Jump to Next Corner of Selection

September 06, 2021 - by Bill Jelen

Problem: I have a large column of numbers stored as text. I like to use the error correction dropdown that appears next to the first cell in the selection in order to convert the text to numbers. However, if I choose the first cell, then select the range with Ctrl+Shift+Down Arrow, I can no longer see the error dropdown.

There is an on-grid drop-down next to the first cell in a column filled with text numbers. The hassle: If you start at A2 and Ctrl+Shift+Down Arrow to select the whole numbers, you can not see the drop-down anymore. The next image tells you what to do. — Figure 70. If you select more than a screen of data, you can not see this icon at the top of the range.

Strategy: Pressing Ctrl+Period will keep your selection, but move the active cell to the next corner of the selection. This is a great way to see the top of your selection, including the error icon.

If you have a single-column range selected, a single Ctrl+Period will get you to the top. If you have a rectangular range selected, pressing Ctrl+Period will move in a clockwise sequence to the next corner.

If the active cell is currently in the bottom-right, it might require you to press Ctrl+Period twice.

Additional Details: If you press Ctrl+Period to return to the top, then press it again to return to the bottom, the error icon remains in view. This suggests that the intention was to show the error icon even in the original case, but a bug is preventing it.

If you have a range selected. pressing Ctrl+Period will move the active cell to the next corner of the selection. — Figure 71. The active cell moves clockwise to the next corner.

Problem: I keep selecting my data set using Ctrl+Shift+DownArrow. Now I can’t see the active cell.

Strategy: Ctrl+Backspace will scroll the active cell back into view.

This even works while you are entering a formula.

Problem: I have to constantly zoom in and out on my worksheet. The zoom slider is a hassle.

Strategy: Hold down the Ctrl key while rolling the mouse wheel. Roll away from you to zoom in. Roll towards you to zoom out.

Additional Details: Most people use the scroll wheel to scroll up and down. Did you know that you can also use the mouse to scroll side to side? Click and hold the mouse wheel then move the mouse left or right to scroll sideways. This only works when you have a horizontal scrollbar available.

This article is an excerpt from Power Excel With MrExcel

Title photo by Timothy Perry on Unsplash