We’ve all been a beginner at something, whether it be data management, sales, gardening or learning to play the drums. Just like any skill, Excel takes practice and the more you use it the more accustomed you become with the programme, and the more stumbling blocks you will inevitably face.
If you are reading this now, it is likely you have come across one of these stumbling blocks and are looking for a few tips and tricks to help you learn Excel fast. Read more to learn four simple Excel hacks that will free up your time this week.
- How to navigate lots of Excel worksheets
It can become confusing and time consuming to flip through worksheets on Excel, especially when a workbook has more than 10 worksheets. Instead of clicking on the scroll arrows a hundred times to find the correct worksheet, simply right click on either of the two arrows to view a pop-up contents page of your entire workbook. Check out our Excel tip to navigate multiple worksheets for more hacks on how to flip between worksheets on Excel.
2. How to copy and paste with column widths
Can you imagine a world without copy and paste? Neither can we – we have too many datasets and so little time not to have copy and paste as our trusted ally. Though, sometimes, our trusty Copy and Paste function lets us down like when we need to copy datasets and keep column widths.
To ensure your columns are kept the same during a move of Copy and Paste, paste the content, click on the paste options, and select ‘Keep source column width’. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl and w.
For a step by step video guide, watch our Excel Tip about how to copy and paste with column widths.
3. The quickest way to select and check an Excel Range
Data should be stored in an Excel range without any blank rows or columns so that Excel can auto-detect data ranges to function. To check if data is stored correctly, click somewhere in the middle of your data and then use the shortcut Ctrl + A to select it. The black row that is separating your data ranges will be revealed.
To find out more about what this shortcut can do, check out our Excel Tip about the quickest way to select and check an Excel Range.
4. How to select and delete empty rows
Sometimes when you export a CSV file from a third-party system, the dataset contains blank rows which make it difficult to use the data effectively. With this Excel hack, you’ll learn how to select and delete empty rows quickly so you can get back to finding value in the data.
Detect and delete empty rows by selecting the Go To Special… Blanks feature. Learn how to use this feature in our step by step video Excel Tip about how to select and delete empty rows
No matter if you’re new to using spreadsheets and need an Excel crash course, or have been using Excel for years, knowing how to get a task done quickly on the program will save you valuable time and energy.
When we learn something new, having a resource library or bag of tricks at hand is useful to stay productive and keep building. At Summit Solutions, we’ve put together an Excel toolkit to help you become more efficient at Microsoft Excel. The four hacks outlined above are just the tip of the Excel iceberg of learning, so head over to our resource library for more, and sign up for our monthly Excel Tip reminders, so you don’t miss more useful Excel hacks.
