Data Manipulation and Formatting

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To quickly add a new row above your current one, press Alt + I, then R. To insert a column to the left of your selection, use Alt + I, then C. If you need to add multiple rows or columns, press F4 to repeat the action without reselecting.

If you’d like the top rows or side columns to always be visible while scrolling, select the appropriate cell and hit Alt + W, F, F. This will lock everything above and to the left of your selection. Use the same shortcut again to disable the feature. It’s common to lock just the first row or column for clarity.

To divide your sheet into separate scrollable sections, choose a cell and use Alt + W, S. This creates independent panes. Splitting from column A gives a horizontal split. For vertical splits, use a different column, though it's less common. Use Alt + W, S again to remove the split.

Open the Zoom settings with Alt + V, Z. You can manually choose a zoom level or use the “Fit Selection” option (press F after opening the dialog) to display a full dataset on one screen.

To delete an entire row or column, first highlight it, then press Ctrl + -. This works regardless of whether you're removing a row or column.

Instead of copy-pasting, which can overwrite data, use the Insert Cut Cells feature for moving data safely. Use the Menu key, then E, and hit Enter. If your keyboard doesn’t have a Menu key, Shift + F10 works the same way.

To make a column automatically fit its contents, select it and press Alt + O, C, A. This works with multiple columns too. To set a custom width, use Alt + O, C, W and enter the number.

To adjust row heights:

• Auto-adjust: Alt + O, R, A
• Set manually: Right-click, select Row Height, and enter your preferred size.
   

Each cell has a number format type, such as General, Currency, Date, etc. To access and change these, press Ctrl + 1.

• General: The default type for text or plain numbers.
• Number: For decimals; options for separators and negative numbers available.
• Currency/Accounting: For financial data; Currency adds symbols, Accounting aligns them.
• Date/Time: Different styles for displaying dates and times.
• Percentage: For showing values as a percent.
• Text: Keeps numbers as text (e.g., preserving leading zeros).
• Special/Custom: For locale-based or user-defined formatting.
   

You can format dates as short (e.g., 01/01/2020) or long (e.g., 1 January 2020). Use dd-mmm-yy in the Custom tab to show dates like 01-Jan-20.

• Price columns: Use Currency or Accounting formats.
• Order numbers: Set to Text to prevent unwanted number formatting or math operations.
   

Speed up formatting with keyboard commands:

• Add decimal: Alt + H, 0
• Remove decimal: Alt + H, 9
• Paste format only: Alt + E, S, T
   

Modify appearance using:

• Font size: Alt + H, F, S
• Font color: Alt + H, F, C
• Bold: Ctrl + B
• Italic: Ctrl + I
• Underline: Ctrl + U
• Background color: Alt + H, H
• Format Painter: Alt + H, FP

Format one cell, then use the Format Painter to apply the same style elsewhere.

To add borders, select the area and press Alt + H, B. To remove them, press Ctrl + Shift + -. To toggle gridlines, use Alt + W, V, G.

Text is left-aligned; numbers are right-aligned by default. For centered headers across columns, use Alt + H, M, C to Merge and Center. To reverse this, use Alt + H, M, U.

An alternative is Center Across Selection, which centers text without merging. Access it via Ctrl + 1 → Alignment tab.

If the text doesn’t fit, enable Wrap Text with Alt + H, W.

To exclude certain info when printing:

1. Select columns/rows to group: Alt + A, G, G
2. Hide grouped data: Alt + A, H
3. Reveal hidden parts: Alt + A, J
    

This doesn’t delete data — it just hides it from view and print.

For large spreadsheets, group sections to simplify navigation. Use the numbers in the top-left to expand or collapse all groups. Just remember: hidden doesn’t mean deleted. Always double check before sharing files.

• Open Paste Special menu: Alt + E, S
   

• Shortcut: Alt + E, S, T
• Copies just the formatting (not values or formulas).
   

• Shortcut: Alt + E, S, F
• Transfers the formula from one cell to another.
   

• Shortcut: Alt + E, S, V
• Pastes only the result of the formula, without formulas or formats.

To copy both values and styles, use Ctrl + V or the drag handle (AutoFill).

To arrange data in a specific order:

• Open Sort dialog: Alt + A, S, S
• Choose which column to sort by, and the sort direction.

To return to the original layout, delete the sort level.

To hide data temporarily:

• Enable filters: Ctrl + Shift + L
• Use dropdowns in each column to filter values.

To clear filters: Alt + A, C

You can pull in data from text or CSV files. These use delimiters like commas or tabs.

• Use the Text Import Wizard to specify delimiter types and format columns.

CSV files open directly in Excel if Excel is your system's default CSV app.

Go to File → Save As to name and store your workbook. Common formats:

• .xlsx: Standard
• .xlsm: Includes macros
• .csv / .txt: For sharing with other programs
• .pdf: For non-editable distribution

Enable AutoSave with OneDrive to store versions automatically.

Add comments via right-click → New Comment/Note. Use Comments for discussion, and Notes for simple remarks.

To share your file, use Share in the top-right (OneDrive required), or send it via email.

To prevent others from editing your content:

• Go to File → Info → Protect Workbook
• Set a password or protect specific sheets with customized permissions.

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