How to Efficiently Select Data in MS Office Programs

Before you can copy data in Excel, you must first select the cells with the data you wish to “copy and paste.” Before you can apply formatting in MS Word, you must first select the word, the sentence, the pararagraph, or the document that you wish to format. So let me demonstrate my tips for efficiently selecting data in any MS Office Program.

Selecting Data in Excel

  • To select data that is contiguous (adjacent cells) in Excel, hold down the SHIFT key and use the directional arrow keys to “draw” your selection.
  • To select data that is non-contiguous (non-adjacent cells), make your 1st selection and then hold down the CTRL key as you make additional selections.
  • You can use CTRL + SHIFT + Directional Arrow to quickly select all of the cells that contain data in a contiguous direction.
  • Use the keyboard shortcut CTRL + A to select all of the cells with data in a Data Set.
  • Watch this video for additional Excel tips for selecting data.

Selecting Data in Word

  • Double-click a word to select it.
  • Hold down the CTRL Key as you click to select the entire sentence.
  • Triple-click to select the entire paragraph,
  • Use the keyboard combination CTRL+ SHIFT + Directional Arrow to select entire words moving in that direction.
  • Use the F8 key to enter “Selectiion Mode.” As you continue to press the F* key, you will cycle to select a Word, a Sentence, a paragraph, the complete document.

I guarantee that you will save time and become more efficient when you use these tips to quickly select data in any MS Office Program.

Follow this link to watch this video in High Definition Full Screen Mode on YouTube.

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