Excel is really cool when it comes to automatically filling in cells in columns or rows with weekdays, months etc etc…so when you type in the first couple of items in the list, then drag the fill handle, Excel then does the hard work for you.
So, are you resticted to having the in built lists that Microsoft has so kindly set for us?.
No, you aren’t.
You can add in your own custom lists- anything you want, so whether it is a list of products, class members or employees, you can pre program these into an Excel custom list, type in the first value in your list, drag the fill handle as normal and your customized list will be filled in for you.
There are actually two quick ways to add in your own custom list. Let’s work through an example
- File Tab
- Options- the options dialog box will appear
- Advanced Tab- Advanced options appears in the right hand pane image
- Click Edit Custom Lists in the General Section- the Custom Lists dialog box will appear
- Click inside List Entries and type in your list items in the order you want- in this example it is fruit products
- Click Ok twice to save your new Custom List
So- that was the first method to use your own list.
As an alternative if you already have a list that you use regularly-
- Open your workbook or or navigate to the worksheet that contains your list
- Use the data selection to specify the range of cells
- Hit Import
- Hit Ok
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