Knowing how to use some basic features of MS Excel can really enhance your spreadsheet experience. Once you have these down, you’ll be able to more easily navigate within your workbook!
Get more comfortable in Excel now, give these tricks a try!
Quickly Fit Columns and Rows to Show All Text.
Select the shaded triangle in the left hand corner of your sheet - where the rows and columns meet. This highlights the entire workbook. (Alternately, you can just select the rows and/or columns for which you'd like to adjust the sizing.)
Double click on the line between a row or column (or both, one at a time!). This will automatically adjust the size of the row or column to show all text.
Format Information as a Table.
When you’re working with a matrix of numbers or columns and rows with text information, it can be easy to move one item and leave behind its related data. Formatting as a table allows you to clearly identify items within a row by alternating colors, filter content based on headers, and sort content without accidentally disorganizing it.
To format as a table, first select the area you'd like to turn into a table. Ideally, this should have rows, columns, and a row with "Headers" which identify the content in the rows below.
Then, with the selection still highlighted, click "Format as Table" from the ribbon at the top, and choose the color/style from the list available.
Once formatted, it should look like this (but with your own color and style showing!):
You can click on the dropdown arrows next to your Headers to do things such as: choose specific rows to view, sort numerically or alphabetically, and more!
Already have the basics down?
Check out this video from Seven Second Riddles to learn how to use some hot-keys and cut out unnecessary typing to save even more time working within your spreadsheet!
