Useful & Efficient Techniques - Part 2

Hello Subscribers!🙋

I hope you're having an Awesome day! In this edition📰, we're going to dive into two more useful tricks.

1) STOP using Merge and Center (use Center Across Selection instead)

Most of you are using Merge and Center to combine multiple cells into one and center the content within that merged cell as it may seem convenient.

But I strongly recommend you to ❌STOP using Merge and Center and ✅START using a better alternative called Center Across Selection.

But why, you may ask? Because of the following drawbacks of Merge and Centre: -

• Data Integrity: When cells are merged, you lose the individuality of each cell, making it challenging to sort, filter, or reference data accurately. It can lead to errors or unexpected results when performing calculations, using functions, or creating pivot table.
• Inflexible Layout: Merged cells limit your layout options. If you need to insert or delete rows or columns, it can disrupt the merged cells and require manual adjustment. This can be frustrating, especially when working with large datasets or frequently updating your spreadsheet.
• Hidden Data: Merged cells often hide data. When you merge cells, the data in the additional cells gets hidden, making it difficult to spot errors or make changes later on.

So, to overcome these drawbacks, use Center Across Selection. It is a formatting technique that offers the benefits of Merge and Center without the associated drawbacks.

To use Center Across Selection

• Select the cells you want to format.
• Go to Home tab > Alignment Group > Alignment Settings (click on the small tilted arrow in the bottom right of the group, or use the keyboard shortcut Control + 1 and the select the Alignment tab)(Fig 1.1).
• In the Text Alignment > Horizontal dropdown, select Center Across Selection (Fig 1.1).
• Click Ok.

By ditching Merge and Center and embracing Center Across Selection, you can create more efficient and error-free spreadsheets. Take the time to review your existing files and make the necessary changes to ensure a smoother workflow.

2) Quickly Make a Copy of a Worksheet!

Have you ever found yourself needing a duplicate of an existing worksheet? Perhaps you want to create multiple versions for different scenarios or make edits without affecting the original data. Whatever the reason, manually copying and pasting each cell can be a time-consuming and error-prone process.

Some of you would right-click on the sheet name tab and select move or copy, and then check the “Create a Copy” check box. There is nothing wrong with doing it this way, but there is a quicker way.

Steps:

• Choose the worksheet tab that you want to duplicate.
• Press and hold the Control Key.
• Left-click on the worksheet tab for which you want to duplicate (a plus sign within a sheet icon will appear next to the cursor).
• While still holding the Control key and the Left button of the mouse, drag the tab within the worksheet.
• Leave the mouse left-button and then Control Key.

That's all for now, dear subscribers!😀 I hope you found these tips helpful & that it improves your Excel experience. Stay tuned for next edition, where we'll see more about Microsoft Excel.

Happy Excel-ing!🚀