Microsoft Excel Tips and Tricks

Excel Tips and Tricks

Across all sectors, offices, and organizations, many people have at some point or the other worked on Microsoft Excel. The premiere spreadsheet of the world, Microsoft Excel has been in use by numerous individuals for more than 20 years.

Considered as truly powerful and efficient, Excel is a brand that everyone trusts as it performs a wide range of functions in a simple and effective manner. Additionally, Microsoft Excel is more than just numbers.

It is perfect for anyone who wants to collaborate any form of data in a strategic manner. But the one thing that really connects all Excel users is the fact they are unaware of the many excel tips and tricks that can help them to work in a smooth manner.

Microsoft Excel Tips and Tricks – How to Improve Work Performance?

So here are some tips on excel Knowing these tips can help users to boost their productivity while at the same time help them make the use of this programme much simpler and easier.and that is all about the Microsoft Excel Tips and Tricks.

1. Always work from left to right

An easy tip to implement Microsoft excel tips and tricks this is pretty easy to do as data tends to flow from left to right in a natural form. By default, Excel will calculate data at the top left corner and then and go right, after which it will continue to go down.

It is for this reason that independent values must be stored in the left corner & dependent values on the right side of the spreadsheet.

While this might not have a lot of effect on small spreadsheets with limited data, working in this manner will help when there is a lot of data and calculations involved.

2. As far as possible, try to store all your data in one spreadsheet

When data is scattered over a number of spreadsheets, it requires Excel much more time to calculate values of the concerned data.

Arranging data, once they are spread over multiple sheets might be a time-consuming endeavor, that is why it is important to keep this in mind while creating new data and variables in the future.

Microsoft Excel Tips and Tricks Doing this will ensure maximum productivity and at the same time ensure systematic arrangement of data.

3. Delete unnecessary data on the workbook

When you are not using any particular data, it is important to delete them. This way you can avoid unwanted confusion at a later stage and minimize the used range of the document.

Users can easily find out the used range of the Excel documents by pressing control and end. Post, this users can save the workbook for future use.

4. Tips On Excel Shortcut keys are a lifeline for Excel users

Shortcut keys are a life savior for those who use the programme on a regular basis as it helps them accomplish their tasks in a faster manner, thereby boosting productivity.

Functions like autofill (where data is automatically filled into columns and rows), selecting an entire row in a quick manner (press shift and spacebar), calculating the sum of an entire column by using alt and =, are just some of the few shortcut keys that users can use to make their job simpler.

5. Filters can add as an aid for those handling a lot of data

If you are using a spreadsheet that has a lot of data sets, you can learn to filter them so that you can access only the required information.

It is in here that filters come into a big use as it allows users to filter data according to certain criteria.

Users can add a filter by clicking the data tab and then selecting the filter option.

For example, if you have a spreadsheet of all students in Harry Potter, you can apply a filter of Gryffindor to see only the students from that house.

6. Custom lists can go a long way in helping you to save time

Many people tend to work with data that are repetitive in nature, meaning that we tend to enter them again and again.

That is why it is a good idea to create a custom list according to your specific requirements.

In order to create a custom list, the user can choose options from the tools menu and then choose the custom lists tab.

In the list entries control, enter every item on the list, entering one entry on every line, specifically in the order that you want. After you have created the list, click add and this list will get copied to the custom lists control.

After that click okay to close the options dialog. After this, whenever you add any name on the list in the cell, the list will be automatically added to your data.

7. Use defined names for constants as well as ranges

If you have a lot of data that are in percentage or other such variables, user-defined names to make your work smoother and faster. For example, just select a cell and choose a name from the Insert menu.

After this select define and enter a descriptive name say discount and click okay. Now, this becomes a defined name and you can just use the name discount instead of the excel to arrive at your result.

This feature has two benefits namely that it makes the process of updating extremely easy and simple on one hand and on the other hand it eliminates data entry errors on the other hand. microsoft excel tips and tricks

8. Add multiple rows or columns at one time

While many people know how to add columns and rows to the spreadsheet, you can as easily add multiple columns and rows to the spreadsheet as well. microsoft excel tips and tricks

This can make your work faster as adding columns and rows individually can be an extremely exhausting and time-consuming affair.

So suppose you want to add 4 new rows to an already existing table, then select four rows either below or above and then right-click to insert the said rows.

This will open a dialog box which will allow users to select the exact action that will be conducted on the rows and columns.

9. Correct the spelling mistakes on your spreadsheet using autocorrect

Tips On Excel Autocorrect: Sometimes small and silly spelling mistakes can affect your entire presentations. That is why Excel has an auto-correct feature that can help you prevent such a scenario. In order to use auto-correct, users just have to go to file options to proofing to autocorrect options.

Here users can see a dialog box that will allow you to replace texts with the correct spellings. Not only will Excel correct your current mistakes, when this word is misspelled the next time, it will automatically correct them.

10. You can extract data from a web page and implement them on an Excel spreadsheet

Users can easily extract information from a website and analyze them in a spreadsheet. This is a simple function and is a true lifesaver as it saves a lot of time that would otherwise be used in typing content/data from the website to excel worksheet.

Knowing this can go a long way in helping users to manage their time and efforts in a much better manner.

11. Sparkline micro charts on Excel can help make comparisons easy

Sparkling micro charts are small graphs that you can place in a cell next to data. They were introduced in the 2010 edition of Word and are a great tool to enhance the visibility of numbers by showing the value of the data in a graph.

In order to use this feature, users can select the data from which you want to create a sparkling and then go to line from inset. After you have entered the destination location of your sparkling chart, the graph will be automatically added to the concerned column.

12. Hide everything except the working area for distraction-free work

It is possible to hide columns or rows, either for protecting data and excel or for working only on the required columns/rows.

In order to hide unused rows, users can select the row beneath the last row and press control, shift and down arrow to select the rows that need to be hidden.

This will help important data from being deleted while at the same time help you work in a distraction-free manner.

13. If you have to print your worksheet, print the name of the file in the header/footer region

Printing an Excel worksheet is a regular part of an employee’s schedule. It is a good idea to type the name of the project in either the header/footer region so that it is easy to recognize the file.

In the 2007 edition of Excel, you can type the name of the worksheet by clicking on the Header/Footer tab in the file menu.

14. You can easily restrict the value of numeric data in the spreadsheet, making work simpler

Sometimes, users require only a specific set of values in the spreadsheet especially when it can create problems in the final output.

In Excel, it is possible to restrict the data through data validation.

What data validation does is it restricts the range of numeric data that can be used in the system. For example, if you enter data validation between 500-1000 then you will automatically have all data between these numbers.

15. Watch window allows you to keep a track of data in a systematic manner

Excel is like a big spreadsheet and the more data there are more chances of error as well. So sometimes if you make a change in one area, it can affect the totals and calculations in another area, especially if they are in numeric form.

Further, if your spreadsheet is spread over a large area, some changes may go unnoticed by you, which in the long run can cause a lot of errors.

Also, it is not possible to keep moving forth in your data area, so it is a good idea to activate Watch Windows which displays the values of cells that have been changed as a result of your current additions.

In order to set up a Watch Window click the left mouse on the cell that you want to watch. Then from the Ribbon toolbar, choose excel and Window watch. After the watch window dialog box appears, click add to finally set up the same.

It is possible to track multiple cells with Microsoft Excel tips and tricks Watch windows and track results as you continue to work and thereby prevent any major problems.

16. Customise the Toolbar area for better productivity

The main objective of the toolbar area must be to enable you to function in a faster and simpler manner. In this area, you can add those tools that you frequently use so that you do not have to keep going back to the tabs to access them.

17. Decrease your calculation time on Excel

If the data is large in number, Excel will take up a lot of time on calculating the final result. That is why it is important to keep the excel easy and simple to use Microsoft Excel tips and tricks. Some simple guidelines that can help you include the following:

1. Avoid excel that is complex: It is important that users use more of rows and columns to store intermediate values, rather than use complex calculations.
2. Reduce the number of references in each to the minimum as copied can have a drastic effect on the overall calculations and results.
3. Avoid volatile functions as it can drastically slow down the entire process of calculations.

In conclusion, the Tips On Excel is something that is needed by every person, whether he is working in an agency or on a class report.

Understanding and utilizing Excel can prove invaluable for creating and interpreting knowledge about various campaigns and that is why these Microsoft Excel tips and tricks can go a long way in helping you as they are really very easy to implement and use on a regular basis.

It can help individuals to work in a systematic manner while at the same time boost their productivity so that they can achieve more in a limited frame of time. In short, these Microsoft Excel tips and tricks will not only help beginners but experts as well to get acquainted with Microsoft Excel in a much enhanced and easy manner.

Recommended Articles

Here are some articles that will help you to get more detail about the Microsoft Excel Tips and Tricks so just go through the link.

1. How To Improve Excel VBA Macro
2. The Useful Basic Tool of Excel Data Filter (Easy)
3. 10 Powerful Features of Microsoft Access You Must Explore
4. 9 Amazing Steps on How to Use Microsoft Excel Skills
5. How to Improve your Microsoft Excel Skills?
6. Top Easy 20 Microsoft Excel Shortcuts (Advance)