Instead of entering data manually on a worksheet, you can use the AutoFill feature to fill cells with data that follows a pattern or that is based on data in other cells.
Use AutoFill
Sometimes, you need to enter a lot of repetitive information in Excel, such as dates, and it can be really tedious. But AutoFill can help.
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Type the first date in the series.
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Put the mouse pointer over the bottom right-hand corner of the cell until it’s a black plus sign.
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Click and hold the left mouse button, and drag the plus sign over the cells you want to fill. And Excel fills in the series for you automatically using the AutoFill feature.
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Fill data automatically in worksheet cells
In the previous video, you saw how AutoFill automatically fills a series down a column of adjacent cells, like this.
But it can also go up a column, to the right and the left in a row.
When I move the cursor over what's called the Fill Handle and it turns into a black plus sign, this time I hold down the right mouse button while I drag.
When I let go of the mouse button, I am presented with a list of options.
Copy Cells is pretty straight forward.
AutoFill copies what's in the A2 cell to the adjacent cells I selected.
It even works with cells containing formulas.
We just copied the data from a single cell, but you can also copy multiple cells, like this.
Fill Series populates the adjacent cells with data that follows a pattern in the copied cells.
And, as expected, the formulas update automatically.
You can also fill a series with time, like this.
You can even change the results of fill series by giving Excel more data to base the series on.
In this example, I'm creating a series that's every half hour.
AutoFill has many options when creating a series based on calendar data.
With dates, you can Fill Days, Weeks, Months, and Years.
When you're working with days of the week, you can fill in all seven days or just weekdays. You can even create a series for quarters based on dates and based on abbreviations.
And you can create a series of years.
In the next video, we'll cover Flash Fill in detail.
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