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More Excel Tips for Accountants

Excel is one of the most widely used programs in the accounting industry. While most finance professionals have a general understanding of the program, there is always room to learn a few more Excel tips and tricks that make using Excel a little easier.

Fill Cells Quickly

One of the most helpful Excel tips is learning how to fill cells as quickly as possible. You can format rows, columns, and various cells. Once you’ve created the format you like the best, you can apply it to other cells quickly by using the painter function. You can accomplish this by double-clicking on the format painter icon. You can then lock the function and single-click on any parts of the spreadsheet that you want to format.

Additionally, for larger portions of data, you can use this series of quick-fill functions:

  • Time Format: Ctrl+Shift+@
  • Date Format: Ctrl+Shift+#
  • Currency Format: Ctrl+Shift+$
  • Percentage Format: Ctrl+Shift+%
  • Scientific/exponential Form Format: Ctrl+Shift+^

Splice Data

Splicing is a helpful function that allows you to filter data quickly and easily. To do this, select any range in a table or PivotTable, and then go to Insert > “Slicer,” in the top right corner. Finish by selecting the column you would like to splice.

Formula-Free

Creating equations can be time-consuming. Fortunately, Excel 2019 allows you to get a sum without a formula. To do so, click anywhere inside the Excel table. Then press Ctrl+Shift+T, and Excel will add the total to your total row. This allows you to quickly access the sum without having to provide an equation that may only be used once in the entire document.

Hide Zero Values

In a large spreadsheet, hiding the zero values can come in handy. You’ll be able to evaluate the data more efficiently without seeing values that mean nothing. To hide zero values, click the “File” drop-down menu, and choose “Options.” Then select “Advanced” from the left-hand menu and uncheck the box for “Show a zero in cells that have zero value.”

For additional Excel tips, check out Excel for Budgeting & Planning

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