NEWS
The Excel Hacks You Need to Know to Stay Ahead
If you spend a lot of time using Excel at your job, you might be looking for ways to improve your skills. But there are so many ways to organize data in Excel-what should you try?
We can help.
Check out these top Excel hacks today.
Excel Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts give you fast access to Excel functions, allowing you to navigate, format, and analyze data without constantly switching between the mouse and the keyboard.
Navigating through large datasets becomes a breeze with shortcuts like Ctrl + Arrow Keys, which swiftly take you to the edges of your data in any direction. Adding Shift to these commands allows you to select entire ranges, enabling quick editing or formatting of large sections.
For formula-related tasks, Ctrl + ‘ (Apostrophe) copies the formula from the cell above, saving you the effort of retyping complex calculations. Additionally, F4 repeats the last action, a valuable shortcut for repetitive tasks.
Flash Fill
Instead of manually entering data or using complex formulas, Flash Fill allows you to automatically fill cells based on patterns you establish.
For example, if you have a column with full names and want to separate them into first and last names in separate columns, Excel can quickly recognize the pattern and do the job for you.
Just begin typing the desired format in the next column, press Ctrl + E (or go to the Data tab and select Flash Fill), and Excel will intelligently complete the rest of the cells based on your input.
Conditional Formatting
This feature allows you to dynamically format cells based on specified conditions, turning your spreadsheet into a dynamic and interactive tool. Whether you’re dealing with numerical data, dates, or text, conditional formatting can bring your data to life and make it more accessible to your audience.
By setting up rules that dictate different formatting styles for different value ranges, you can instantly draw attention to trends, outliers, or critical data points. This not only makes your data more visually appealing but also facilitates a quicker understanding of the underlying patterns.
While you’re at it, make sure you know how to add columns in Excel.
INDEX and MATCH Functions
The mix of the INDEX and MATCH functions is a powerful Excel hack that provides a flexible and efficient alternative to the traditional VLOOKUP function.
The INDEX function returns the value of a cell in a particular row and column of a given range, while the MATCH function looks for a specified value in a range and gives you the relative position of that item. When used together, they allow you to perform lookups based on both rows and columns.
One notable advantage of INDEX and MATCH is their ability to perform left-to-right lookups, a limitation of VLOOKUP. This means you can search for a value in a column and retrieve data from the same row in a different column, regardless of the column order.
This flexibility is particularly helpful in scenarios where your data structure may change.
Try These Excel Hacks
These Excel hacks will put you on the top path to success in no time. Try out a few, and see how they mesh with your workflow.
Do you want more software tips? Look through some of our other helpful posts under Tech.
Having completed my education in English, I’ve cultivated a successful career as a content writer. My tenure includes valued collaborations with distinguished professional organizations, reflecting my commitment to producing high-quality content.
Contact me on this mail: [email protected]
