Selecting cells in Excel is fundamental to working with spreadsheets. There are several ways to achieve this, depending on whether you need to select a single cell, a range of cells, non-adjacent cells, or an entire column/row.
Selecting Single Cells
To select a single cell, simply click on it with your mouse. The selected cell will be highlighted.
Selecting Ranges of Cells
There are several methods for selecting a range of adjacent cells:
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Dragging: Click and hold the left mouse button on the starting cell, then drag the mouse across the cells you want to select. Release the mouse button when you've selected the desired range. This is the most common and intuitive method. (Microsoft Support confirms this method).
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Shift + Arrow Keys: Select a starting cell. Then, hold down the
Shiftkey and use the arrow keys to extend the selection. For example, to select from cell A1 to cell B5, select A1, holdShift, and press the down arrow five times and the right arrow once. -
Typing Cell References: Use the "Go To" feature. Press
F5orCtrl+Gto open the "Go To" dialog box. Type the cell range (e.g.,B1:B3to select cells B1, B2, and B3) or select a named range in the list, and click "OK". (Microsoft Support)
Selecting Non-Adjacent Cells
To select multiple, non-adjacent cells or ranges, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking on each cell or range.
Selecting Entire Rows or Columns
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Clicking the Row or Column Header: Click the number at the left edge of the worksheet to select an entire row, or the letter at the top to select an entire column.
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Dragging Row or Column Headers: Similar to selecting cells, click and drag the row or column headers to select multiple rows or columns.
Selecting Cells Based on Criteria
This is often done using advanced techniques such as filtering or using VBA macros. For example, to select cells containing data, you can use Go To Special (under Find & Select or Ctrl+G, then clicking special at the bottom): (Reddit - ExcelTips)
Remember to consider the method that best suits your needs for efficiency. For large selections, using the keyboard shortcuts (like Shift + arrow keys) can be faster than dragging the mouse. For non-contiguous selections, Ctrl + click is essential.
