Using the ‘Flash Fill’ feature to apply the desired formatting in Excel 2013

 Dec 02, 2014

Excel 2013 has the wonderful new feature called Flash Fill. This feature allows the user to split and combine text string as well as format the split or combined text the way you want it. For example, you may get a list of people’s full name in all upper case. Now wou want to split the full name into two columns (‘First Name’ and ‘Last Name’) but formatted in proper case (i.e. first letter in uppercase and the rest in lowercase). See the example below. Let’s take a closer look at how you’ll do this in Excel 2013. Using the 'Flash Fill' feature to apply the desired formatting in Excel 2013Let’s first start with the first name. To split the full name into First Name column with proper case, follow the steps listed below:
  1. Select B2 cell and type ‘Mark’ in proper case.
  2. Press the ‘Enter’ key on your keyboard to select cell B3.
  3. Start to type letter A. Excel will fill down the First Name in proper case. See below. Using the 'Flash Fill' feature to apply the desired formatting in Excel 2013
  1. Press ‘Enter’ to accept the suggested entries.
This will now ‘flash fill’ all the names in the desired format. The same rule applies to the Last Name too. Give it a go and see for yourself. Using the 'Flash Fill' feature to apply the desired formatting in Excel 2013 Flash fill is only one of the many new features in Excel 2013. To find out what else you can do in Excel 2013, take a look at New Horizon’s variety of Excel training courses.

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About the Author:

Magdalena Todor  

With over 20 years experience as a facilitator and university lecturer, Magda is one of our most senior and experienced trainers. With previous practical on the job experience as a project manager she embodies a brilliant balance of training experience and business knowledge. With every event she delivers, Magda takes a wholehearted approach to ensure every course is impactful, relevant and a genuinely positive learning experience for all.

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