Lesson 2: A Faster Way to Use the Fill Handle
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A faster way to use the fill handle
If you're copying cell content to adjacent cells, you can click and drag the fill handle. The fill handle is the small square in the lower-right corner of the selected cell.
However, with larger spreadsheets, this can be awkward because you'll have to hold down your mouse button and wait for Excel to scroll to the bottom of your sheet. Luckily, there's a shortcut. If you double-click the fill handle, it will instantly copy the cell content downward.
Watch the video below to see this shortcut in action.
Steps
- Open your Excel spreadsheet and locate the cell with the formula that you want to copy.
- Click on the cell with the formula to select it.
- Move your mouse pointer to the bottom right corner of the selected cell. You should see a small black square, which is the fill handle.
- Double-click the fill handle. This will automatically copy the formula down to the end of your data, matching the rows in adjacent columns.
- Scroll down to the bottom of your data to check if the formula has been copied correctly.
This shortcut can definitely help to speed up the process and help you work more efficiently. In the next lesson, we’ll show you two ways to use the Format Painter tool.
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