Teach Yourself VISUALLY^™ Excel^® 2016

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Select a Range

To work with a range in Excel, you must first select the cells that you want to include in the range. After you select the range, you can fill it with data, move it to another part of the worksheet, format the cells, and perform the other range-related tasks that you learn about in this chapter.

You can select a range as a rectangular group of cells, as a collection of individual cells, or as an entire row or column.

Fill a Range with the Same Data

If you need to fill a range with the same data, you can save time by getting Excel to fill the range for you. The AutoFill feature makes it easy to fill a vertical or horizontal range with the same value, but you can also fill any selected range. This method is much faster than manually entering the same data in each cell.

See the previous section, “Select a Range,” to learn how to select a range of cells.

Fill a Range with a Series of Values

If you need to fill a range with a series of values, you can save time by using the AutoFill feature to create the series for you. AutoFill can fill a series of numeric values such as 5, 10, 15, 20, and so on; a series of date values such as January 1, 2016, January 2, 2016, and so on; or a series of alphanumeric values such as Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, and so on.

You can also create your own series with a custom step value, which determines the numeric difference between each item in the series.

Flash Fill a Range

You can save time and effort by using the Flash Fill feature in Excel to automatically fill a range of data based on a sample pattern that you provide.

Although there are many ways to use Flash Fill, the two most common are flash filling a range with extracted data and flash filling a range with formatted data. For example, if you have a column of full names, you might want to create a new column that includes just the first names extracted from the original column. Similarly, if you have a column of phone numbers in the form 1234567890, you might want a new column that formats the numbers as (123) 456-7890.

Move or Copy a Range

If your worksheet is not set up the way you want, you can restructure or reorganize the worksheet by moving an existing range to a different part of the sheet.

You can also make a copy of a range, which is a useful technique if you require a duplicate of the range elsewhere, or if you require a range that is similar to an existing range. In the latter case, after you copy the range, you can then edit the copied version of the data as needed.

Insert a Row or Column

You can insert a row or column into your existing worksheet data to accommodate more information. The easiest way to add more information to a worksheet is to add it to the right or at the bottom of your existing data. However, you will often find that the new information you need to add fits naturally within the existing data. In such cases, you first need to insert a new row or column in your worksheet at the place where you want the new data to appear, and then add the new information in the blank row or column.

Insert a Cell or Range

If you need to add data to an existing range, you can insert a single cell or a range of cells within that range. When you insert a cell or range, Excel shifts the existing data to accommodate the new cells.

Although it is often easiest to create room for new data within a range by inserting an entire row or column, as explained in the previous section, “Insert a Row or Column,” this causes problems for some types of worksheet layouts. (See the first tip to learn more.) You can work around such problems by inserting just a cell or range.