Microsoft Excel Tips and Tricks

Tip: Excel Help Menu Use: Provide answers to your questions in a step-by-step format
The help menu is one of the most important tips to take away is how to utilize the help feature in Excel. This allows you the user to search for step-by-step help while working in Excel. To access the help menu: Select Help>Microsoft Excel Help On the Answer Wizard tab, type the question that you are looking for help with. A list of topics that best match your question will be populated below. Double-click on the topic that you want to view and on the right hand side of the window the steps will appear.

Tip: Collaboration Use: Allow multiple users to work on a spreadsheet at once Shared Workbooks:
Many of you are sharing Excel documents by routing them through email. Excel XP now allows you and others to work within an Excel document at the same time. To allow a workbook to be used by more than one person follow this process: Go to Tools>Share Workbook Select the checkbox that says Allow changes by more than one person at the same time. Note: If you would like to customize your settings click on the advanced option on top of the box and select the settings you wish you keep Click ok and when prompted to save, be sure to save the workbook in a shared workspace that others can access.

Tip: Routing an Excel file to other users Use: To share information or request revisions from multiple users.
The option to route a file to others, is much easier in Office XP. To route a workbook: Go to file menu>Send to>Select routing recipient. The routing slip will open. This will allow you to add individuals from the GAL to send the file to. Second you have the choice of sending this document to the recipients one at a time or all at once. The one at a time option will most likely be used for those of you who have to pass your documents up through a chain of command. You also have the option of having an email sent to you when the message has been sent to everyone, along with tracking the status of the email. Once the document is sent, the recipient will have the option of routing the document to the next person or send it back to sender with a change. This process will continue until the last person on the routing list has seen and approved the document

Tip: Comments Use: An area to leave detailed information about the cell.
Select Insert>Comment Type in the text of your comment in the text box that pops up. (Storing your name is optional, to delete it, simply highlight it and press delete) You also have the option of hiding your comments. To do so, use the buttons located on the tool bar above the function key

Tip: Change Grid Line Color Use: Customize the look and feel of working in Excel
For those of you who like to have your own personal effect on your documents, changing your gridlines might work for you. A reason for changing your gridlines might be you can read your documents easier on darker or lighter colors. To access this option Select Tools>Option On the pop up screen, select the view tab Select the drop down arrow box to the right of the gridline color box Choose a color to your liking and press Ok

Tip: Color Coding Sheet Tabs Use: Draw attention to multiple sheets in a workbook.
Color coding you sheet tabs will allow you to combine multiple workbooks into one. You can designate your different sheet tabs with a specific color. To do this: Just right click on the sheet tab you want to change and select tab color In the color dialog box, select the color you would like to use and press okay.

Tip: Zooming in on data Use: Limit the number of cells and rows displayed
Another way of changing the appearance of your spreadsheets is by using the zooming option. The zoom option allows you to select a specific range of cells to display. To do this: First make a selection of the cells you want to zoom in on by highlighting them with your mouse Select View>Zoom>Fit Selection and then press OK

Tip: Adding Toolbars Use: Display additional options to manipulate your data.
Select View>Toolbarsthe list is at your disposal. Once you make your selection, you can also drag that actual toolbar to the standard toolbar so that you can easily access it in the future If you ever need any assistance or would like to know what exactly a particular toolbar can do, use the help menu and just type in your question. Once again, the help menu is there for you.

Tip: Enhanced Protection Use: Protect your Excel document

Office XP offers improved protection of its documents To access this protection do as follows: To protect a single sheet: Tools>Protection>Protect Sheet Protect sheet option allows you to create a password to lock the cells of the sheet. To protect the workbook: Tools>Protection>Protect Workbook. The password is optional when protecting a workbook. This will prevent others from: moving, deleting, hiding, unhiding, renaming, and new worksheets cannot be inserted. When protecting a workbook window, the window will be the same size and position every time the workbook is opened.

Tip: Copying Formulas Use: Reuse same formula without having to reenter.
This will allow you to quickly copy formulas or finish a series. To copy a formula to adjacent cells, or to finish a series (such as months, days, numbers, etc) all you have to do are these 3 easy steps: First type in a formula or the first part of a series (ie: January) Next point the mouse to the bottom right of the cell until it turns to a + sign Click and drag the plus sign to the cells you wish to apply the formula or series to

Tip: Keyboard Shortcuts Use: Mouse actions done on your keyboard

These are quick shortcuts used frequently in Excel. To copy something, simply highlight the data with the mouse and hit Control C. To paste anything that you just copied, hit Control V. To insert the current date into a document, hit Control ;. To insert the current time into a document, hit Control Shift ;.

Tip: Filters Use: Allow you to sort and move around in the data in your spreadsheet.
This option comes in handy when you are sorting through large lists in Excel. Data>Filter>Auto filter (Note: You must have a row of data that can be used as sorting labels) After you do this, you should see a drop down arrow box in the box you created as the title for the column. Click the drop down arrow box and select a department Color code your filters Place your cursor in one of the filtered cells and press control * (asterisk). (This selects all of the cells) Next go to Format>Cells and select the font tab. On the color drop down arrow box, select the color red. To turn off the filter:

Data>Filter>Auto filter.

Tip: Printing in Excel Use: Create a more professional printed document

Rows Repeated on each page: You can select to repeat rows at the top of every sheet printed. This would be most useful for long documents that correspond to a label or title designated in the first row of the document Select File>Page Setup>Select the Sheet tab. To select a row to be repeatedly printed, click on the icon to the right of the repeat row textbox, and then select the row on your actual document. When done selecting the row, click on the same icon on the repeat rows textbox to bring you back to page setup. If you wish you see the repeating row, select print preview. Printing Gridlines: To show the gridlines when you print: Select File>Page Setup>Select the Sheet tab. Simply mark the Print Gridlines box. Row and Column Headings: Printing your row and column headings will print the column letters and the row numbers on each page printed. Select File>Page Setup>Select the Sheet tab. Simply mark the Row and Column Headings box.

Comments: You have two options when printing comments. First, you can print comments at the bottom of the spreadsheet. A cell reference will be along side the comment for quick and easy reference.
Note: You will want to print your row and column headings when using this option.

Second, you can print the comments next to the cell they are associated with. The only problem with this option is if you have data in the cells directly right of the comment, that information will be covered up.

 Select File>Page Setup>Select the Sheet tab Use the drop down menu to make your selection

Fit To: The fit to option will allow you to consolidate your spreadsheet to a certain number of pages. Select>File>Page Setup>Select the Page Tab Select the fit to and define the number of pages you would like the spreadsheet to fit onto. Note: When using fit to option, the font size will adjust to fit that spreadsheet onto a certain number of pages. Headers and Footers: Headers and Footers will add a professional look to your document. To add a header and footer: File>Page Setup>Headers/Footers Tab You have the option of using a predefined header and footer or creating one yourself. Here is a brief description of the buttons in the custom header and footer section: - Page Number Button will insert the page number on each page printed - Page Of Button will add the page #/page of (ex. 1 of 3) - Date Button will add the current date the spreadsheet is being opened or printed. This date will change. If you need a fixed date, you should add that manually to the header or footer.

- Time Button will add the current time the spreadsheet is being opened or printed. This time will change each time you open and print. If you need a fixed time, you should add that manually to the header or footer.

Page Break Preview:

To access your page breaks: View>Page Break Preview A dialog box will appear. Select okay Once you have selected okay, two dashed lines will appear on your spreadsheet (one horizontal, one vertical). Hold on the bars and slide them to where you would like your page break.

Tip: Find and Replace Use: Allow you to find and replace specific data more efficiency
To use Find and Replace: Edit>Find and Replace A window will open and there will be several options to choose from Type in what you are look for and what you would like it to replace Replace All will replace all occurrences of your what with your replace with Replace will replace one by one, each instance in the document. So if youre not sure you want to change everyone, this would probably be best. Find All will compile all instances of the text into a pop up window and you may replace them at your discretion Find Next will find each occurrence one at a time and you can decide whether or not you want to replace it.

Tip: Web Access Use: Quick access to web pages through Excel
Select View>Toolbars>Web. This will bring up the web toolbar. The address bar will open with Book 1 prepopulated. Simply type the web address you would like to go to. This will open Internet Explorer. You will bypass home.pmu.com. This is a time saver!

Tip: Text to Speech Use: Speech capability to aid in verifying your data
To access the Text to Speech option: Tools>Speech>Show Text to Speech Toolbar. Your text to speech toolbar will be displayed. Speak Cells button place your cursor in a starting cell and press speak cells. Excel will begin reading your data to you. Stop Speak button this will stop Excel from reading your cells. - By Rows/By Columns these buttons allow you to tell Excel which way to read, by rows or by columns. - Speak Cells on Enter- this will allow Excel to read the data as you type. Note: Speak Cells on Enter will stay ON if you do not press the button again to turn it off.