Excel2007 TipsTricks Guide
Excel2007 TipsTricks Guide
MS Office 2007
Users Guide
EXCEL 2007/2010
Time Saving Tips & Tricks
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
Controlling the Worksheet View ............................................................................................. 1
Quickly View ALL Sheets in a Workbook ............................................................................ 1
Viewing Worksheets in Multiple Windows ........................................................................... 2
Splitting the Worksheet Window into Panes ....................................................................... 2
Keeping Column or Row headings in view using Freeze Panes ......................................... 3
View All Open Workbooks .................................................................................................. 4
Hiding and Un-hiding a Worksheet ..................................................................................... 4
Hide & Un-hide Columns & Rows ....................................................................................... 5
Working With Ranges............................................................................................................. 6
Enter same data in multiple cells at once ........................................................................... 6
Selecting Ranges: Keyboard or Mouse ............................................................................. 6
Selecting Nonadjacent Ranges .......................................................................................... 7
Repeating Row and Column Labels on each page ............................................................. 7
Using Page Break Preview ................................................................................................. 7
Changing Text Alignment & Text Angle in a Cell .................................................................... 8
Horizontal & Vertical Alignment Options ............................................................................. 8
Displaying text at an angle ................................................................................................10
Wrapping or Shrinking text to fit the cell ............................................................................10
Merging Cells into One Cell ...............................................................................................11
Text Functions ......................................................................................................................12
Convert Text to Columns ...................................................................................................12
Change Format of Text List ...............................................................................................13
Other Cool Stuff to know .......................................................................................................15
Easy Fractions ..................................................................................................................15
Instant Zoom .....................................................................................................................16
Conditional Formatting ......................................................................................................16
Insert a Cell Comment (Note) ............................................................................................17
Quickly view Average, Sum, Count Information for a set of data .......................................18
Use AutoFill to quickly complete a data pattern .................................................................18
Copy visible data in a spreadsheet with hidden columns or rows ......................................19
Excel 2007/10 Tips & Tricks Tina Purtee 2/28/12
INTRODUCTION
Excel is a very powerful program. It is nearly impossible to know everything about Excel. This
Excel Tips & Tricks guide addresses some popular spreadsheet features and shortcuts
available that can have a great impact on your use of Excel.
Learn some useful techniques on controlling the worksheet views, working with ranges,
changing text alignment/angle, converting text to columns and a very useful function - text
function.
Right-Click arrow to
view list of worksheets
in workbook.
2. A list of all worksheets in the workbook will appear in a pop-up box. (see figure 2)
Figure 2 Viewing worksheets pop up menu
Excel displays a new window with the active workbook. Notice the text in the
windows title bars i.e. Excel_Class Files.xls:2 and Excel_Class Files.xls:1.
Excel helps you keep track of the windows by appending a colon and a number
to each window.
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Excel will split the current window into 4 sections as seen in the figure below.
2. Place your mouse cursor in the middle of the split. When it turns to a plus sign with
arrows, hold the right mouse button down and drag the split pane to desired split.
3. To view different areas of the worksheet in the horizontal panes, select the vertical scroll
bar at right to move the area up or down.
4. To adjust the split view windows, drag the horizontal or vertical split box to the desired
row/column position.
To freeze panes:
1. Select the cell below the row where you want to remain visible as you scroll, and to the right
of the column that you want to remain visible as you scroll.
2. From the View tab in the Window group, select
the Freeze Panes command drop down arrow.
It displays 3 options.
3. Choose the appropriate option to freeze Row or
Columns.
Excel inserts dark lines to indicate the frozen row
and columns. (See Figure above). The frozen row or
column will remain visible as you scroll throughout
the worksheet.
To remove frozen panes
1. From the View tab in the Window group, select the Freeze Panes command drop down
arrow.
2. Select Unfreeze Panes from the menu.
TIP: If you press Ctrl + Home while the worksheet has frozen panes, the cell selector moves
to the top-left unfrozen cell.
View All Open Workbooks
Often we work between multiple workbooks at the same time and need to view the information
in them simultaneously. No worries, you can do this easily.
1. Have all the workbooks open that you want to view simultaneously.
2. From the View Tab, in the Window Group, select the Arrange All command
3. In the Arrange Windows dialog box, select the style in which you would like to view the
workbooks. Personally, I usually use Tiled.
4. All open workbooks will display.
Hide and Un-hide a Worksheet
Excel gives you the ability to hide worksheets in your workbooks. Hiding a worksheet may be
useful if you do not want others to see it, or if you just want to get it out of the way. When a
sheet is hidden, its sheet tab is also hidden.
TIP: Hiding a worksheet may prevent casual users from viewing or changing important
information in a workbook.
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To Hide a worksheet:
1. Right click on the worksheet you want to hide.
2. From the menu, select Hide.
Un-hide a worksheet
To unhide a hidden worksheet:
1. Right click on the worksheet you want to hide.
2. From the menu, select Unhide.
Hide & Un-hide Columns & Rows
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General: Aligns numbers to the right, text to the left, and centers logical and error
values. This is Excels default option.
Left: Aligns cell contents to the left side of the cell. If text is wider than the cell, it spills
over to the cell to the right. If the cell to the right is not empty, the text is truncated and
not completely visible.
Center: Centers cell contents in the cell. If adjacent cells are empty, is spills over to cells
on either side. If the adjacent cells are not empty, the text is truncated.
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Right: The qualities are the same as the Left alignment, however it right justifies.
Fill: Repeats the contents of the cell until the cells width is filled.
Justify: Justifies the text to the left and right of the cell. This options is applicable only if
the cell is formatted as wrapped text and uses more than one line.
Vertical Alignment
The vertical alignment options are:
Justify: Justifies the text vertically in the cell; this option is applicable only if the cell is
formatted as wrapped text and uses more than one line.
WrapText
This option displays the text on multiple lines in the same cell. It can be used as an alternate to
changing the column width.
Shrink Text
This option reduces the size of the text so that it fits into the cell without spilling over to the next
cell.
To Wrap or Shrink Text:
1. Select the cell(s) that contains
the text you want to affect.
2. Right click within the cell(s).
3. From the shortcut menu,
select Format Cells. The
Format Cells dialog box displays.
4. Select the Alignment tab.
5. Under the text control section,
select the desired box(es).
Merge and
Center command
Follow these steps:
1. Highlight the range of cells you want to center across.
2. From the Home Tab, in the Alignment Group, select the Merge and Center command.
Excel will combine (merge) the highlighted cells together into one cell, then center the
information in the cell.
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TEXT FUNCTIONS
Convert Text to Columns
If you ever inherit a list in which two or more pieces of data appear in the same column, the Text
to Columns command will enable you to split them apart.
1. Insert blank column(s) to the right of the existing data
you want to split.
Select
2. Select the column to split.
Column
Be sure to select the column from Header
the column header.
3. From the Data Tab, in the Data Tools group, select the Text to Columns command.
Excel launches the Convert Text to Columns Wizard.
4. From the Convert Text to Columns Wizard Step 1 of 3, select the appropriate Original
data type.
10. Select Finish. Excel splits the data into two separate columns.
Sample: =UPPER(A2)
3. Select Enter.
Use the autofill function to copy down the
formula in the column.
Use the
autofill
handle.
To change the format of a text list to PROPER NAME FORMAT i.e. first letter capital, Lynn
Smith:
1. Insert a blank column next to your data on the worksheet.
2. Type in the following formula referencing the cell that contains the data you wish to change.
=PROPER( )
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3. Select Enter.
4. Excel puts the name reference in proper format in the cell where the formula was written.
(See figure above)
5. Use the Autofill function to copy down the formula in the column.
Figure - Proper text function for first letter of name capitalized
To change the format of a text list to PROPER NAME FORMAT but have LAST NAME
FIRST i.e. Smith, Lynn:
1. Insert a blank column next to your data on the worksheet.
2. Type in the following formula referencing the cell that contains the data you wish to change.
=PROPER( )
5. Use the autofill function to copy down the formula in the column.
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Instant Zoom
Two ways to instantly zoom in and out of your worksheet:
1. Use your mouse wheel, hold down the Ctrl key and spin the wheel down to zoom out;
spin the wheel up to zoom back in. This shortcut has the same effect as using the Zoom
control on the Standard toolbar or on the View menu.
OR
2. Use the Zoom tool located at the bottom right corner of the Excel window.
Click the plus (+) or minus (-) sign to zoom in or
out or click and drag the pointer toward the + or -.
Conditional Formatting
Manipulating Excel formulas can be challenging, but the payoff (like elegantly formatted tables
that identify important stuff like key performance indicators) can be worth it. But did you know
that you can get Excel to identify important values -- like the top ten numbers in a list, values
that are greater than certain threshold or numbers that are below the average -- automatically?
It's a feature called Conditional Formatting. This is a simple tool to use and can save you time.
Heres how it works:
1. Select a range of values, such as a column of numbers that
represents the most important data on your spreadsheet.
2. From the Home tab, in the Styles Group, select the
Conditional Formatting command drop down arrow.
3. Choose the item you want to format your data on your
spreadsheet.
Data Bars, Color Scales, and Icon Sets are all different ways to format your data
to call attention to outliers. Use these commands to color code best and worst
values, or add an icon to indicate relatively better and worse numbers. The best part
is that you don't have to specify how Excel does this; it figures it out relative to the
best and worst numbers in the range you specify.
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2. At the bottom of the workbook window, the calculations will display for the selected
set of data showing the Average, Count and Sum of the data.
Use AutoFill to quickly complete a data pattern
The Autofill function will allow you to quickly and easily continue a pattern or function down
and across a range of cells in a worksheet. This function can save a lot of time.
Repeat a pattern
Quickly fill in days of the week, months of the year or number patterns by:
1. Type in the first 2 or 3 items in the pattern to repeat
or fill in. i.e. days of the week, months of the year,
consecutive numbering.
2. Highlight the range of cells that contain the pattern.
3. Move the mouse pointer over the small black box, called the Fill Handle, located in the
lower right corner of the active cells. The
mouse point will turn into a black plus sign
shape when properly positioned over the Fill
Handle.
4. Click and hold the mouse button down while you
drag the Fill Handle down the columns or across
the rows.
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5. Release mouse button. The item pattern has been copied and filled into the selected
range.
NOTE: AutoFill can also be used to copy formulas across a row or column. Excel will
automatically fix the formula to properly reflect the new set of data as long as the formula
is not set up as an absolute value.
Copy visible data in a spreadsheet with hidden columns or rows
You may have a worksheet set up with hidden columns or rows. Now, you want to copy the
data in the spreadsheet to another spreadsheet however, you only want the data that is visible,
not the data in the hidden columns or rows. It is easy to copy this visible data only by:
1. Select the entire worksheet to copy by clicking in the
upper left corner of the spreadsheet.
3. Select the Visible cells only radio button and then the Ok button.
4. Right click and select copy from the short cut menu
5. Click on the new worksheet you want to copy the information to.
6. Within the active cell, Right click and select paste from the shortcut menu. The data
pastes only what was in the visible columns or rows.
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Excel 2007/10 Tips & Tricks Tina Purtee 2/28/12