Use Autofill

When you enter a formula that you need to repeat for different cells, use AutoFill. The AutoFill command instructs Excel to copy cells from one row / column in a selection to adjacent cells of the selection. Information is copied from its relative position, and row / column references are changed appropriately.

To fill a formula from one cell to adjacent cells:

1. Select the cell that contains the formula you would like to copy.
   
2. Place your mouse on the “hotspot” located in the lower right corner of the cell that you want to copy. The pointer should change to a thin cross-hair.
   
3. Click the left mouse button and drag so that all destination cells are selected. When the mouse is released, the formula will be “filled” in all cells.
   

EXCEL EXTRAS

You may also use AutoFill with text and numbers without formulas, such as months or actual numbers. Excel’s AutoFill will fill a block of cells with either numbers or text depending on what is located in the first cell.

• For example, if the first cell contains the word “Jan”, Excel will automatically fill the other cells with the rest of the months.
• When working with numbers, however, you must enter two cells of data (so that Excel knows what increments the numbers should be increased by each time). Follow these steps:
  1. Select the two cells with the data. Release the button.
  2. Move the mouse to the bottom right corner of the second cell. The pointer should change to a thin cross-hair.
  3. Click & drag the mouse to fill the other cells.