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
Category: Tips & Tricks
Hide named ranges in Excel: 4 simple ways
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
Excel rounding vs Power Query rounding: WARNING They are different
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
Excel can calculate the wrong results: WARNING
The old proverb is that “a bad workman blames his tools”. As Excel is such a popular tool, it gets a lot of blame when the person using it is actually at fault. However, it is not always a person who is to blame; Excel can calculate the wrong results all by itself! In this Read More
5 quick ways to embed a Word document in Excel
I’m going to say it… Excel is not the right tool for lots of jobs 🤫. While I know authors have written entire books in Excel, it’s not great for text. Excel is not a text editor and has not been designed for that purpose. Therefore, a common question arises: How to embed a Word Read More
7 ways to remove additional spaces in Excel
The space character for an Excel user can be a real problem. When exporting data from various IT systems, that export will often include extra spaces around values. Finding and removing additional spaces is a crucial skill for every Excel user. We often can’t see the space characters, but Excel sees them. This can cause Read More
Running total in an Excel Table
Tables are one of the best features of Excel. While it is possible to use the standard cell referencing with a Table, they have their own referencing style called structured references. We have to think a little differently to create a running total in an Excel Table using structured references. We will look at all Read More
Why are Excel formulas not calculating?
We have all experienced it; for whatever reason, the formulas in Excel aren’t calculating as expected. Most of the time, it is something simple that we have never thought of. But, once you know the most likely reasons, it is easier to troubleshoot the problem. So, in this post, we are looking at the most Read More
Why does Excel’s calculation mode keep changing?
You’re probably already aware that Excel has two main calculation modes: automatic and manual. Automatic calculation – calculates when a value changes or based on specific actions (inserting, deleting, hiding rows/columns, or renaming a worksheet, etc.). Manual calculation – only calculates when explicitly requested by the user: From the ribbon, click Formulas > Calculate Now Read More
Sum across multiple sheets in Excel
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). Watch the video Watch the video on YouTube. I Read More