Many of us are averse to huge data. Still most of us will admit that MS Excel is a valuable tool and that there is no escaping from this tool when you have to deal with huge amount of data. No sooner does one enter the professional jungle, one becomes used to the basics of this tool. Still, it should not come across as a surprise that we end up spending a lot of time trying to figure out some complicated menu item, or trying to do some formatting manually, despite shortcuts being available for the same.

 

To help the very cause, we have got 5 lifesaving MS Excel hacks that not only makes your more convenient, but also helps save a lot of time. Try them out!

 

  1. Hate the Autocorrect on WhatsApp? Not here!

 

Many a times we need to enter the same complicated value multiple times in the sheet. By using the autocorrect option, you can reduce your effort considerably.

 

Imagine you have to type Czechoslovakia for a hundred times at multiple places. Go to File > Options > Proofing > Autocorrect Options. As shown below, type “CZ” in Replace and, “Czechoslovakia” in With, as shown in the picture below.

 

Now every time you type ‘CZ’ that complicated word gets populated. Isn’t that amazing!

 

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  1. Why doesn’t the ‘0’ stay?

 

It is extremely annoying when you type someone’s phone number 0091-xxx-xxx-xxxx, and MS Excel removes the zeroes at the beginning of any number, while probably grinning on your face. Of course you can change the format of the cell, Mr Smarty Pants. But why do it when you can simply add a single quote (‘) before the number and your problem gets solved. Now that’s what is called a smart hack, eh!

 

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  1. Do you find switching jobs easier than switching between two files?

 

Juggling between multiple excel files or sheets is not only troublesome, but risky too. Imagine getting confused between two similar looking sheets and entering a wrong data. A single mistake can spoil both the sheets. The combination of ‘alt’ key and the ‘tab’ key comes handy in a situation like this. It helps you switch between your files comfortably and quickly without dragging that stupid mouse unendingly. In case you want to switch between two sheets in the same file, just combine ‘ctrl’ with the ‘pg up’ or ‘pg dn’ key!

 

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Image Source: http://itgroove.net/oh365eh/2014/04/09/navigate-between-pages-in-onenote-via-keyboard-shortcut/

 

  1. The control over the Ctrl!

 

Ctrl key is the real lifesaver; you got to give it to it. Want to move to the bottom of the sheet? Ctrl + down arrow key. Want to move to the right edge? Ctrl + right! Left edge? Top? It all just gets really easy with the ‘ctrl’ key combinations. Not only does it help with the edge of the sheet, but combining it with the ‘shift’ key helps one reach the end of the sheet too. So next time you want to play prank on your friend, quickly reach the corner of the sheet with the ctrl + shift + up/down key, write “Find Me”, and return back to the sheet before your friend notices!

 

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Image Source: http://flaw.sourceforge.net/instructions.shtml

 

  1. Getting rid of the blanks!

 

Many a times, several cells remain blank due to some or the other reasons. Accuracy in calculation, especially in cases where you need to find the averages, demands removal of those blank cells. Scrolling up and down the entire data and deleting them one by one is the last thing you would want to do to achieve that. Instead just click on the F5, click on ‘special’, and select ‘blank’. All the blank cells appear in front of you to eliminate!

 

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There are many other shortcuts available to help you in your daily tussle with MS Excel, which can be easily found on different online public forums. We too will be back with a few more exciting hacks soon. Till then, don’t forget to use and make the above hacks count, to excel in Excel!

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