Excel like a finance pro.
The functions, VBA, and shortcuts a finance operator actually uses — curated, with CFO examples. Prefer them pre-built? Grab a ready-made model.
Fill a whole selection at once
CtrlEnterEntry & fillType once, then drop the same entry into every selected cell in one press.
Difficulty
1What it does
Select a range, type a value or formula, and press Ctrl + Enter — Excel puts it into every selected cell at once, instead of just the active one. With a formula, the references adjust per cell exactly like a fill. It also has a second use: pressing Ctrl + Enter after a normal entry confirms it but keeps the cursor put, rather than dropping down a row.
2The shortcut
- 1Select all the cells you want to fill (they can be non-adjacent — hold
Ctrl). - 2Type the value or formula once — it appears in the active cell.
- 3Press
Ctrl + Enterto push it into every selected cell.
3Before → after
Press the shortcut to play it on a sample sheet.
Before — four cells selected, 0 typed once
| A — Adjustment | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0 |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 |
The value sits only in the active cell so far. Ctrl + Enter pushes it into the whole selection.
4When you use it
- Fill every blank in a selection with the same 0 or label in one move.
- Drop one formula across a whole highlighted range without copy-paste.
- Confirm an entry without the cursor jumping down — handy when reviewing.
5Related functions
- Fill down / right — see its own page, with a live demo.
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