boost your microsoft excel skills in · pdf file(versions 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016) 'excel...

BOOST YOUR MICROSOFT EXCEL SKILLSIN SECONDS

YES! You really can...

TIPS & TRICKS

FRANCIS HAYES

for Microsoft Excel

25with these

TheExcelAddict.com

Volume 1 (FREE)

(Versions 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016)

'Excel in Seconds'

with these 25 FREE Tips & Tricks

for Microsoft Excel

by

Francis Hayes (The Excel Addict)

http://www.TheExcelAddict.com

'Excel in Seconds' Volume 1 i Francis Hayes TheExcelAddict.com

'Excel in Seconds'with The Excel Addict

© 2016 Francis Hayes & TheExcelAddict.com

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright

Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book

may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including

photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written

permission from the author / publisher.

The information in this book is provided on as-is basis. The author and publisher shall have neither

liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages arising from the

information contained in this book.

Author: Francis Hayes

Cover Design: Francis Hayes

Published by: Self-published

Published: August 2016

'Excel in Seconds' Volume 1 ii Francis Hayes TheExcelAddict.com

My name is Francis Hayes. I live in Newfoundland, the most easterly

island off the east coast of Canada.

By June of 1992, I had been working with SuperCalc3 spreadsheets

on a MS-DOS computer for 5 years. I had always been someone

who was constantly looking for faster and easier ways to do things,

so using SuperCalc 3 was a frustrating experience for me because

I knew there had to be a better way.

When the company I worked for bought new computers with Microsoft Windows and Excel 4.0, I

thought I had died and gone to heaven. It seemed to me, at that time, everything I had ever wanted a

spreadsheet to do was designed right into Excel. I was so excited that eight hours working with Excel at

my day job wasn’t enough. I spent countless hours each night at home learning all of the amazing new

capabilities Excel was offering me. I read every magazine and book I could get my hands on to discover

Excel’s 'hidden' secrets.

Within a few months I was developing workbooks that, to my co-workers, worked like magic. I had

discovered, and was using, hundreds of shortcuts and tricks that helped me get hours and hours of work

done in mere minutes...sometimes in just seconds. I wanted to share my new found discoveries with

everyone, but to my surprise, not everyone around me was as excited about Excel as I was. Most

preferred to do things their own way. They were too busy to learn how to work more efficiently.

In 2003, I decided to share my knowledge and excitement with other Excel users by creating my own

website and newsletter. Since then I have helped tens of thousands of Excel ‘addicts’ in more than 100

countries around the world.

To this day, I get just as excited every time I sit down to work with Excel. I still find a lot of Excel users

who prefer to figure it out on their own, but I know there are millions more Excel users out there who

would love to know faster and smarter ways to get their work done. I get a lot of satisfaction from

helping people who are just beginning to realize how awesome Excel can be once you begin discovering

its ‘secrets’.

If you are new to Excel, or even if you have been using it for years, I’m sure that in this book you will

discover many new and exciting ways of doing things that you either thought couldn’t be done or hadn’t

even thought of doing.

My goal is to get YOU as excited about Excel as I am. If you like what you see in my book, why not drop

by my website TheExcelAddict.com and join almost 40,000 other Excel Addicts, where I will be sharing

many more of Excel's amazing tips, tricks and resources to help you become an 'Excel Addict' too.

Keep on Excelling

Francis Hayes

The Excel Addict


Who is... TheExcelAddict ?

'Excel in Seconds' Volume 1 iii Francis Hayes TheExcelAddict.com

'Excel in Seconds' Table of Contents

Who is The Excel Addict?

Tip#01 - Quick Access to Your Most Frequently-Used Commands

Tip#02 - Move Your Quick Access Toolbar Below Ribbon

Tip#03 - Do It Again and Again and Again

Tip#04 - Enter the Same Value or Formula in Multiple Cells in One Step

Tip#05 - Evaluate Parts of a Complex Formula

Tip#06 - A Keyboard Shortcut for AutoSum

Tip#07 - Go Home Fast

Tip#08 - The Fastest Way to Move Rows

Tip#09 - The Fastest Way to Move Columns

Tip#10 - Keep Specific Rows or Columns Visible as You Scroll Around

Tip#11 - Quickly Switch Columns to Rows or Rows to Columns

Tip#12 - Fastest Way to Move or Copy Worksheet Tabs

Tip#13 - Remove All Borders

Tip#14 - Combine First and Last Names in a Single Column

Tip#15 - Easily Convert a Shape to a Different Shape

Tip#16 - A Fast Convert Formulas to Values Trick

Tip#17 - Alternate Displaying Cell Formulas and Cell Values

Tip#18 - Keyboard Shortcut to Open a New Workbook

Tip#19 - Keyboard Shortcut to Quickly Save Changes

Tip#20 - Enter Date Stamps and Time Stamps

Tip#21 - Link to a Website From Your Worksheet

Tip#22 - Resize and Align Shapes or Objects With Cell Borders

Tip#23 - How to Use Different Font Formats in the Same Cell

Tip#24 - Easily Remove Leading Apostrophes

Tip#25 - Easily Copy Print Settings to Another Worksheet

Conclusion (and how to get more FREE, time-saving Excel tips and tricks just like these)

'Excel in Seconds' Volume 1 iv Francis Hayes TheExcelAddict.com

Starting with Excel 2007, the Quick Access Toolbar

(QAT) has appeared, almost unnoticeably above the

Ribbon.

It contains only three commands: Save, Undo, and

Redo. Unfortunately, because it is so obscure, most

people don't know what it's for.

The good news is that the QAT could become one of the most important tools you'll use in Excel. By

adding the commands that YOU use most frequently to your QAT, this new personalized toolbar will

give you convenient, one-click access to all of these commands.

As you know, many commands you use regularly in Excel are often on a different tab than the one

you have active or you may have to click through several levels to get to the command you need. By

putting these commands on the QAT, you won't have to go searching for them. One click and you're

done!

IT'S SO SIMPLE to add commands to the QAT. Just locate a command on the Ribbon, right-click on it

and choose 'Add to Quick Access Toolbar''and it appears on your QAT.

Over time, these frequent small savings of time can really improve your productivity.

Quick Access to Your Most Frequently-Used Commands

'Excel in Seconds'

'Excel in Seconds' Volume 1 -- 1 -- Francis Hayes TheExcelAddict.com

By moving your Quick Access Toolbar below the Ribbon, you can access your QAT commands faster

because your mouse doesn't have to travel as far. It may seem like a small distance but it can make a

big difference.

This is a personal preference of mine. Give it a try and see if it works better for you.

To move your QAT below the Ribbon, right-click anywhere on the Ribbon or QAT and select 'Show

Quick Access Toolbar Below the Ribbon'.

To restore your QAT above the Ribbon, right-click anywhere on the Ribbon or QAT and select 'Show

Quick Access Toolbar Above the Ribbon'.

'EXCEL IN SECONDS' Volume 1 (1-25) TheExcelAddict.com

Move Your Quick Access Toolbar Below Ribbon

'Excel in Seconds'


To duplicate or repeat the last action you took in Excel, simply

press the F4 key.

This shortcut doesn't work on EVERY command (experiment to

find out) but it is still one of Excel's best shortcuts.

A couple of examples:

• After you delete a row, select another row and press F4 to

repeat the delete.

• Apply a format to a range of cells, then select another range

of cells and press F4 to repeat the same formatting.

Alternatively you can repeat the previous action by pressing

CTRL+Y or clicking the Redo command on the Quick Access Toolbar.

Do It Again and Again and Again

'Excel in Seconds'


Whenever you want to enter the same value or

formula in multiple cells, don't do what most

Excel users do (i.e. type the value or formula

into the first cell then copy and paste to the

other cells).

The smart way to do this is to first select all of

the cells you want to put the values/formulas

into, then type the value or formula once, but

don't press ENTER yet, instead press CTRL+

ENTER.

The value or formula will be instantly entered

in all of the cells you have selected.

Enter the Same Value or Formula in Multiple Cells in One Step

'Excel in Seconds'


When a large, complex formula returns the wrong result, you will need to figure out which part of it

contains the error. Fortunately it's easy to evaluate small sections of a large complex formula using a

simple keyboard shortcut.

(1) Select the cell containing the formula;

(2) Click in the Formula Bar (or double-click to edit directly in the cell), click and drag to select just the

part of formula that you want to evaluate;

(3) Then press the F9 key. This will evaluate only the part you have highlighted and show the result.

4) When you are done, press ESC to restore the original formula.

If you accidentally press ENTER, you can restore the formula by clicking Undo on the Quick Access

Toolbar (or press CTRL+Z).

Evaluate Parts of a Complex Formula

'Excel in Seconds'


Everyone uses Excel's AutoSum (Σ) command for quickly

summing data. But did you know there is a keyboard shortcut

that few Excel users know about that performs the same

AutoSum function?

Use this shortcut anytime you already have your hands on the

keyboard and want to avoid reaching for the mouse.

Simply press the Alt key and the equal sign (Alt + =)

A Keyboard Shortcut for AutoSum

'Excel in Seconds'


Jump from anywhere in your worksheet back to cell A1 instantly by pressing the CTRL and HOME

keys.

If you have Freeze Panes applied (see Tip#10), pressing CTRL+HOME will move the active cell to the

top left corner of the active pane.

Go Home Fast

'Excel in Seconds'


To move a row (or multiple rows) and insert it (them) between two other rows...

(1) Click the row headings (i.e. 1,2,3,etc...) to

select the row(s) you want to move;

(2) Hold down the SHIFT key;

(3) Point to the edge of the rows you have

selected. Your mouse pointer will change

to a 4-headed arrow;

(4) Press and hold your left mouse button to drag and position the 'insertion bar' where

you want to move and insert the row(s);

(5) Then release the mouse button.

Alternatively use:

• right-click, Cut, right-click, Insert Cut Rows.

NOTE: You can use this same technique to move a range of cells. Select the cells, hold down the Shift

key and drag and release when the insertion bar is where you want to move/insert them.

The Fastest Way to Move Rows

'Excel in Seconds'


To move a column (or multiple columns) and insert it (them) between two other columns...

(1) Click the column headings (i.e. A,B,C,etc...) to select

the columns(s) you want to move;

(2) Hold down the SHIFT key;

(3) Point to the edge of the columns you have selected.

Your mouse pointer will change to a 4-headed arrow;

(4) Press and hold your left mouse button to drag and

position the 'insertion bar' where you want to move

and insert the row(s);

(5) Then release the mouse button.

Alternatively use:

• right-click, Cut, right-click, Insert Cut Columns.

NOTE: You can use this same technique to move a range of cells. Select the cells, hold down the Shift

key and drag and release when the insertion bar is where you want to move/insert them.

The Fastest Way to Move Columns

'Excel in Seconds'


When you scroll down your worksheet, the rows at the top of

your report scroll out of view. When you scroll across, the

columns on the left of your report scroll off the page.

If you want to keep specific columns or rows from moving

as you scroll around your worksheet, here's what to do...

1 a) To freeze rows at the top of your worksheet, click the

row heading (i.e. 1,2,3, etc...) immediately below the rows

you want to freeze. For example, to keep rows 1 to 3 from

scrolling off the screen, click on row 4 heading.

b) To freeze columns on the left of your worksheet, click

the column heading (i.e. A,B,C, etc...) immediately to the

right of the columns you want to freeze. For example, to

keep columns A, B and C from scrolling off the screen, click

on column C heading.

c) To freeze both columns and rows, click the cell in your

worksheet that is immediately to the right of the columns

and immediately below the rows you want to freeze . For

example, to freeze columns A and B and rows 1 to 3, you

will need to click in cell C4.

2) Then from the View tab click Freeze Panes>, Freeze Panes.

To 'unfreeze' your column headings, from the View tab click

Freeze Panes>, Unfreeze Panes.

An 'ALT Key Tips Shortcut' for Freeze Panes is: Press ALT, W, F, F (in sequence).

Keep Specific Rows or Columns Visible as You Scroll Around

'Excel in Seconds'


Switching a range of cells so that the

rows become the columns and the

columns become the rows, is much

easier than you may think. It can't be

done in place, so you will need to copy

it to another location away from the

original range.

If you want, you can then delete the

original range and move the transposed

range back.

(1) Select the range;

(2) Press CTRL+C to Copy (or right-click, Copy);

(3) Select a destination cell outside of the original range. This cell will become the top, left corner of

the new range;

(4) Right-click, Paste Special…,Transpose, OK or click the Transpose button in the Paste Options

menu.

Note that if the range contains formulas that reference cells outside the range you are copying,

unless they have Absolute Referencing (i.e. $ on both Row and Column...e.g. $H$15), the formulas will

get messed up. To avoid this, for each formula, select the cell reference in the Formula Bar and press

the F4 key until there are $ on both the row and column reference.

An 'ALT Key Tips Shortcut' for Paste Special, Transpose is : ALT, E, S, E, Enter (press each key in

sequence).

Quickly Switch Columns to Rows or Rows to Columns

'Excel in Seconds'


Moving and copying your sheet tabs is fast and easy.

To Move a sheet tab, left click and drag it. A small black

triangle will appear between the two tabs where it will be

moved. Release the mouse button to complete the move.

To Copy a sheet tab, hold down the CTRL key, press the

left mouse key and and drag it. A plus sign (+) will appear

in the sheet icon and a small black triangle will appear

between the two tabs where it will be copied. Release the

mouse button to complete the move.

Fastest Way to Move or Copy Worksheet Tabs

'Excel in Seconds'


To quickly remove all of the borders from a range of

cells without affecting other formatting in the cells...

Press CTRL+SHIFT+_ (underscore)

Remove All Borders

'Excel in Seconds'


If you have a list of first names in one column

and last names in the next column, you can

easily combine these into 'FirstName

LastName' or 'LastName, FirstName' in a single

column.

Assuming the names are currently in cells B3

and C3, enter the following formula in cell D3

to combine the names in 'Firstname Lastname'

format.

=B3 & " " & C3

(that's a single space between the quote marks)

If you prefer a 'Lastname, Firstname' format,

use this formula in cell D3...

=C3 & ", " & B3 (that's a comma and single space between the quote marks)

Once you have the names combined into one column, right-click and choose Copy, then right click

again and click Paste Special..., Values, OK. You can then delete the columns B and C if you want.

Combine First and Last Names in a Single Column

'Excel in Seconds'


If you need to convert an existing Shape (Insert, Shapes) such as a rectangle to a different shape,

such as an arrow, here's an easy way to do it without having to start from scratch and repeat all of

the formatting steps.

1) Select the Shape you wish to convert;

2) On the Drawing Tools...Format tab, point to Edit Shape... (in the Insert Shapes group);

3) Then point to Change Shape and select another type of shape.

Easily Convert a Shape to a Different Shape

'Excel in Seconds'


Very few Excel users are aware of this super-quick trick for

converting formulas to values.

1) Select the cells containing formulas (they must be one

contiguous range);

2) Point to the edge of the selected range until the mouse

pointer changes to a 4-headed arrow;

3) Press and hold the right mouse button and drag the cells

to the next column, BUT DON'T RELEASE THE MOUSE

BUTTON YET. Keeping the right mouse button pressed,

drag back to the original location and release the mouse

button.

4) Choose the 'Copy Here as Values Only' option from the

menu that pops up.

A Fast Convert Formulas to Values Trick

'Excel in Seconds'


Formula errors in workbooks are all too common and are often difficult to detect. An error in one or

more formulas can lead to serious consequences.

Good workbooks should have controls built in to detect calculation errors but another relatively-easy

method that may help you spot formula erorrs is displaying your worksheet's FORMULAS instead of

the calculated VALUES.

Due to the way formulas are created using relative cell references, it is fairly easy to spot inconsistent

formulas which may indicate a calculation problem.

On the Ribbon, click the Show Formulas command on the Formulas tab in the Formula Auditing

group. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+` (grave accent, above Tab key on

most North American keyboards) to quickly toggle between showing a worksheet's formulas and its

values.

If you need to do this frequently, consider adding the 'Show Formulas' command to your Quick

Access Toolbar. Right click the 'Show Formulas' command and choose 'Add to Quick Access Toolbar'.

Alternate Displaying Cell Formulas and Cell Values

'Excel in Seconds'


Most Excel users open a new workbook by clicking through the File,

New, Blank Workbook commands. It's only 3 clicks. But why make 3

clicks when you can simply press CTRL+N instead.

At times when you are using your mouse, rather than using a keyboard

shortcut, having the New workbook command one click away on your

Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) is a great option.

To add the New workbook command to your QAT, click

the small dropdown arrow on the right end of the QAT

and select New from the Customize Quick Access

Toolbar menu.

Keyboard Shortcut to Open a New Workbook

'Excel in Seconds'


You really should be frequently saving changes to your workbook to

avoid losing your work.

Most Excel users save changes to their workbook by clicking File, Save.

It's only 2 clicks. But why make 2 clicks when you can simply press

CTRL+S instead.

At times when you are using your mouse, instead of using a keyboard

shortcut, having the Save command one click away on your Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) is a great

option.

To add the Save command to your QAT, click the small dropdown arrow on the right end of the QAT

and select Save from the Customize Quick Access Toolbar menu.

Keyboard Shortcut to Quickly Save Changes

'Excel in Seconds'


It's easy to enter a datestamp or timestamp or both in your

worksheet.

1) To enter the current date, press CTRL+; (semicolon) then

press ENTER.

2) To enter the current time press CTRL+SHIFT+; (semicolon)

then press ENTER.

3) To enter the current date and time...

- Press CTRL+;

- Press the space bar once

- Press CTRL+SHIFT+;

- Press ENTER

Enter Date Stamps and Time Stamps

'Excel in Seconds'


If there is a website that you need to access that is relevant to your workbook, you can create a one-

click link hyperlink right in that workbook.

Create a Cell Hyperlink

Simply type a website address right into a cell

and press Enter... (the hyperlink will be created

automatically). After you've created the hyperlink,

you can replace the website address in the cell to

some other text you want to display in the cell.

The hyperlink will be retained.

Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+K to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog. Enter

the website address (beginning with http://www. or just www.) in the Address field, type some 'Text

to display' in the cell instead of the website address and click OK.

Add a Hyperlink to Any Object

1) Right-click a cell containing some text, a button, shape or picture choose Hyperlink...;

2) Choose the Existing File or Web Page option in the 'Link to:' section;

3) In the Address field, type the website address (beginning with http://www. or just www.) and click

OK.

Link to a Website From Your Worksheet

'Excel in Seconds'


To draw Shapes or Objects so they fit within the

borders of a cell or range of cells, hold down the

ALT key while dragging the edge of the object.

New Shapes and Objects

1) From the Insert tab, click Shapes and choose an

object you want to draw;

2) Hold down the ALT key;

3) Point to the top left corner of the cell where you want to

begin drawing the object and press the left mouse button;

4) Drag to the bottom-right cell;

5) Release the mouse button;

6) Release the ALT key.

Existing Shapes and Objects

To move an existing shape or object, point to the edge of the

object and drag to a new position. Holding down the ALT key

while dragging will 'snap' and align the object with the cell

borders.

To resize an existing shape or object, click on the object, then

point to one of the 6 sizing handles on the edge of the object.

The mouse pointer will change to a white 2-headed arrow.

Click and drag in the direction you want to resize the object.

Holding down the ALT key while dragging, will 'snap' and resize

the object with the cell borders.

Resize and Align Shapes or Objects With Cell Borders

'Excel in Seconds'


We all know how to format text in cells using an almost endless combination of characteristics such

as font, font size, color, bold, italics, etc....

But did you know that you can apply different font formatting to different parts of text within the

same cell.

This is something that I am asked about regularly and invariably the response is "I have been using

Excel for # years and I didn't know you could do that."

So just in case you are one of the majority of Excel users who has never done this before, here's how

you can apply different formatting to different parts of the same cell:

NOTE THAT THIS APPLIES TO FONT FORMATTING OF TEXT CELLS ONLY.

NOT NUMERIC DATA. NOT FORMULAS.

1) You can either double click to edit right in a cell or first select the cell then click in the Formula Bar

to edit up there;

2) Drag to highlight the portion of text within the cell that you want to apply the formatting to;

3) Apply the formatting as you normally do. Don't press Enter yet!

4) Select and apply formatting to other parts of the text;

5) When you're done just press Enter.

So simple. Now, go impress your colleagues.

How to Use Different Font Formats in the Same Cell

'Excel in Seconds'


Sometimes when you import data into Excel from some other

source, you may find that some of the values (either text or

numbers) contain leading apostrophes such as product codes,

postal codes, etc... These apostrophes can cause issues if you

need to reference those cells with various functions such as

VLOOKUP.

You might think that a simple Find and Replace of the

apostrophe (') will do the trick, but unfortunately, that doesn't

work.

If Excel's background error checking option hasn't been

turned off, these cells will be flagged with small green triangles

in to indicate possible errors. When you select one or more of

these cells, a small error dropdown menu will appear to the

left of the selected cells with several options, one of which is

'Convert to Number'.

However, sometimes your cells may contain numbers with

leading zeros that you don't want converted numbers, such

as account numbers, product numbers, etc... The quickest way

of removing the leading apostrophes from a large number of

cells and maintaining the leading zeros is by using the

Format Painter (Home tab, Clipboard group).

Select a cell without an apostrophe (e.g. a blank cell), click the

Format Painter command on the Ribbon, then drag over

the cells containing the apostrophes to paste the format.

Easily Remove Leading Apostrophes

'Excel in Seconds'


When you hold down the CTRL key and drag a worksheet tab, an exact copy of the sheet is made,

including its print settings. However, if you want to copy the Print Settings from one worksheet to

another worksheet, there doesn't appear to be any option for doing this.

But WAIT. There is!

In fact, there is a VERY SIMPLE , VERY FAST and REALLY EASY way to do this. And you are about to

become one of the small percentage of all Excel users who know this trick.

Here's what you do...

1) First, select the sheet tab containing the settings you want to copy;

2) Hold down the CTRL key, then click each sheet tab you want to copy the print settings to;

3) From the Page Layout tab, click the Print Titles command. The Page Setup dialog will open;

4) Then simply click OK (or press ENTER).

4) One last VERY IMPORTANT step: Right click any sheet tab and select Ungroup Sheets. If you don't

do this, you could really mess things up because, when sheets tabs are grouped, everything you do

in one sheet will be repeated in all other sheets.

Easily Copy Print Settings to Another Worksheet

'Excel in Seconds'


Well, you've made it to the end of my first 'Excel in Seconds' e-book and I really

hope you have enjoyed these tips.

You now know that you don't necessarily have to read a big Excel training manual

to start saving significant amounts of time. Hidden within Excel, there are hundreds,

maybe even thousands, of small tricks, tips and shortcuts than can help you get

your work done faster and smarter than maybe you are doing now.

The best thing about these 'Excel in Seconds' tips is that your time-savings can be

realized almost immediately.

If you like the these tips and would like to continue building your Excel skills, I invite you to join me every

week for more FREE time-saving tips.

My 'Spreadsheet Tips from an Excel Addict' newsletters are delivered by email every week in two flavours.

Each Tuesday, I send out my 'Excel in Seconds' newsletter. This contains a tip (similar to the ones in this e-

book) which is a quick read that will usually take up no more than a minute of your valuable time.

On Thursday, I send out my 'Excel in Minutes' newsletter. This contains one tutorial that is a little more

indepth. My newsletter readers tell me that, constantly receiving these tips week after week allows them to

build up their Excel skills over time without becoming overwhelmed with too much information.

If you'd like to subscribe to my FREE newsletter, please go to TheExcelAddict.com

Again, I want to thank you for taking the time to read my e-book and I hope that it has, in some way,

helped you to become a better and smarter Excel user.

Keep on Excelling,


[email protected]

TheExcelAddict.com


Conclusion

PLEASE SHARE THIS E-BOOK

You have my permission to share this e-book (in PDF format only) with anyone you feel

could use some help with Excel.

• Email it to your friends

• Share it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and Linked In.

• Post the PDF on your website or your company's intranet.

• Print it and share it around the office

My goal is to help ONE MILLION EXCEL USERS discover how much more fun Excel can be

when they learn how to do cool new things that they've never imagined possible and get

their work finished in a fraction of the time.


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