Microsoft Excel Tips and Tricks

Some people may think of Microsoft Excel as a very basic spreadsheet program. To the contrary, it's almost unimaginably complex. The pointers below represent just a few of the ways you could start using Excel in a more convenient, time-efficient manner.

Getting Around

To begin with, here's a simple navigational tool. Just press the Control and Page Down keys to go from one spreadsheet to the next. Similarly, hit Control and Page Up to jump from one spreadsheet to the previous one.

Meanwhile, Control and Home will bring you to a spreadsheet's first cell, and Control and End will take you to the final one. And, by striking Control and the letter D, you can copy whatever's in one cell and paste it inside the cell below it.

Shortcuts Galore

Excel keyboard shortcuts are abundant. For instance, by pressing F4, you can repeat the last action you took, and you can name a cell by hitting Control and F3. And, with Control and the letter S, you can save a file.
To enter Edit mode, press F2. Also, when you strike F7, Excel will spell-check your entire spreadsheet or a portion that you've highlighted.
In several cases, holding down the Alt key, the letter I and another letter will let you do something useful. For example, with the letter C, you can add a column; with R, you can add a row, and with D, you can remove a column or a row.
On top of that, Control and O will open a spreadsheet; Control and W will close it, and Control and Z will undo whatever function you just performed.

Links and Documents

Do you like putting hyperlinks in your spreadsheets? If so, you can highlight any cell with text or numbers in it, and then hit Control and K. A box that says "Insert Hyperlink" will pop up. Paste the appropriate URL inside that box.

Especially beneficial, if you go to Excel's File tab and click "New," you'll find a variety of sample business documents that you could modify, including invoices.

In the end, you might decide to master only the Microsoft Excel functions that are directly relevant to your job. On the other hand, you could try to learn as many of the program's countless nuances as possible. Either way, any time you spend studying this program is sure to be time well spent.