One of the best features of Excel 2010's Backstage View is the Recently Used File List. This episode takes a look at the ins and outs of the Recently Used File list.
Transcript of the video:
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Excel 2010 in-depth, chapter 1-The Recent Files Pane.
Well, chapter 1 is all about the new backstage view.
The backstage view is what you get, when you click the File menu in Excel 2010.
Very nice, it takes up the whole screen with a left navigation and then 2 large columns on the right, that allow a lot of information to appear and one of the great improvements in the backstage view is with the Recent Files Pane.
So, if you have no Workbook open, and you go to the File menu, you will automatically go to the Recent Files Pane.
With the Recent Workbooks, like we had in Excel 2007 but then the great addition over here, Recent Places, these are all the folders that you recently opened up.
And if you think about it, if you're working on next year's budget, you may be in the Budget folder but not opening up the same file you just opened up because you have to open up the next department.
So being able to get to the same folder that you just opened, is a very nice improvement.
Okay now, if you are a keyboard person, a tip for you.
Usually, in the old Excel 2003, you could do Alt+F and then 1 to open the most recently file or Alt+F and then 2 to open the second most recent file.
If you like that shortcut key, well, it went away in 2007 but it's back.
Now quickly access this number of Recent workbooks, check that.
And then this is pretty cool, when we go to the File menu with Alt+F, you'll see the 1, 2, 3 & 4 here, open the last four files.
So, if you like that shortcut key, a great way to go!
Now, you'll notice the thumbtack over here that is a file that I've pinned it to the list.
Basically, making it a favorite saying, "Hey, I always want this to be in the list even if it's not one of the last 25 or 50 that I opened." To pin an item to the list, just hover over the grey thumbtack, click it and it moves to the top now, as a pinned item.
All right, so let me go ahead and open that file and we'll talk about one of the downsides of recently used files and a possible workaround for that.
When you have a file open, so there's already a Workbook open and you go to the File menu, you do not automatically go to the recently used file list.
Now, in Excel 2007, of course, the recent used file were always there under the... well, it was the Office Button then but it's really the File Menu.
So, if you want to have one-click access to the recently used file list, here's a great tip, this Quick Access Toolbar has a drop-down at the right-hand side, open that up.
They added to the bottom, Open Recent File. All right.
So now, I have that shortcut key, so, for mouse people, so click there and very quickly you'll always get directly to the recently used file.
You won't have a second click.
A second click, to get to the recently used files okay.
Well, thanks for watching.
I'll see you next time for another netcast from MrExcel.
Excel 2010 in-depth, chapter 1-The Recent Files Pane.
Well, chapter 1 is all about the new backstage view.
The backstage view is what you get, when you click the File menu in Excel 2010.
Very nice, it takes up the whole screen with a left navigation and then 2 large columns on the right, that allow a lot of information to appear and one of the great improvements in the backstage view is with the Recent Files Pane.
So, if you have no Workbook open, and you go to the File menu, you will automatically go to the Recent Files Pane.
With the Recent Workbooks, like we had in Excel 2007 but then the great addition over here, Recent Places, these are all the folders that you recently opened up.
And if you think about it, if you're working on next year's budget, you may be in the Budget folder but not opening up the same file you just opened up because you have to open up the next department.
So being able to get to the same folder that you just opened, is a very nice improvement.
Okay now, if you are a keyboard person, a tip for you.
Usually, in the old Excel 2003, you could do Alt+F and then 1 to open the most recently file or Alt+F and then 2 to open the second most recent file.
If you like that shortcut key, well, it went away in 2007 but it's back.
Now quickly access this number of Recent workbooks, check that.
And then this is pretty cool, when we go to the File menu with Alt+F, you'll see the 1, 2, 3 & 4 here, open the last four files.
So, if you like that shortcut key, a great way to go!
Now, you'll notice the thumbtack over here that is a file that I've pinned it to the list.
Basically, making it a favorite saying, "Hey, I always want this to be in the list even if it's not one of the last 25 or 50 that I opened." To pin an item to the list, just hover over the grey thumbtack, click it and it moves to the top now, as a pinned item.
All right, so let me go ahead and open that file and we'll talk about one of the downsides of recently used files and a possible workaround for that.
When you have a file open, so there's already a Workbook open and you go to the File menu, you do not automatically go to the recently used file list.
Now, in Excel 2007, of course, the recent used file were always there under the... well, it was the Office Button then but it's really the File Menu.
So, if you want to have one-click access to the recently used file list, here's a great tip, this Quick Access Toolbar has a drop-down at the right-hand side, open that up.
They added to the bottom, Open Recent File. All right.
So now, I have that shortcut key, so, for mouse people, so click there and very quickly you'll always get directly to the recently used file.
You won't have a second click.
A second click, to get to the recently used files okay.
Well, thanks for watching.
I'll see you next time for another netcast from MrExcel.
