One of the first things we learn in Excel is the magic of the $ symbol. It freezes the row or column, so the cell reference does not change when copying a formula. This is known as an absolute reference. With the introduction of Tables came a different (and more semantic) way to reference cells, called structured … Read more
We have all experienced it, and often at the worst possible moment. For whatever reason, Excel’s formulas aren’t calculating correctly. The good news is that it is usually something simple. Once we know the most likely causes, it is easier to troubleshoot the problem. So, in this post, we look at the most likely reasons … Read more
In this post, we look at using Excel to reference another workbook without opening it. While this may seem like a great idea, we need to be very careful. When using this technique, a lot can go wrong without us realizing it. Let’s explore this area. Please read to the end and ensure you know … Read more
Have you ever had to sum the same cell across multiple sheets? This often occurs where information is held in numerous sheets in a consistent format. For example, it could be a monthly report with a tab for each month (see screenshot below as an example). Table of Contents SUM across multiple sheets – basic … Read more
There are many circumstances where we receive information with multiple data points inside a single cell. This often occurs when the data’s original intention is slightly different from how we intend to use it. In these circumstances, we often need to split a cell into its constituent parts. This post will look at solving this … Read more
There is nothing more frustrating than finding out a previous employee has used passwords to protect an Excel file, and it turns out nobody else knows the password. Or maybe it’s worse when it’s your file, your password and you’ve forgotten it. Either way… you’re stuffed! However, before you give in, let me share some ideas on how … Read more
Have you ever experienced the issue where Excel’s scroll bars become tiny? A small movement in the mouse can change the view by hundreds of rows or columns. This makes the worksheet exceptionally difficult to navigate around. The problem might reveal itself with an error message when trying to insert new rows or columns. In … Read more
This post describes how to open a new instance of Excel. The post was initially prompted by a question from a reader in 2018; they had recently upgraded to Excel 2016 from Excel 2010 and were struggling to open multiple instances of the Excel application. Since the original post, I have identified more quick ways … Read more
Named ranges are a useful feature of Excel. We often use them to build more complex tools that we may share with other users. Therefore, those named ranges become a critical part of our spreadsheet. Unfortunately, if those users modify or delete the named ranges, it may break the calculations. So, in this post, I … Read more
The term “rounding difference” commonly describes something insignificant; it rarely raises cause for concern. However, when you discover that Excel rounding and Power Query rounding are different, you suddenly realize that it can be a bigger issue than you first thought. This post explains the different rounding methods in Excel and Power Query, and how … Read more