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04 October, 2021

TIPS for CLICKS: About using Mouse in Excel

Hello, mouse!

  • Click means here: left button click 
  • Fill Handle in Excel means: small black rectangle in the lower right corner of a cell/range selection.

The following table provides 30 helpful tips related to the use of mouse in the Excel app. It covers the most useful mouse 'shortcuts' enhancing user's skills and productivity, and explains how to use them. It's worth to utilize them in your work.

What to do

How to do, with Mouse

Snap a shape/image to Excel grid or to a cell size

Insert the selected object into a worksheet. Hold down ALT+click and drag to a cell/range border. Release.

Apply formatting of selected cell/range to other area(s) in a worksheet

Click on Format Painter in the Ribbon and select ONE cell/range.

Double-click on the Format Painter and select consecutively multiple areas to format.

Select multiple non-adjacent cells/ranges

Hold down CTRL key while selecting

Zoom In/Out the whole worksheet area

Hold down CTRL key and scroll the wheel Up or Down to zoom

Select/group multiple worksheets (non-adjacent or adjacent) together and apply any action to them

Hold down CTRL key and select tabs of non-adjacent worksheets.

Hold down SHIFT key and select tabs of adjacent worksheets.

Add multiple arguments in a function (like e.g. Sum, Vlookup) without typing commas between the arguments

Hold down CTRL key while adding the arguments

Add to a worksheet multiple copies of any selected shape/chart/image

Hold down CTRL key and move/drag the object to a new place many times

Copy a selected range of cells to any position and as many times as needed

Hold down CTRL key and drag one of the borders of the selection in a desired direction

Change formatting or formulas in selected multiple ranges of cells simultaneously

Hold down CTRL key while selecting different ranges, then act on them as needed; also copy & paste elsewhere.

Expand/reduce the Formula Bar size vertically by as much as needed

Drag the lower edge of the Formula Bar. Click on the top-right ‘v to minimize its height.

Copy/Cut and Paste a range of cells using one of available formats

Select a range and use the right-click to copy/cut and paste the range in one of displayed menu options

Open the ‘Activate’ sheet menu to select one of the numerous worksheets in a workbook

Right-click on one of the small arrows to the left of the workbook sheet tabs

Expand selection of cell(s) and apply one of the options presented in displayed menu

Right-click the Fill Handle on any cell/range of cells and drag to expand selection. After releasing the button, a list of available options appears for use.

Copy the format of any selected cell to another cell or range of cells

Double-click on the Format Painter and click on a target cell; drag to select a range of cells.

Draw numerous numbers of a selected Shape, of the same or different dimensions, as needed

Right-click on selected shape in the Shapes (on Ribbon) and click on the ‘Lock Drawing Mode’ option. Click in the worksheet to insert and resize (if needed) copies of the shape. Use ESC key to exit the mode.

Auto-fill series of data or formulas in a column of some table (suggesting where to stop filling), with a given / initiated pattern/format

Double-click on the Fill Handle of selected cell/range. Filling stops down the column based on the size of filled column to the left.

Open the Format Chart Area or Format Plot Area pane (with menu)

Double-click on the chart/plot area. When the pane is already displayed, single click on the chart/plot area switches the pane.

Hide/Unhide the Ribbon; or display it temporarily

Double-click any Ribbon menu tab to hide the Ribbon; now click once to display it (but without Formula Bar) until you click on any cell. Double-click again any menu tab and the Ribbon reappears.

Rename any worksheet

Double-click on worksheet’s tab and enter a new name

Select the whole worksheet

Click on the half square looking button at the top left corner of Excel screen (to the left of Col. A and above Row 1)

Change any menu docked to the side of active workbook (e.g. ‘Format Shape’) to a floating window, and position it conveniently in the worksheet

Click on the title of the docked menu and drag it to a chosen position. Double-click the title again to return the menu to its original position.

Select the first word, then extend the selection of text/sentence further

Double-click on the first word and - keeping the left button depressed – drag to select more text, as needed

Move a selected range of cells to a new position, in any direction

Hold down the SHIFT key and drag one of the outside borders of the range to position the selection in new area

Extend selected range of filled cells in a desired direction to continue filling cells with related additional data / formulas

Click on the Fill Handle of the selected range and drag it in a desired direction

Select the whole cell content

Triple-click or quadruple-click on the cell

Auto-scroll in horizontal and vertical directions

Click the wheel button

Keep an eye on some of the cells in a workbook, while working with a workbook

Click on Formulas tab>Watch Window. Add cells/ranges to be displayed in the Window floating above the worksheet. The Window can be dragged to the side or to the top of the workbook screen.

Get Excel Help immediately while entering a complex function or formula into a cell

After entering ‘=’ sign and the function name followed by ‘(‘, click on the hyperlink (underlined function name).  The relevant Help pane will be displayed at once.

Browse quickly between Excel menu tabs (except for the File tab) without the need to click on each of them.

Use the scroll wheel anywhere in the Ribbon, scrolling Up or Down.

Add a mouse-over tip to any shape or other object on a worksheet

The mouse-over is an action (tip) that is displayed when the user stops or hovers the mouse pointer above the object.

To add it, follow these steps:

  1. Click the object, then use CTRL+K shortcut.
  2. In Insert Hyperlink window, click Screen Tip… (top right) and enter text you want to display when the user is hovering the mouse pointer over the object. Click OK.
  3. Next, select Link to: Existing File or Web Page and click Bookmark… button; enter A1 in the Type in the cell reference field. Click OK.
  4. Click OK in the Insert Hyperlink window.

 

 

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