Excel Tips

Excel 2019 and the Insert Cells Dilemma »

February 27, 2018

If you are planning on upgrading to the perpetual release of Excel 2019, the Keep the Copy feature might annoy you. The problem is worse if you continue to use the legacy Excel shortcut keys.

Entering a Formula using the Arrow Keys »

February 26, 2018

To be fast in Excel, you need to stop reaching for the mouse. Today, an amazingly fast way of entering formulas that will save you six trips to the mouse.

I Still Use a Plus Sign for Entering Formulas »

February 24, 2018

I recently asked people for a list of the worst rookie Excel mistakes they've seen. I had to wince when one of those "rookie" mistakes is something I still to do this today: start a formula with =+.

Calculation Bug When Changing VLOOKUP Table »

February 23, 2018

There is an odd bug that can cause calculation errors in Excel when you make changes to the lookup table. Given that the Excel team's motto is "Recalc or Die", I am not sure why they won't patch this bug.

Double Click the Fill Handle to Copy a Formula »

February 22, 2018

My favorite Excel trick of all time: You have thousands of rows of data and have to copy the formula to the end. Don't try to drag the formula to the end. There is a better way.

Unpivoting Data in Power Query »

February 21, 2018

Unpivoting in Excel solves something that was a 200-keystroke nightmare and makes it be just a few clicks.

Discover Insights About Your Excel Data »

February 20, 2018

Insights is a new feature coming to Excel and Office 365. Office Insiders can take the new artificial-intelligence feature for a spin soon.

Quickly Selecting Your Data Using Ctrl + Shift + Arrow »

February 19, 2018

"Hands off the mouse!", advises German Nande of training powerhouse Adkins, Matchett & Toy Ltd. If you want to be amazingly fast at Excel, you have to learn how to use Excel without reaching for the mouse every few seconds. I couldn't agree more.

When It Makes Sense to Use Option Explicit »

February 17, 2018

It seems that I have caused some angst over the years because of my controversial stance that Option Explicit is not useful in VBA. I was reminded of this recently when I did a Skype session at Excel Weekend of Brazil. I've written a book on Excel VBA for QUE. That book has been translated to Portuguese for the Brazil market. So, apparently, I've taught the fine people of Brasil about Excel VBA for 15 years. Now that I am 15 years older and wiser, I will concede that there might be good reasons to use Option Explicit.