Excel Top Tip #14 - Set up Excel just for you

Here is the email sent to all subscribers on 16 August 2021. To receive Excel top tips just like this, you can subscribe by clicking here.

Hello

This month brings you (hopefully) a timely reminder of how to set up Excel on your machine to save your focus from those unnecessary warnings, 'help' messages, and intro screens that are left on by default - all guided by fairly hidden options (click File and find 'Options' at the bottom).

Forward this on to your favourite new starter and watch the complements flow:). And for more Excel quick tips, check out our past emails here.

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From Excel Options -> 'General'

username

This is the name that is used in the file properties, to notify someone else if you’re both accessing the same Excel file, and to auto fill the author of a cell comment, it can be handy to update this as your name or company, or leave it blank.

show start screen

Are you always starting with a blank spreadsheet? Then open one straight away every time you open Excel without having to select it.

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From Excel Options -> 'Formulas'

error checking rules

Constantly seeing the warning icon that you have ‘inconsistent formulas’? Turn off this check here and Excel in peace.

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From Excel Options -> 'Ease of Access'

screentips

Getting distracted by help prompts that you no longer need? This is where you can turn them off.

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From Excel Options -> 'Advanced'

after pressing ’enter' move cell…

Which cell gets selected when you press enter? There’s seldom a good choice covering all spreadsheets between down or right, so we suggest deselecting this checkbox to leave the last edited cell selected.

alert on fill or drag and drop

Happy that you won’t be overwriting cells unless you want to? Then deselect this option to save yourself the distraction of another unnecessary prompt.

remove page break lines

These lines can appear mysteriously with no obvious way to remove them. This is how.

Setting up Excel to save yourself a few seconds of distraction is well worth the effort. Forward this to any newcomers - it’s rarely taught and will help get them off to a good start!

David - The StatementReader Team