How to Make Microsoft Excel Work Harder for You

Microsoft Excel is a great productivity tool and can be used in a lot of different and interesting ways. 

Use Keyboard Shortcuts

Using keyboard shortcuts is a great way to save time and reduce reliance on the mouse. For example, pressing Ctrl + Shift + L toggles filters on or off for data sets, Ctrl + Arrow Keys allows you to quickly jump to the edges of data regions, and Alt + = performs an AutoSum of selected cells. These shortcuts make navigating and working with data faster and more efficient.

Check out this useful cheat sheet directly from Microsoft.

Format an Entire Column with a Formula

To quickly copy a formula down an entire column, double-click the small square in the bottom-right corner of the cell (called the fill handle) after selecting the cell with the formula. Excel will automatically fill the formula down to the last row with data in the adjacent column.

Conditional Formatting for Insights

Conditional Formatting is a useful tool in Excel that helps you quickly visualize data patterns by highlighting important information, such as high or low values, duplicates, or specific number ranges. To use Conditional Formatting, start by selecting the range of data you want to analyze. Then, navigate to the Home tab and click on Conditional Formatting. From there, you can apply various rules, such as "Greater than" "Text contains" or "Data bars" which will immediately help you spot trends and patterns in your data.

Use these tips to streamline your Excel workflow and make handling data more efficient, and check back to our blog and monthly newsletter for more technology tips and tricks.