Datasheet
Selecting Cells Efficiently
Many Excel users think that the only way to select a range of cells is to drag over the cells
with the mouse. Although selecting cells with a mouse works, it’s rarely the most efficient
way to accomplish the task. The answer, of course, is to use your keyboard to select
ranges.
Selecting a Range by Using the Shift and Arrow Keys
The simplest way to select a range is to press (and hold) Shift and then use the arrow keys
to highlight the cells. For larger selections, you can use PgDn or PgUp while pressing Shift
to move in larger increments.
You can also use the End key to quickly extend a selection to the last non-empty cell in a
row or column. To select the range B3:B8 (see Figure 3-1) by using the keyboard, move the
cell pointer to B3 and then press the Shift key while you press End followed by the down
arrow key. Similarly, to select B3:D3, press the Shift key while you press End, followed by
the right-arrow key.
Figure 3-1: A range of cells.
Selecting the Current Region
Often, you need to select a large rectangular selection of cells — the current region. To
select the entire block of cells, move the cell pointer anywhere within the range and press
Ctrl+Shift+8.
NEW
If the active cell is within an Excel 2007 table (created by choosing Insert ➪ Tables ➪
Table), you can press Ctrl+A to select the cells (but not the header row or total row)
within the table. Press Ctrl+A again to select the entire table (including the header row
and total row). Press Ctrl+A a third time to select the entire worksheet.
Tip 3: Selecting Cells Efficiently
14
04_137666 ch01.qxp 5/22/07 7:31 PM Page 14