Tired of spending hours formatting your Excel spreadsheet? Do you find yourself constantly clicking through menus and submenus to make your data look presentable? You’re not alone.
Excel formatting can be a tedious and time-consuming task. Especially when working with large datasets!
In today’s post, I’ll take you through a few quick and easy Excel formatting shortcuts that can save you a ton of time and effort.
If you’re ready to take your Excel skills to the next level, keep reading!
Copy Formatting Shortcut In Excel
If there’s anything you learn from this post, let it be this tip. Copy-paste formatting is one of the most time-saving shortcuts you will ever learn.
To copy formatting in Excel using a shortcut, you can use the Format Painter tool. Here’s how:
- Select the cell or range of cells that contain the formatting you want to copy
- Press the Format Painter shortcut key, which is “Ctrl + Shift + C” on Windows and “Command + Shift + C” on Mac
- Click and drag the “Format Painter” cursor over the cell or range of cells where you want to apply the formatting. Boom you are done!
A second method is using the paste special format function.
Remove Formatting In Excel Without Removing Contents
To remove formatting in Excel without removing contents, you can use the “Clear Formats” option.
- Select the cell(s) or range of cells that you want to remove the formatting from
- Go to the Home tab, click on the Editing drop-down menu
- Select Clear > Clear Formats
This will remove all formatting, including font styles, colors, and cell borders while leaving the cell contents intact. If you want to remove both formatting and content, you can use the Clear All option instead.
Format Spacing In Excel
To format spacing in Excel, you can adjust the line spacing, column width, and row height.
Adjusting Row Height And Column Width
Simply select the row or column you want to adjust, right-click, and select “Row Height” or “Column Width” from the drop-down menu. You can then enter a specific height value or drag the row border up or down to adjust the height.
Changing Line Spacing
To increase the line spacing for text in a cell, you can change the vertical spacing to Justify.
- Right-click on a cell and select Format Cells (or Ctrl+1)
- Click the Alignment tab and select Justify under the Vertical alignment menu
- You can also add space between text and cells borders by adjusting the indent and orientation settings
Using Text Boxes
If you want more control over the spacing of your text, you can use text boxes.
- Click on the “Insert” tab and select “Text Box” (right side of the ribbon)
- Click and hold to draw a text box that fits the cell you want
- You can then adjust the text box properties to change the font, size, and spacing of your text
Indent Shortcut In Excel
Indenting in Excel is an essential formatting technique that helps you organize your data and make it more readable. It allows you to shift the content of a cell to the left or right, making it easier to distinguish between different levels of information.
The shortcut for indenting in Excel:
- Indent to the right – “Alt + H + 6”
- Indent to the left – “Alt + H + 5”
To use this shortcut, select the cells where you want to apply the indent and then press these keys in succession.
Shortcut To Adjust Cell Size In Excel
To adjust cell size in Excel using a shortcut, you can use the AutoFit feature.
- First, select the column(s) or row(s) that you want to adjust
- AutoFit the column width – press the shortcut keys “Alt + H + O + I“
- AutoFit the row height – “Alt + H + O + A“
This will automatically adjust the size of the selected column(s) or row(s) to fit the contents of the cells.
Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Alt + H + O + W. This will open the “Column Width” dialog box. From here you can enter whatever size you need. Use Alt + H + O + H for “Row Height”.
Excel Worksheet Formatting
When it comes to creating professional-looking worksheets in Excel, formatting is key. With a few simple formatting techniques, you can make your data easier to read and understand.
One way to create a uniform look throughout all of your Excel spreadsheets is by utilizing document themes. Excel comes with several built-in themes that you can use to quickly apply a consistent look and feel to your worksheets.
To apply a theme, go to the Page Layout tab and click on Themes. From there, you can choose from a variety of preset themes or create your own.
Create Your Own Theme
If you want to create your own document theme, you can easily customize the theme colors, fonts, and effects.
To do this, go to the Page Layout tab and click on Colors, Fonts, or Effects. From there, you can choose from a variety of options or create your own custom settings. Click on “Themes” to save your current theme.
Formatting With Cells Styles
Another way to format your worksheet is by using cell styles. Cell styles are predefined formatting options that you can apply to your cells with just a few clicks.
To apply a cell style, select the cells you want to format and go to the Home tab. From there, click on Cell Styles and choose the style you want to apply.
Conditional Formatting
In addition to cell styles, you can also use conditional formatting to highlight specific cells based on certain criteria.
For example, you can use conditional formatting to highlight cells that contain a certain value or that fall within a certain range.
To apply conditional formatting, select the cells you want to format and go to the Home tab. From there, click on Conditional Formatting and choose the formatting option you want to apply.
By utilizing these formatting techniques, you can create professional-looking worksheets that are both easy to read and understand.