8 Time-Saving Tips for Excel

Excel is wonderfully convenient for newcomers and spreadsheet veterans alike. However, it can take years to master, and even the most advanced power-users still don’t know some of the niftiest time-saving techniques.

Excel does much to make its functions and layouts as streamlined as possible, but it’s often hard to keep track of them all. If you’re looking to pick up some new skills and shortcuts, or are just looking for a quick refresh on some useful tips and tricks, this article has eight time-saving tips for Excel you’ll appreciate knowing.

Know Your Shortcuts

Shortcuts are the lifeblood of Excel, saving you the hassle of digging through menus for every task. Making these keystrokes second nature is a great way to enhance your Excel productivity. Here’s a list of the most important:

• Ctrl + Home – Go to the beginning of the spreadsheet.
• Ctrl + Space – Select the current column.
• Shift + Space – Select the current row.
• Ctrl + A – Press this once to select an entire data set, and twice to select the entire spreadsheet.
• Shift + Tab – Move to the previous cell.
• Ctrl + 0 – Hide the current column.
• Shift + 0 – Hide the current row.
• Ctrl + : – Enter the current date.
• Alt + H + B – Add a border to the current cell or selected cells.
• F4 – Apply absolute references to a formula.
• Ctrl + O – Open an existing spreadsheet.
• Ctrl + W – Close the current spreadsheet.
• Shift + F9 – Calculate your currently active worksheet.

Freeze Rows and Columns

Have you ever scrolled far down a column only to forget its heading? Rather than having to alternate between your current cell and the header far above it, Excel allows you to freeze these headings for easy reference. Here’s how:

1. Go to the “View” tab and select “Freeze Panes.”
2. To force the top row to remain visible, select “Freeze Top Row” from the drop-down menu.
3. Choose this option again to unfreeze it.

Use the Fill Handle

Copying and pasting the same number multiple times can be frustrating and time consuming, as can entering a sequence of numbers and dates one by one. Fortunately, the Fill Handle tool will autocomplete the entire process for you. You just need to get it to recognize the pattern you want to be repeat. Here’s how:

1. Select the first few cells of the sequence you want repeated.
2. Hover over the bottom right corner of your selection until the cursor changes to a “+” shape. That’s the Fill Handle.
3. Drag the Fill Handle from the bottom- or right-most cell of your selection to the last cell you want autocompleted, and the sequence will be auto-filled. This process works for numbers, day names, and dates.
4. You can also use Ctrl + D to repeat a value in a selection of cells.

Use Templates

Excel has a wide variety of pre-made templates, which can save you plenty of formatting and design time. Odds are good that the task you’re working on already has several templates in the library. Access Excel’s templates from the “New” tab of the “File” menu. Use the search bar to narrow the list of options down.

Customize Your Toolbar

Having all the tools you need exactly where you want them (or knowing where to find them) is paramount for working efficiently. Did you know that Excel’s toolbar and command ribbon are customizable? If you need to arrange your most used tools and features for easy access, do the following:

1. In the “File” tab, select “Options.”
2. Navigate to “Customize Ribbon” and “Quick Access Toolbar” to add and remove items from both menus.
3. Click “OK” once you’re finished to finalize the changes.

Import Fast From the Web

Rather than copying and pasting information from a webpage or, worse yet, entering it manually, you can easily import its data just from its URL. Here’s how:

1. Navigate to the “Data” tab and select “Get Data.”
2. Select the “From Other Sources” option and click “From Web” from the drop-down menu. You can also click “From Web” directly beside the “Get Data” option.
3. Enter the URL you want to import data from, and then select the tables you need.
4. Click “Load” to import the data.

Use the Pivot Table

Inputting multiple formulas into your spreadsheet is one way to do things, but a Pivot Table is Excel’s powerful way of making quick summaries of data sets easy and customizable. Simply enable it from the “Insert” tab, and you’ll be able to organize and analyze your data efficiently.

Link Your Spreadsheets

Make it easier to hop between different spreadsheets, data sets, and even Office programs by linking them together with hyperlinks. Hyperlinks can link to other Excel sheets or workbooks just as easily as URLs. To do this:

1. Right click any cell to bring up the Quick Access menu.
2. Choose “Link” and the “Insert Hyperlink” window will open.
3. Navigate to “Place in this document” and choose what to link your cell’s value to.
4. Click “OK” to finalize.