Blog - Spreadsheets.Pro

PDF to Excel

March 6, 2018January 12, 2018 by AlexNo Comments

PDF to Excel Click here to see our YouTube video on how to convert PDF files to Excel. Converting a PDF file to Excel can be quite straightforward provided that it is not a scanned document (i.e scanned from a paper copy). If you're dealing with a scanned document, the likelihood of getting an accurate conversion is reduced; so if your scan is of really poor quality, maybe stop wasting time reading this tutorial, and get typing in that data instead. If you're fortunate enough to be dealing with a PDF that is not scanned from a paper document then you're in luck. Although the layout doesn't always convert perfectly, it's still much faster than typing in a load of data. It's very easy to do; first head over to https://www.pdftoexcel.com/. I will point out at this stage that we are not affiliated with pdftoexcel.com in any way, but I have used their website many times to convert PDF files to Excel with no problems. ...

How to number in Excel

February 27, 2018January 11, 2018 by AlexNo Comments

How to number in Excel and Google Sheets using Autofill Click here for our YouTube video on How to number in Excel We'll show you how to number in Excel, and even take it a step or two further so you can see how you can use Excel's Autofill features to speed up tasks that would otherwise need to be done by typing in data. So for this example, we'll start off with a blank sheet (the technique is the same in Google Sheets as it is in Excel). Let's say for example we want to create a numbered list from 1 to 10, but can't be bothered typing in all those numbers. All we need to do is give Excel a hint at what we want to do, and Excel will take it from there! So let's start off by typing in the number 1 in a cell, and then in the cell directly beneath, the number 2.: Next, you need to select...

How do I unhide rows in Excel?

February 20, 2018January 11, 2018 by AlexNo Comments

How do I unhide rows in Excel? If you'd rather see our video on how to unhide rows in Excel, click here. Sometimes people hide rows of data for all kinds of reasons; the information is irrelevant at the time, the clutter needs to be hidden for easier analysis, or to hide formulas that don't need to be seen all the time. But once that hidden data is needed again, you'll need to know how to unhide rows in Excel. The method is almost identical to unhiding columns (see our other blog tutorial on how to unhide columns in Excel) and is very quick and easy. So here is our example, we can see that rows 8 and 9 must be hidden, because to the left you can see that the row count goes straight from 7 to 10: All we need to do is select the rows above and below the hidden ones (in this case 7 and 10) by clicking in the grey...

How do I password protect an Excel spreadsheet?

February 6, 2018January 9, 2018 by AlexNo Comments

How do I password protect an Excel spreadsheet? Link to YouTube video. There are many reasons you may want to password protect an Excel spreadsheet, but mainly to stop either unauthorised editing, or unauthorised access. We'll show you how to password protect for both eventualities (either preventing someone from editing or entirely blocking access to the file). Firstly, lets assume you have a spreadsheet, and you want to allow others to access it, but make it so they cannot edit the file unless they have the password. We do this by using the "Protect Sheet" feature. Follow the image below to Protect a Sheet: If your workbook has several sheets (tabs), then you will need to repeat this for each sheet you want to protect. Note: The "Protect Workbook" button to the right of the "Protect Sheet" button acts in a different manner, and only protects the "structure" of the workbook (i.e. does not allow sheets to be added or deleted) but still allows editing of...

How do I insert a row in Excel?

January 30, 2018January 7, 2018 by AlexNo Comments

How do I insert a row in Excel? Link to YouTube video If you already have a spreadsheet of data and you wish to add more data in the middle, instead of the bottom of the table, then you're going to need to know how to insert a row in Excel. This is very quick and easy to do, and there are a couple of methods. We will even show you how to insert multiple rows or columns at once - even some intermediate Excel users don't know about this technique, so sit back and get ready for some more adventures in Excel. So let's start off with a simple table, we have 6 teams in rows 2 to 7, and they're listed in alphabetical order. Then we realise that we missed Tim Talbot from Tauranga off the list! So to keep this in alphabetical order, we will need to insert this new row between Otago and Wellington (rows 6 and 7). You need...

How do I total a column in Excel?

January 23, 2018January 6, 2018 by AlexNo Comments

How do I total a column in Excel? Link to YouTube video So this is it, you've come to the stage where you're no longer just using Excel to enter data, but just beginning to start tapping into the incredible power of the program. And the good news is, it's very easy! To total (add up) a column in Excel you will need to use a formula called SUM; there are two ways of doing this, the easy way and the extremely easy way. We'll begin with the extremely easy way and then build up to the easy way gradually so you get the idea of the basic principle behind Excel formulas. By the way, this will also work the exact same way in Google Sheets. So let's begin with our very simple example, we have a column of numbers, they are all in column A, and the range from row 1 to 6: Getting the sum total of the column is as easy as...

How do I wrap text in Excel?

January 16, 2018January 6, 2018 by AlexNo Comments

How do I wrap text in Excel? Link to YouTube video I was surprised to see this was a commonly searched-for term on Google, because on the Home ribbon there is a button clearly labelled "Wrap Text", but occasionally the button is obscured for various reasons that may not be obvious to the beginner. Also, once the text is wrapped, you may not necessarily see all the text within the cell; again to the beginner this will need explaining as it's not obvious how to change the size of a cell. So let's start off with a simple example, where we have entered a string of text that's too long to fit within a cell: So to begin with, select the cell(s) you want to wrap the text in, then make sure you're on the "Home" ribbon tab, and click the Wrap Text button. Note, if your screen is re-sized you may not see the label "Wrap Text", in which case you need to know...

How do I unhide columns in Excel?

January 9, 2018January 5, 2018 by AlexNo Comments

How do I unhide columns in Excel? Link to YouTube video So I guess you've come across this article from a Google Search on how to unhide columns in Excel - apparently it is a very searched-for query! And you are in luck because we are here to show you how to professionally unhide any columns that may be hidden from your inquisitive eyes. So let's get cracking: Here we have a simple table, but we can clearly see that the columns jump from A to C, so we know column B must be hidden: You'll be pleased to know that unhiding the column is very easy, simply select the two columns either side of the hidden column (in this example columns A and C) by clicking in the grey box with the "A" in it, and dragging across to also select the "C" column. Then right-click either one of those column header boxes and select "Unhide": And there you have it, the column is...

How do I split a cell in Excel?

January 4, 2018January 4, 2018 by AlexNo Comments

How do I split a cell in Excel? Link to YouTube video If you've arrived on this page through a Google search, you will be both disappointed and pleased to know that: You can't actually split cells in Excel But you can kind of work around it, so it looks like you've split a cell. OK, so point 1 doesn't need a lot of coverage; there just isn't an option to "split cell" like there is in Microsoft Word. When I first came across this restriction, I had just begun working with Excel, and I was certain that I just wasn't looking hard enough. 18 years later and I still haven't stumbled across that feature so here's how to work around it instead. So let's imagine you have made the table below, and you decide that you actually want to split column B so that instead of "Name / Surname" you have two separate columns: Instead of splitting column B (or splitting any of the...

How do I freeze a row in Excel?

January 2, 2018December 22, 2017 by AlexNo Comments

How do I freeze a row in Excel? Link to YouTube video Freezing rows in Excel is very useful if you have more than "a screen's worth" of data; i.e. if you scroll down it is helpful if you can still see the column headings when you are further down the data set. Although without a bit of direction, it can be frustrating trying to freeze a row (know as Freeze Panes in Excel) if you don't know exactly where to click, as it may not be where you expect. In the example below, freezing the the row is easy because the header row is in row 1. All we need to do is click on the View ribbon, then click the Freeze Panes button, and then click Freeze Top Row: But let's say for example there are a few title rows or other data above the table, and the header row is not in row 1. Now we need to tell Excel in another...

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