Watch this video for a quick introduction to AutoFill and Flash Fill, two helpful time savers that we’ll cover in more detail in this course.
Sometimes you need to enter a lot of repetitive information in Excel, such as dates, and it can be really tedious.
If you think there might be an easier, automated way to do this, you'd be right.
Type the first date in the series.
Put the mouse pointer over the bottom right-hand corner of the cell until it's a black plus sign.
Click and hold the left mouse button, and drag the plus sign over the cells you want to fill.
And the series is filled in for you automatically using the AutoFill feature.
Or, say you have information in Excel that isn't formatted the way you need it to be, such as this list of names.
Going through the entire list manually to correct them is daunting.
You'd think there'd be an easier automated way to do this, too, and you'd be right again.
Type the first name the way you want it.
Start to type the next name, and, as if by magic, Excel provides a preview of the names formatted the way you want.
Press Enter, and the names are all filled in for you using the Flash Fill feature, which is new in Excel 2013.
AutoFill and Flash Fill are tremendous time savers, and they can do much more than we have covered in this introduction.
In the next videos, we'll cover them in more detail.
FAQs
Alternatively, you may use the keyboard shortcut CTRL + E to access Flash Fill. Type in the first word in the “First Name” column, go to the Data Tab, and press Flash Fill. Do the same for the Last names. And flash fill will auto-fill the series for Last Names till the last cell.
What is the flash fill used to ________ group of answer choices? ›
Flash Fill automatically fills your data when it senses a pattern. For example, you can use Flash Fill to separate first and last names from a single column, or combine first and last names from two different columns.
How do you use AutoFill to complete? ›
Select the cell(s) with the formula and move the cursor over the little block in the lower right corner of the active cell, and the cursor changes to a hairline plus sign (+), as opposed to the usual block plus sign. 2. Click and hold on the fill handle and drag to the right (or down) to fill in the other cells.
What is the difference between flash fill and Autofill? ›
AutoFill and Flash fill features are very similar but not the same. While the AutoFill feature senses the pattern of data, but it can only repeat a simple pattern. Flash Fill, on the other hand, can sense, repeat, and make adjustments to a pattern based on what the user is attempting to do.
Is Flash fill a function? ›
Excel Flash Fill is a feature of Microsoft Excel where Excel can sense a pattern in the cell and apply the logic to extract a similar resultant pattern out of the remaining cells in the table.
Why is my flash fill not working? ›
Flash Fill Turned Off: If Flash Fill is disabled in your Excel settings, it won't work. Ensure it's enabled in Excel's options. Horizontal Dataset: Flash Fill primarily works with vertical datasets. If your data is organized horizontally, Flash Fill might not function correctly.
Does flash fill use artificial intelligence? ›
Flash Fill exemplifies the practical application of AI, employing pattern recognition to streamline and automate data entry and transformation tasks.
How do you use AutoFill to fill the range with the formatting from the range? ›
Select the cells you want to fill, and then go to the "Home" tab on the Excel Ribbon. Look for the "Editing" group, and you should see the autofill options in buttons like "Fill," "Series," "Formatting Only," etc.
What does the flash fill feature have in common with the upper lower and proper functions? ›
Final answer: Flash Fill in Excel shares commonality with UPPER, LOWER, and PROPER functions as they all help format text automatically but in different ways.
What does the proper function do? ›
The PROPER function will help us convert text into the proper case, if required. We can use it to capitalize each word in a given string. Using the function will not affect numbers and punctuations. It will convert all other letters to lowercase.
Keyboard shortcut: You can also press Ctrl+D to fill the formula down in a column, or Ctrl+R to fill the formula to the right in a row.
How do I start Autofill? ›
Set Up Autofill in Chrome Browser
- Mac: Chrome menu > Preferences > Autofill > Addresses and more > Save and fill addresses (on)
- Windows: Chrome > Settings > Addresses and more > Save and fill addresses (on)
Google Chrome Instructions
- Click the Chrome menu icon. (Three dots at top right of screen.)
- Click on Settings.
- In the "Autofill" section, expand the area for which you wish to disable Autofill.
- Toggle the setting OFF if it is on. The system will automatically save your settings.
How do I turn on autofill in Chrome? It's pretty easy: Chrome users can access it by selecting the three dots in the top right corner, then going to Settings > Autofill. This is an easy way to adjust what information gets stored for your passwords, payment methods, addresses, and more.
How do you use the flash fill command to AutoFill the remaining cells in this column with the pattern from cell B3? ›
Go to the Data tab on the Ribbon in Excel. Click on the Flash Fill button, typically found in the Data Tools group. Excel will then automatically detect the pattern based on your initial entry in B3 and fill the rest of the cells accordingly.
How do I turn on AutoFill in Excel? ›
Click File > Options. Click Advanced, and then under Editing options, select or clear the Enable AutoComplete for cell values check box to turn this option on or off.
What is AutoFill on Android? ›
Autofill saves users from re-typing information. Minimizing user input errors. Typing is prone to errors, especially on mobile devices.
