Flash Fill in Excel
Flash Fill in Excel is a great tool. Learn to utilize Flash Fill to efficiently extract, merge, and manipulate data automatically.
💎 Extract Numbers
Extract the numbers in column A using Flash Fill in Excel.
1. In cell B1, input the number 4645 to specify the operation you want Excel to carry out.
2. Go to the Data tab, find the Data Tools group, and click Flash Fill. You can also press CTRL + E.
Result:
💎 Combine Names
Apply the Flash Fill function in Excel to merge the last names listed in column A with the first names listed in column B to generate email addresses.
1. Type a valid email address in cell C1 so Excel knows what to do.
2. Go to the Data tab, find the Data Tools group, and click Flash Fill. You can also press CTRL + E.
Result:
💎 Reformat Numbers
Apply the Flash Fill feature in Excel to systematically reformat the numbers in column A.
1. Enter the correct Social Security number in cell B1 to tell Excel what you want to do.
2. Within the Data tab, locate the Data Tools group and select Flash Fill, or alternatively, press CTRL + E.
Result:
💎 Rearrange Numbers
Apply the Flash Fill feature in Excel to change the sequence of numbers within column A.
1. First, provide Excel with a new credit card number in cell B1. Then, indicate the action you want Excel to perform, such as switching the first four numbers with the last four.
2. Within the Data tab, locate the Data Tools group and select Flash Fill, or alternatively, press CTRL + E.
Result:
💎 Extract Letters
In Excel, Flash Fill can be utilized to extract alphabetic characters from text strings.
1. Initially, specify the desired action in Excel by entering the letters from the first text string in cell B1.
2. Within the Data tab, locate the Data Tools group and select Flash Fill, or alternatively, press CTRL + E.
Result:
💎 Flash Fill Limitations
In Excel, Flash Fill functions correctly only if it can identify a pattern, and it may sometimes need manual guidance. For instance, utilize the Flash Fill feature in Excel to extract the numerical values from column A below.
1. First, type 130 into cell B1 so Excel knows what you want to do.
2. Within the Data tab, locate the Data Tools group and select Flash Fill, or alternatively, press CTRL + E.
Result:
Note: Flash Fill didn’t get the decimal numbers right; it only captured the numbers after the decimal point.
3. Right after you finish step 2, type 26.2 in cell B3. Excel will then automatically get all the other decimal numbers for you.
Finally, Flash Fill in Excel does not automatically refresh its output when the source data is modified.
4. For instance, if you change the number in cell A1 to 200, the number in B1 will stay the same.
10/12 Completed! Learn much more about ranges ➝
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