Alphabets auto-fill

Excel Tip #015

Alphabets auto-fill

You would have done auto-fill for numbers in Excel but auto-fill for alphabets is not possible. This is because Excel is a number crunching tool.  But first how do you auto-fill numbers in Excel.

1. Type 1 in A1, 2 in A2 and 3 in A3
2. Then click the fill handle (which is the thick block at the right bottom corner)
3. Drag the fill handle to the number of rows you want the data to populate

Auto-fill Numbers

To do the same, there is a hidden Excel shortcut. To do this, you don't need to enter 3 numbers, just 1 in A1 would do.

1. Type 1 in A1
2. Select cells from A1 to A10 to populate numbers from 1 to 10
3. Type ALT + E + I + S
4. A pop-up window will open, check the Trend box
5. Click OK

Auto-Fill Numbers Hidden Excel Shortcut

But this is not possible in the case of Alphabets. But we have an option which can enable this feature.

1. Click File menu
2. Go to Options tab
3. Click on Advanced options
4. Scroll to the bottom in the pop-up window that appears. You will find an option General
5. Click on Edit Custom Lists option
6. Here you can create a new list. By default NEW LIST is enabled. Enter the alphabets in the List entries space given
7. Upon entering the alphabets, click on ADD. The new list will be available
8. Now you can use the auto-fill option for alphabets

Enabling Auto-fill option. Custom lists

Creating Auto-fill Custom Lists