split and freeze panes feature in excel. I have often seen colleagues struggling tofreeze top rowof a large workbook or include a split so that they can see 2 different things at a time.You can also create a vertical split by clicking on the little bar shape next to horizontal scroll-bar near bottom right corner of the excel window.(If you are wondering where the split would be created, it will be created at selected cells row (or column))Double click on ribbon menu names to collapse ribbon to get more space

In MS Office 2007 you can double click on the ribbon menus to collapse the ribbon to one line. In Excel 2003, when you double click on the empty space in the toolbar area, it opens up the customize window (same as Menu > tools > customize)Auto-fill a series of cells with data or formulas by just double clicking

I have saved countless minutes ever since I learned this little trick. Lets say you have a table where in one column you have some data and in the next you have written a formula in the first row. Now how would you copy the formula and paste it in all cells in that column?Copy the formula (ctrl+c), select all cells, paste the formula.Well, no more. Just select the formula in first cell, double click in the bottom right corner and see the magic.The trick works for formulas, auto-fills (of numbers, dates, what not) as long as the adjacent column has data.Jump to last row / column in table with double-click

Just select any cell in the table and double click on the cell-border in the direction you want to go. See the screencast.Lock a particular feature and reuse them with double-click

You can lock any repeatable feature (like format painter, drawing connectors, shapes etc.) by just double clicking on the icon (in Excel 2007 this works for format painter, but for drawing shapes you need to right click and select lock drawing mode). This can save you a ton of time when you need to repeat same action several times.Now its time to test your clicking skillsTurn on the Clipboard pane, Copy paste like there is no tomorrow

We all swear by ctrl+c, ctrl+v. A large part of my MBA case studies were submitted intime thanks only to the awesome clipboard. But do you know that you can turn on the clipboard feature in Excel 2007 in a full panel view and use it to speed up the copy paste activity.Hold Down ALT to see what keyboard shortcuts are available, press key and you will see more

All you have to do is hold the ALT key down. And I can bet that you will learn a fun and simple keyboard shortcut for something that you use everyday. What more, in Excel 2007 you can use most of the Excel 2003 (and earlier) keyboard shortcuts.Lock a feature to Boost up your performance, for eg. lock format painter and paste formats everywhere

When you need to perform certain action several times, like for eg. if you want to paste the same formatting over 40 different cells, you can lock the format painter by double clicking on it. See the screencast to understand how it works.(When you can inserting shapes etc, you can use lock drawing mode option from right click menu)Make your charts and tables go everywhere, copy them as pictures

When you copy a chart / table of cells as picture, they take less space and look lot better when pasted.Add Invisible / Hidden features to your Quick Access Toolbar

You can add hidden features of excel 2007 like camera tool etc. to the quick access toolbar (the tools that you usually see next to office button). Just click on the office button > Excel options > Customize and select commands not in the ribbon. These are the features that are not usually shown on ribbon (some of them are shown when you lets say select a chart or table or something like that).Move the Quick Access Toolbar down to save mouse travel time

I think that title says it all. See the image.Always save the files in Excel 2003-97 compatible mode

Very useful if your colleagues / clients are still using old versions. Just go to Office button > Excel Options > Save and change the file type to Excel 2003-97.Click on the corner of a group of Ribbon Icons to launch its UI

This is not applicable for all groups. But for some groups of icons you see a little squarish icon on the bottom right corner. Just hit it to launch a friendly office 2003ish looking dialog to make changes to the settings etc.Add chart related options to Quick Access Toolbar to save time

If you make a lot of charts, then it pays to add the chart related options like adding error bars, adding axis etc. to the quick access toolbar. Then you can press ALT+number to activate this feature and work with it without even moving your mouse.Create a named range quickly by typing the name in the corner of formula bar

You can quickly create a named range by selecting a bunch of cells and typing the name in the formula bars left hand corner where usually cell address is displayed.See the screencast.BONUS: Enable Developer Ribbon Toolbar in Excel 2007

If you in to mochas and trying to explore macros, then this one is for you. Enable the Developer toolbar from Excel options > Popular and you can play with all those form controls and macros.

15 MS Excel Tips to Make you a Productivity GuruPosted on October 16th, 2008 inFeatured,Learn Excel- 32 comments

We all like to customize things, to personalize them so that we feel better, faster and smarter using them. Microsoft Excel is a perfect example of highly customizable software. It is simple to learn and use, and at the same time it is relatively easy to change the way it works for you.Here is a list of 15 useful excel tweaks that can make you hyper-productive. Happy Thursday1. Change the order in which you edit cellsWe all know that when you hit enter on a cell excel usually takes you to the next cell in that column for editing. But what if you need to go to next cell in that row? Of course you can use tab. But you can also customize the cell edit order when you are typing out that large list of entries so that you need not change your habits for the software. Just go to Menu > Tools > Options > Edit tab and set the move selection after enter to whatever direction you like.2. Change the number of default sheets on open from threeWhenever you open a new workbook, excel shows 3 spreadsheets by default. Most of the times we need one or two of them. And when we are sharing the project plan or sales report (or whatever else the excel file has) with colleagues, we remove the other 2 sheets. You can save the trouble by telling excel to create only one sheet by default and let you add more if you need it. In Menu > Tools > Options > General Tab change the sheets in new workbook from 3 to 1.3. Customize excels standard font to Arial to your favorite

Each one of us have our own favorite fonts. I like Verdana better than Arial. May be you like Georgia compared to Arial. But when you set out to create thatgantt chartfor your new project you have to manually change the font from Arial to Georgia everytime. No longer. Tell excel to change the default font from Arial to your favorite. In Menu > Tools > Options > General Tab set the Standard font to what you like. You can set the font size as well.4. Hack auto-fills using custom lists

Excel has few built-in lists that it uses for auto-filling cells when you drag that little pointer across. For eg. you can write Monday in 1st cell, Tuesday in 2nd cell and select these two and drag that over the next few cells by clicking in the corner and excel would fill rest of the weekdays in that range. This is a very useful feature. But what if you do repetitive typing your company products or annual holidays ? Of course you can tell excel to use your own lists for auto-fills. Just go to Menu > Tools > Options > Custom Lists and add your own lists by typing them or pointing to a location where they are.5. Change the colors to something bold and better

Excel (2003 and earlier) has a limitation of 56 colors. We all have been living with that for a while now. But what if you need to tweak the colors to suit your companys color scheme without spending too much time on it. Simple. Just change the colors for the current workbook by going to Menu > Tools > Options > Color and define your own RGB values for each of the colors. Alternative you can try thishack to get more colors in your charts.6. Configure thousands separator and decimal symbols

Excels number formatting is pretty intelligent. It can get your country locale information from the system you are using and thus format the numbers (the thousands separators symbol and decimal point symbol) based on that. This is a very useful feature since you dont have to worry how the numbers are shown. But what if you are in US but your reports needs to show numbers according to some other countrys format? You can change the thousands separator and decimal point symbols to suit your preference. In the Menu > Tools > Options > International Tab, uncheck the use system separators and enter your own.7. Bugged with annoying error checking options? Turn them off foreverExcels formula error checking options are both useful and annoying. For eg. Excel would tell me if there is an inconsistent formula in region. Very useful feature to spot omissions. But what if you already know what you are doing and you need to omit few cells in that region in that formula? Still excel would bug you to correct that error. It may be better to turn off this error checking option that silence it every time. Go to Menu > Tools > Options > Error Checking Tab and uncheck error checking rules that you dont want excel to apply.8. Reduce your typing by using auto correct

We have come to rely on features like spell check, undo, auto correct so much that our productivity would drop 50% if these features were to vanish tomorrow. But do you know that you can use auto-correct feature to be even more productive? You can set your own auto correct rules in Excel (Word, PowerPoint as well) and this little tweak can help you reduce typing. For eg. while writing blog posts I often write PHD to conveyPointy Haired Dilbert. Instead of actually typing Pointy Haired Dilbert every time, I can define an auto-correct rule that says replace PHD with Pointy Haired Dilbert. Imagine how much of typing you can reduce by defining simple replacements for several day to day words you type. Define your own auto correct rules in Menu > Tools > Auto Correct Options > Auto Correct Tab.9. Tell excel to show full menus, Always!One of the smart features of MS Office is that the menus learn what options you use often and show only them when you click on the menu. But this gets in the way of being productive if your work involves using various options all the time. Fortunately you can turn off this feature and tell Excel (and other office apps) to show Full menus always. Just go to Menu > Tools > Customize > Options Tab and check Always show full menus option.10. Reduce the workbook size by compressing pictures

Whenever you are sharing the workbooks with colleagues either through mail or by uploading to a server, it is recommended to keep the size of workbooks low in order to let the receivers quickly get the file. Sometimes excel files can be very huge depending on the number of sheets and formulas you have used. There is one trick to reduce the size of excel files with images. You can tell excel to compress the images for web viewing. This will force saving the images at lower resolution of 96dpi instead of standard 200dpi. In the Menu > File > Save As dialog box, click on Compress pictures option and adjust the resolution in the change resolution area.11. Tell excel how to calculate your formulas

Often when you are working on spreadsheets with lots of formulas it can be a bit inconvenient to have excel recalculate every formula at each key stroke. Especially if the formulas involve a large range then excel can take quite a while to perform the calculations hogging system resources. Of course there is a way to force excel to calculate formulas when you choose to (by hitting F9). In Menu > Tools > Options > Calculation tab set the calculation to Manual or Automatic except for tables.12. Save time by using templates

Every organization / individual has their own tastes on how a status report, project plan, gantt chart or grade table should look like. And often we spend hours touching up that spreadsheet / document to make sure it complies with standard styles / fonts / layouts. There is a simple work around that could reduce the time spent on formatting in Excel. Next time you make a project plan, save it as a template and use it whenever you need a project plan and edit the stuff you need to. Saves time for other nicer things like.. mmm, sipping coffee or reading Pointy Haired Dilbert.13. Use paste special when copying charts to PowerPoint, it saves space as well

Ok, this is pretty common, we design charts, tables in Excel and then paste them in to PowerPoint. But somehow the formatting is not preserved or the file is too huge. Here is a simple hack that you may already know. Usepaste specialwhenever you are pasting the charts / tables to PowerPoint / word or outlook and select enhanced meta file option. This makes sure you have a good quality chart that looks slick when projected (or printed) while taking up less space.14. Remove any personal information from the spreadsheet with one click

Often when you make a spreadsheet about that vacation plan or to share party expenses and send it to others you may want to remove your personal information from the excel file, just to make sure the file is harmless even if it is posted on the cloud. In Menu > Tools > Options > Security tab, check the Remove personal information from file properties on save to make sure your company name, last name etc. are removed from the excel file properties.15. Bored with Excel menus? Create your ownFinally, how would you like your own menu with your own shortcuts ? This can be super-productive if you spreadsheet a lot and need to access all those nifty features with one click. Here is a clue on how to get your own menus. Go to Menu > Tools > Customize > Commands Tab and add your menu to the list. How? That is your home work. After all you are a spreadsheet customization guru now.That is all. So go ahead and tweak that spreadsheet software and have fun in all the time you have just saved.Note: all tips are tested on MS Excel 2003. Let me know if you face any difficulties.10 Tips to Make Better and Boss-proof Excel SpreadsheetsPosted on November 3rd, 2009 inExcel Howtos,Featured,Learn Excel- 55 comments

We all have atleast one story of how that one time the boss / co-worker / classmate / cat ruined the carefully crafted excel spreadsheet by mucking up the formulas or disturbing the formatting. There are 3 very easy solutions to prevent this problem,1. Write an unleash_a_pack_of_wild_cats_when_someone_messes_with_the_file () macro: It is not an elegant solution, and cats are not very consistent, but it can work.2. Move to marketing department, you dont need to send excel files any more, just ppts.3. Or, read this post and learn 10 awesome tips on how to boss proof your excel files.So here is the list of 10 tips to make better excel spreadsheets. I suggest using all these tips for a perfect boss proof workbook.Restrict The Work Area Few Columns and RowsNot all spreadsheets have 256 columns and 65000 rows of data. So why show the entire grid when you can, say, just show the 44 rows and 23 columns in which the sales report is presented.

To restrict the work area, Select the first column you dont want to see (24th column) and press CTRL+SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW. Now Right click and select Hide option. Select the first row you dont want to see (45th row) and press CTRL+SHIFT+DOWN ARROW. Now right click and select Hide option.Lock Formula Cells And Protect The WorksheetFormulas are the most vulnerable part of an excel sheet. You accidentally edit something, say in payroll sparesheet, and you just gave 3200% bonus to someone in the organization. That is alright if that someone is a CEO of a bailed-out bank, but in all other cases, you end up spending a sweet afternoon trying to figure out what went wrong.

So, it is better to lock the workbook formulas and protect the worksheet so that no one accidentally erase the formulas or mess with them. To do this follow the steps in the illustration above.You can use the same trick to lock the charts and other worksheet objects.Freeze Panes So that Your boss Knows what she is Reading

Freeze panes is a very useful feature. It locks the important items on the top so even when you scroll down you still see them. (You can do the same for columns, thus seeing the first few column even when scrolling left).Bonus tip: Use excel tables (new feature in Excel 2007) so that you dont need to freeze panes.Learn more.Hide Un-necessary / Calculation SheetsIt is fairly common for excel workbooks to have tens worksheets, some with data, some with calculations, some with intermediate stuff and only one or two sheets with actual outcome (like a dashboard or a report).

There is no reason to think that all these worksheets should be visible all the time to the boss. While it makes sense to have the data and calculations visible so that someone can audit the worksheet, I am sure you dont want your boss to waster her time doing that. So here is a handy tip: Select all the worksheets other than the output sheets and hide them.Hide Rows / ColumnsIf for some reason, hiding worksheets is not possible, you can still try hiding rows and columns. This is a very good way to prevent someone from accidentally messing a with a row of really big and complicated formulas.

Just select the rows / columns you want to hide and right click and select the hide option.Include Cell Comments / Help MessagesWe all know bosses have a busy mind. They dont have time to remember (or know) every little thing. Heck, sometimes they dont even know what somethings are.

I suggest using cell comments and help messages to give right information / guidelines to the spreadsheet end user, like enter your age in this cell. They are easy to implement and totally non-intrusive. To include a cell comment, select the cell and press SHIFT+F2 and write the comment.To include a cell message, select the cell, go to data validation, go to input message tab and type what you want.Data Validations, Error MessagesSpreadsheets are complicated things that are carefully crafted with umpteen pre-conditions and assumptions. I am sure there is at least one excel file out there that will only work if a cat enters the input. But we are not talking about cats, the point is, it is important that right data is fed to the worksheet before the formulas (or charts or payroll macro etc.) can work. That is where data validation can help.

It is very easy to set up data validation in excel. Just select the cell and go to data validation (in Data ribbon / menu). There are several ways in which you can set up data validations, You canshow an incell drop down boxand ask users to pick from a list You can specify the type of data allowed (dates, times, numbers, text) You can specify the length of data You can specify the conditions on data (like between 2 numbers, less than a given date etc.) You can even use formulas to make your own data validations [example]There are severalexamples of using data validationin this site. Go check.Use Consistent Colors And SchemesAnything looks better when it is consistent, even when it is internally screwed up. That same rule applies to excel workbooks as well. It will make your boss feel comfortable and relaxed to see an excel workbook with consistent colors and (simple) schemes.

I suggestusing excel cell stylesto define the styles for your workbooks. This ensures consistency and you dont have to spend after hours formatting the worksheets.Read more about cell styles.Name and Color Worksheet Tabs AppropriatelyIt doesnt matter if you have designed an awesome excel dashboard, your boss can be still pissed because the sheet name is Sheet 69. That brings us to the last and final point.

Use appropriate names (and may be tab colors) for the worksheet tabs. This makes the navigation easy and boss proof.Learn how to color excel worksheet tabs.Before Closing The Workbook, Select Cell A1 On The Correct SheetJust before you finally save the workbook and e-mail it to the boss, make sure you are on the right worksheet (ie the dashboard or the report) and selected cell A1. The ensures that when the boss opens the workbook, she sees the right tab with right information, not some calculations or formulas.That is all, you have just learned a handful of trick to impress your boss.Excel can be Exciting 15 fun things you can do with your spreadsheet in less than 5 secondsPosted on August 1st, 2008 inAll Time Hits,Featured,hacks,ideas,Learn Excel- 105 comments

Who said Excel takes lot of time / steps do something? Here isa list of 15 incredibly fun things you can do to your spreadsheetsand each takes no more than 5 seconds to do.Happy Friday1. Change the shape / color of cell comments

Just select the cell comment, go to draw menu in bottom left corner of the screen, and choose change auto shape option, select a 32 pointed star or heart symbol or a smiley face, just wow everyone

2. Filter unique items from a list

Select the data, go to data > filter > advanced filter and check the unique items option.3. Sort from Left to Right

What if your data flows from left to right instead of top to bottom. Justchange the sort orientationfrom sort options in the data > sort menu.4. Hide the grid lines from your sheets

Go to Options dialog in tools menu, uncheck the grid lines option to remove gridlines from your worksheets. You can also change the color of grid line from here (not recommended)5. Add rounded border to your charts, make them look smooth

Just right click on the chart, select format chart option, in the dialog, check the rounded borders. You can even add a shadow effect from here.6. Fetch live stock quotes / company research with one click

Just enter the stock symbol (MSFT, GOOG, AAPL etc.) in a cell, alt+click on the cell to launch research pane, select stock quotes to see MSN Money quotes for the selected symbol. You can fetch company profiles in the same way.Learn more.7. Repeat rows on top when printing, show table headers on every page

When you are on the sheet view, just hit menu > file > page setup, go to the last tab, specify rows to repeat. You can repeat columns while printing as well from the same menu.8. Remove conditional formatting / all formatting with one click

Just go to Menu > Edit > Clear > All to remove all the formatting from selected cell / range.9. Auto sum cells with one click

Select a bunch of cells and click on the Sigma symbol on the standard tool bar. Alternatively you can use Alt+=keyboard shortcut.10. Find width of a column with formula, really!

Just use=cell("width")to find the width of the column to which that formula cell belongs. Width is returned as the nearest integer.11. Find total working days between any two dates, including holidays

If you work on project plans, gantt charts alot, this can be totally handy. Just type=networkdays(start date, end date,list of holidays)to fetch the number of working days. In the above sample you can see the number of working days between New years day and September first of this year (labor day).12. Freeze Rows / Columns in your sheet, Show important info even when scrolling

Select the cell diagonally beneath the row / columns you want to freeze (for eg. if you wan to freeze row 1&2 and columns A&B, click in C3), go to menu > window and click on freeze panes.13. Split sheets in to two, compare side by side to be more productive

Just click on this little vertical bar on the bottom right corner of the sheet (see below) and drag it to create a vertical split. You can do the same way for a horizontal split as well

14. Change the color of various sheet name tabs

Right click on sheet and select Tab color option to change the worksheet tab colors. Group them with similar colors if you have lot of sheets, it looks nice.15. Insert a quick organization chart

Click on menu > insert > diagram to open the above dialog, just select the organization chart option, enter node values and you have a pretty organization chart. Alternatively learnhow to create org charts in excel.

So what do you say now? Isnt Excel Exciting?Beyond If and Sum, 15 really useful excel formulas for everyonePosted on August 13th, 2008 inAll Time Hits,Featured,ideas,Learn Excel- 106 comments

Excel formulas can always be very handy, especially when you are stuck with data and need to get something done fast. But how well do you know the spreadsheet formulas?Discover these 15 extremely powerful excel formulas and save a ton of time next time you open that spreadsheet.1. Change the case of cell contents to UPPER, lower, ProperBoss wants a report of top 100 customers, thankfully you have the data, but the customer names are all in lower cases. Fret not, you can Proper Case cell contents with proper() formula.Example: Useproper("pointy haired dilbert")to getPointy Haired DilbertAlso trylower()andupper()as well to change excel cell value to lower and UPPER case2. Clean up textual data with trim, remove trailing spacesOften when you copy data from other sources, you are bound to get lots of empty spaces next to each cell value. You can clean up cell contents with trim() spreadsheet function.Example: Usetrim(" copied data ")to getcopied data3. Extract characters from left, right or center of a given textNeed the first 5 letters of that SSN or area code from that phone number? You can command excel to do that with left() function.Example: Useleft("Hi Beautiful!",2)to getHiAlso tryright(text, no. of chars)andmid(text, start, no. of chars)to get rightmost or middle characters. You can useright(filename,3)to get the extension of a file name4. Find second, third, fourth element in a list without sortingWe all know that you can use min(), max() to find the smallest and largest numbers in a list. But what if you needed the second smallest number or 3rd largest number in the list? You are right, there is a spreadsheet function to exactly that.Example: UseSMALL({10,9,12,14,26,13,4,6,8},3)to get8

Also trylarge(list, n)to get the nth largest number in a list.5. Find out current date, time with a snapYou have a list of customer orders and you want to findout which ones are due for shipping after today. The funny thing is you do this everyday. So instead of entering the date every single day you can use today()Example: Usetoday()to get08/13/2008or whatever is todays dateAlso trynow()to get current time in date time format. Remember, you can always format these date and times to see them the way you like (for eg. Aug-13, August 13, 2008 instead of 08/13/2008)6. Convert those lengthy nested if functions to one simple formula with Choose()Planning to create a gradebook or something using excel, you are bound to write some if() functions, but do you know that you can use choose() when you have more than 2 outcomes for a given condition? As you all know,if(condition, fetch this, or this)returns fetch this if the condition is TRUE or or this if the condition is FALSE.Learn more about spreadsheet if functions like countif, sumif etc.Where aschoose(m, value1, value2, value3, value4 ...)can return any of the value1,2.., based on the parameter m.Example: UseCHOOSE(3,"when","in","doubt","just","choose")to getdoubtRemember, you can always write another formula for each of the n parameters of choose() so that based on input condition (in this case 3), another formula is evaluated.7. Repetitively print a character in a cell n number of timesYou have the ZIP codes of all your customers in a list and planning to upload it to an address label generation tool. The sad part is for some reason, excel thinks zip codes are numbers, so it removed all the trailing zeros on the leftside of the zip code, thus making the 01001 as 1001. Worry not, you can userept()the extra needed zeros. You can alsocustom format cell contents to display zip codes, phone numbers, ssn etc.Example: Usezipcode & REPT("0",5-LEN(zipcode))to convert zipcode 1001 to01001You can useREPT("|",n)to generate micro bar charts in your sheet.Learn more about incell charting.8. Find out the data type of cell contentsThis can be handy when you are working off the data that someone else has created. For example you may want to capitalize if the contents are text, make it 5 characters if its a number and leave it as it is otherwise for certain cell value. Type() does just that, it tells what type of data a cell is containing.Example: UseTYPE("Chandoo")to get2See the various type return values in the diagram shown right.9. Round a number to nearest even, odd numberWhen you are working with data that has fractions / decimals, often you may need to find the nearest integer, even or odd number to the given decimal number. Thankfully excel has the right function for this.Example: UseODD(63.4)to get65Also try even() to nearest even number and int() to round given fraction to integer just below it.Example: UseEVEN(62.4)to get64UseINT(62.99)to get62If you need to round off a given fraction to nearest integer you can useround(62.65,0)to get 63.10. Generate random number between any 2 given numbersWhen you need a random number between any two numbers, try randbetween(), it is very useful in cases where you may need random numbers to simulate some behavior in your spreadsheets.Example: UseRANDBETWEEN(10,100)may return47if you keep trying11. Convert pounds to KGs, meters to yards and tsps to table spoonsYou need not ask Google if you need to convert 156 lbs to kilograms or find out how much 12 tea spoons of olive oil actually means. The hidden convert() function is really versatile and can convert many things to so many other things, except one currency to another, of course.

Example: UseCONVERT(150,"lbm","kg")to convert 150 lbs to68.03kgs.UseCONVERT(12,"tsp","oz")to findout that 12 tsps is actually2ounces.12. Instantly calculate loan installments using spreadsheet formulaYou have your eyes on that beautiful car or beach property, but before visiting the seller / banker to findout of the monthly payment details, you would like to see how much your monthly / biweekly loan payments would be. Thankfully excel has the right formula to divide an amount to equal payment installments over given time period, the pmt() function.

If your loan amount is $125,000,APR (interest rate per year) is 6%,loan tenure is 5 years andpayments are made every month, then,UsePMT(6%/12,5*12,-125000)which tells us that monthly payment is$ 2,416if you keep tryingAlso, if you want to find out how much of each payment is going for principle and how much for the interest component, try using ppmt() and ipmt() functions. As you can guess, even though EMIs or loan installments remain constant, the amount contributed to principle and interest vary each month.13. What is this weeks number in the current year ?Often you may need to find out if the current week is 25th week of this year. This is not so difficult to find as it may seem. Again, excel has the right function to do just that.Example: UseWEEKNUM(TODAY())will get3314. Find out what is the date after 30 working days from today ?Finding out a future date after 30 days from today is easy, just change the month. But what if you need to know the date thirty working days from now. Dont use your fingers to do that counting, save them for typing a comment here and use the workday() excel funtion instead.Example: UseWORKDAY(TODAY(),30)tells thatSep 24, 2008is 30 working days away from today.If you want to find out number of working days between 2 dates you can use networkdays() function,find out this and a 14 other fun things you can do with excel.15. With so many functions, how to handle errorsOnce you get to the powerful domain of excel functions to simplify your work, you are bound to have incorrect data, missing cells etc. that can make your formulas go kaput. If only there is a way to find out when a formula throws up error, you can handle it. Well, you know what, there is a way to find out if a cell has an error or a proper value. iserror() MS Excel function tells you when a cell has error.Example: UseISERROR(43/0)returnsTRUEsince 43 divided by zero throws divide by zero error.Also try ISNA() to findout if a cell has NA error (Not applicable).Give these functions a try, simplify your work and enjoy**Creating a Drop Down List in Excel

How to Create a Drop Down List in Excel.Bottom of FormDrop Down List OverviewExcel's data validation options include creating a drop down list that limits thedatathat can be entered into a specificcellto a pre-set list of entries.The benefits for using a drop down list for data validation include: making data entry easier preventing data entry errors restricting the number of locations for entering dataList and Data LocationsThe items that are added to the list can be located onQuickly Create a Drop Down ListTo create the drop-down list shown in the image above the steps are:1. Click on cell D2 - the cell where the drop down list is located2. Click on theDatatab of theribbon3. Click onData Validationto open the drop down menu of options4. In the menu, click onData Validationto bring up the Data Validationdialog box5. Click on theSettingstab in the dialog box6. From theAllowmenu chooseList7. Click on theSourceline in the dialog box8. Highlightcells A1 - A4 in the worksheet to add them to the list9. Click OK to close the dialog box and return to the worksheet10. A down arrow should appear next to cell D2 indicating the presence of the drop down list11. When you click on the arrow the drop down list should open to display the four cookie namesExcel Drop Down List Step by Step TutorialFor those who crave a more detailed explanation and step by step instructions on how to create the drop down list shown in the image above,follow the steps starting on page 2.Photo Credit: Ted FrenchOpening the Data Validation Dialog Box

Data Validation in Excel.SPREADSHEETS CATEGORIESEntering the Tutorial DataTo follow all the steps in this tutorial, enter the data below intocellsA1 to C1 of an Excelworksheetas seen in the image above.AdsThe drop down list will be added to cell D2.Enter the following data into the cells indicated:A1 - Gingerbread A2 - Lemon A3 - Oatmeal Raisin A4 - Chocolate Chip C2 - Cookie Type: Opening the Data Validation Dialog BoxAll data validation options in Excel, including drop down lists, are set using the data validationdialog box.Tutorial StepsAs shown in the image above, the steps for opening the dialog box are:1. Click on cell D2 to make it theactive cell- this is where the drop down list will be located.2. Click on theDatatab of theribbonmenu above theworksheet.3. Click on theData Validationicon on the ribbon to open the drop down menu.4. Click on theData Validationoption in the menu to open the Data Validation dialog box.The selections made and the data and/orcell referencesentered into the dialog box set the parameters for data validation in cell D2.

Selecting a Type of Data ValidationAs shown in the image above, there are a number of options for data validation in Excel in addition to a drop down list. These options can be used to control or limit the type ofdatathat can be entered into specificcellsin a worksheet.In this step we will choose theListoption as the type of data validation to be used for cell D2 of theworksheet.Tutorial Steps1. Click onSettingstab in thedialog box1. Click on the down arrow at the end of theAllowline to open the drop down menu.2. Click onListto choose a drop down list for data validation in cell D2 and to activate theSourceline in the dialog box3. In the next step we will add thecell referencesfor our list items as the source for our list itemsChanging the Drop Down List ItemsTo keep the drop down list up to date with changes in our data, it may be necessary to periodically change the choices in the list.Since we entered thecell references(A1:A4) for our list items into the dialog box rather than the actual list names, changing the cookie names in cells A1 to A4 immediately changes the names in the drop down list.If the data is entered directly into the dialog box to make changes to the list you need to go back into thedialog boxand edit the data source.Ads1. Click on cell A3 (Oatmeal Raisin) to make it theactive cell2. TypeShortbreadinto cell A3 and press theEnterkey on the keyboard3. Click on the down arrow for the drop down list in cell D2 to open the list4. Item 3 in the list should now readShortbreadinstead ofOatmeal Raisin

Excel Goal Seek. Ted FrenchExcel's Goal Seek feature allows you to alter the data used in a formula in order to find out what the results will be.The different results can then be compared to find out which one best suits your requirements.Example Using Excel's Goal Seek feature: This example first uses thePMT functionto calculate the monthly payments for a loan. It then uses Goal Seek to lower the monthly payment by altering the loan period.1. 2. Enter the following data into the cells indicated:Cell-Data

D1 - Loan RepaymentD2 - Rate:D3 - # of Payments:D4 - Principal:D5 - Payment:E2 - 6%E3 - 60E4 - $225,0003. Click on cell E5 and type the following formula:

= pmt ( e2 / 12 , e3 , -e4 )

and press theENTERkey on the keyboard4. The value $4,349.88 should appear in cell E5. This is the current monthly payment for the loan.Altering the monthly payment using Goal Seek1. Click on theDatatab.2. ChooseWhat-If Analysisfrom theribbonto open the drop down list.3. Click onGoal Seek...in the list to bring up the Goal Seek dialog box.4. In thedialog box, click on theSet cell:line.5. Click on cell E5 in the spreadsheet since we are interested in altering the monthly payments for this loan.6. In the dialog box, click on theT0 value:line.7. Type 3000 since we would like to lower the monthly payment to $3000.00.8. In the dialog box, click on theBy changing cell:line.9. Click on cell E3 in the spreadsheet since we want to change the monthly payment by altering the total number of payments to be made.Ads1. Click OK.2. At this point, Goal Seek should begin searching for a solution. If it finds one, theGoal Seekdialog box will inform you that a solution has been found.3. In this case, the solution is to change the number of payments in cell E3 to 95.25.4. To accept this solution, click OK in theGoal Seekdialog box and Goal Seek will alter the data in cell E3.5. To find a different solution, clickCancelin theGoal Seekdialog box. Goal Seek returns the value in cell E3 to 60. You are now ready to run Goal Seek again.Related Tutorialshttp://spreadsheets.about.com/od/advancedexcel/

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