Mastering Flash Fill In Excel: A Comprehensive Tutorial

Flash Fill in Excel is one of the special tools that helps you to analyze all the information that you enter. Along with it this automatically fills the data whenever you identify the pattern. The Flash Fill feature was once introduced in Microsoft Excel 2013.

Flash Fill feature was first introduced in Microsoft Office 2013 and it was available in the later versions of 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel for Microsoft 365. The main concept of Flash Fill in Excel evolved in the year 2009.

Flash Fill in Excel can cope with dozens of tasks in a single shot. Otherwise, it can lead to lots of problems in maintaining the data smoothly. Cleaning data and correcting any kind of inconsistencies in the data matters a lot.

Where Is The Flash Fill In Excel Located?

Flash Fill In Excel 2013 is located under Data Tab Panel.

Excel Shortcut Key for Flash Fill

If you feel comfortable working with Flash Fill on the keyboard all the time then you can use this excel shortcut key combination Ctrl +E. You just have to use these shortcut keys to make the process of working with this tool easier.

How To Make Use Of Flash Fill In Excel?

In common cases, Flash Fill starts automatically and you just need to provide patterns. Here is how it works in your system.

• Adjacent to the column of your source data you need to insert a column.
• Type your desired value in the first cell of the newly added column.
• After this, you need to start typing; e. In the next cell, if Excel senses the pattern, it will highlight the preview of the entire data to be autofitted in the cells below.
• The last step is to press the Enter Key to accept the preview. The entire process is now done.

Bonus Tips

• If you are unhappy with your Flash Fill results then you can easily undo it by pressing shortcut key combinations Ctrl+Z, Or you can make use of the Flash Fill Options menu.
• Now, if the Flash Fill does not begin automatically, then you can follow these easy troubleshooting techniques.
• You can just look at the Excel Status bar to find out some flash-fill altered cells.

How To use Flash Fill In Excel With Shortcut Or Button Click?

Flash Fill automatically kicks in when Excel follows a pattern in all the data you are enter. Now, it can happen if the preview does not show up in this scenario, you need to activate the Flash Fill manually.

• You need to Fill the first cell after pressing enter.
• In the second step, you need to click on the Flash Fill button on your data tab after that press the Ctrl+E shortcut.

Excel Flash Fill Examples

Before the Flash Fill came into the presence splitting all the contents of one cell into different cells required the use of text to columns. Otherwise, you can make use of the Excel text function to split the contents.

Suppose you have a column of address then you need to extract the Zip codes within a separate column. You need to indicate the goals by typing the Zip codes in the cell. As soon as Excel gets the message it automatically fills up the zip codes in the cell.

You can go through the following examples to get the correct idea into it.

How To Combine Data From Several Cells?

Now, if you have the opposite task to perform it is not an issue for Flash Fill in Excel it can concatenate cells too. However, it can easily separate the combined values with the help of commas, semicolons, space, and other characters. In the excel, you just need to put the punctuation in the first cell.

Formulas To Combine The Cell Values

CONCATENATE functions in Excel: – It has the formula to make the combination of text strings, columns, and cells.

What Are Merging Tools?

Merge duplicate Wizard:- If you want to combine two similar rows with the help of one key column then this key can be used.

Merge tables wizard: You can easily merge two tables by one common column with the help of these shortcut keys.

How To Clean Data In Excel?

If some of the data entries in your worksheet start with a leading space Flash Fills can easily get rid of them in a blink. You need to type all the first values preceding the space. On the other hand, extra spaces in another cell will also go through it.

What Are The Formulas To Clean Data?

The formulas to clean data in Excel are as follows:-

• Excel trim functions.
• Trim Spaces.

What Is The Difference Between Flash Fill & Auto Fill?

There are several points of difference between Flash Fill & Auto Fill. You must consider some of the crucial points in this regard.

Final Take Away

Hence, Flash Fill in Excel can automate your task to a greater extent. It can make your job easier and faster. Along with it, you can ensure better productivity from your end. This is one of the effective means to build your knowledge around this software.

You can give your opinions and views in our comment box. As it will help us to know your opinion on this matter. Once you follow the correct process things will become easier for you in the long run. Here, proper planning matters the most. You cannot ignore it from your counterpart.

Flash Fill and Auto Fill are both tools in Microsoft Excel that help users save time by automatically filling cells, but they work in different ways and are suited to different tasks. You just need to select the right tool that can help you in your work.

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ICA Edu Skills Team

Working with businesses in diverse industries. I'm passionate about helping others understand and manage their finances effectively. This blog is where I share practical tips, insightful guides, and the latest updates on accounting, taxation, GST, TallyPrime, and advanced Excel. Feel free to ask questions, leave comments.

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