Are you ready to level up your Excel skills and become a pro in spreadsheet management? If so, then this article is for you. In this blog, we’ll be taking a look at 10 essential Excel tricks that every computer user should know.
1. Get to know the keyboard shortcuts
The first thing you need to do is to get to know the keyboard shortcuts. This is the fastest way to work in Excel without using your mouse. For instance, press ‘CTRL+C’ to copy, ‘CTRL+V’ to paste, ‘CTRL+X’ to cut and ‘CTRL+Z’ to undo.
2. Freeze panes
Freezing panes is a useful trick that allows you to keep your headings in view while scrolling through long spreadsheets. To freeze panes, go to ‘View’ tab in the ribbon, select ‘Freeze panes’, and choose ‘Freeze top row’ option.
3. Conditional formatting
Conditional formatting allows you to automatically highlight cells based on their values. For example, you can highlight all the cells with values greater than 100 by applying conditional formatting. To apply it, simply select the range you want to apply the formatting to, click ‘Conditional Formatting’ in the ‘Home’ tab, and choose a rule you want to apply.
4. AutoSum
AutoSum is a quick way to add up rows or columns of numbers. Select the cell where you want to display the sum, click on the ‘AutoSum’ button from the ‘Home’ tab, and choose the range you want to add up.
5. Remove duplicate values
Excel has a useful feature that allows you to remove duplicate values from a range of data. To remove duplicates, select the data range, click ‘Data’ tab, then click ‘Remove Duplicates’, and choose the column(s) you want to check for duplicates.
6. Text-to-Columns
If you have a spreadsheet with names in a single cell separated by a comma, you can use ‘Text-to-Columns’ to separate the names into separate cells. Select the cell with the names, click ‘Data’ tab, click ‘Text-to-Columns’, choose ‘Delimited’, select ‘Comma’ as delimiter, and click ‘Finish’.
7. VLOOKUP
VLOOKUP is a powerful function that allows you to look up values in one table and insert them into another. To use it, select the cell where you want to display the results, click ‘Formulas’ tab, click ‘Lookup & Reference’, and then click ‘VLOOKUP’. Follow the prompts to complete the function.
8. Pivot tables
Pivot tables are a powerful way to analyze large datasets. They allow you to summarize and analyze data quickly and easily. To create a pivot table, select the data range, click ‘Insert’ tab, click ‘PivotTable’, choose where you want the pivot table to be placed and click ‘OK’. Then, drag and drop the fields you want to summarize into the ‘Rows’, ‘Columns’, and ‘Values’ areas.
9. Protect sheets and workbooks
To prevent unauthorized access or accidental changes to your spreadsheets, you can password-protect your sheets or workbooks. To protect a sheet or workbook, click on ‘Review’ tab, click ‘Protect Sheet’ or ‘Protect Workbook’, choose the protection options you want, and enter a password.
10. Macros
Macros allow you to automate repetitive tasks and save time. To create a macro, click on the ‘View’ tab, click ‘Macros’, and choose ‘Record Macro’. Perform the actions you want to automate, then stop the macro recording. You can then run the macro whenever you need to perform those actions again.
In conclusion, by mastering these 10 essential Excel tricks, you’ll be able to streamline your workflow, save time, and become a pro in spreadsheet management. So why not start today?
