6 Microsoft Excel features that feel like cheating

Excel is packed with shortcuts and automation tools that handle formatting, analysis, and repetitive work in seconds. These beginner-friendly features eliminate tedious spreadsheet tasks so effectively that the results feel almost too good to be true.

Using Flash Fill to handle messy data

Ctrl+E skips tedious typing

If you have a column filled with hundreds of names formatted as “Last, First” and need to separate them into individual columns, your instinct might be to look up text-manipulation functions. However, Flash Fill can handle the job by detecting patterns in your typing.

1. Type the correct first entry.
2. Press Enter to move to the next row.
3. Press Ctrl+E.

…