Assume you want to fill the numbers from 1 to 20 from cell A1 to A20. The most basic thing you can do with the fill handle is to duplicate the content of cells. Step 1: Enter numbers 1 and 2 from A1:A2 and select those two cells. Let understand the working of Excel Fill handle by some example. Drag the fill handle Subscribe now >. Autofill Weekday Names (Both Short Name & Full Name), We can use fill handle in Excel to autocomplete weekday names. When we are inserting numbers, we get so many fill options. Instead, of manual typing, we can use excel fill handle to auto-fill the series of numbers, dates, days, etc…. Use it with numbers, dates or text to instantly create series of data — from basic to complex. Fill Formatting Only:It only fills the formatting and not the values. If we drag and drop the above dates, the first column will increment the date by 2 i.e. Excel has yet another way to Copy (not Cut) data in cells and this is via the Fill Handle. Fill handle. If you need a series of recurring values, you can still use the fill handle. With the help of this user can extend a series of numbers, dates or text to the desired number of cells. We can auto fill dates too. Click on that Auto Fill Options. The fill handle is a convenient Excel tool that is used to fill data with a specific pattern. Today we have to discuss about an important utility of MS Excel is Fill Handle. The fill handle is an Excel feature to enable us to bypass copying and pasting each value into cells and use patterns instead to fill out the information. Now try it and see if you were right! THE CERTIFICATION NAMES ARE THE TRADEMARKS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. The fill handle is an extremely useful Excel tool that helps the user to perform certain action easily. Note: To help prevent replacing existing data when you drag the fill handle, make sure that the Alert before overwriting cells check box is selected. With the help of Fill handle you can easily copy or generate the series. This handle provides several methods of copying values. Step 3: Now it will insert the numbers for you. This is called the Fill Handle. To use fill handle bring the mouse cursor at right bottom corner of the cell it will change into a + sign. COPYING WITH THE FILL HANDLE. This is an inbuilt feature of excel and does not require any manual steps to enable it. This website or its third-party tools use cookies, which are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the cookie policy. to copy data or to fill adjacent cells with a series of data. We can auto fill only weekdays dates. Click on the Fill Handle, which is located in the bottom right cell of the selected cells. Note: To help prevent replacing existing data when you drag the fill handle, make sure that the Alert before overwriting cells check box is selected. Try enterin a valid date format such as 11/24/2019 into one of the cells. At its simplest, the fill handle allows us to quickly copy. Pro tip: In the above case, you need to drag until you find your desired cell. Thanks to the person in row 6 at the Meonske Conference in Kent, Ohio, for suggesting this feature. Similarly, we can insert numbers decremented by 1. In Microsoft Excel, a fill handle is a feature to extend (and fill) a series of numbers, dates, or even text to a desired number of cells. Any date format recognized by the excel it will auto fill. By closing this banner, scrolling this page, clicking a link or continuing to browse otherwise, you agree to our Privacy Policy, New Year Offer - EXCEL ADVANCED Training Learn More, Excel Advanced Training (14 Courses, 23+ Projects), 14 Online Courses | 23 Hands-on Projects | 133+ Hours | Verifiable Certificate of Completion | Lifetime Access, Enable fill handle if you cannot find the fill handle in Excel, Excel Conditional Formatting in Pivot Table. Do you know the fill handle feature in Excel? In the above case, I started with Monday and ends on Sunday. Fill Series:It fills the cells with numbers incrementing by 1. When you fill down, the reference to A1 stays fixed but Excel changes the reference of B1, to B2 and B3. Step 1: Type 10 and 9 in the cells A1:A2. Step 4: Make sure that you have to Enable fill handle and cell drag-and-drop option checked. But the option for the fill handle in Excel 2013 can be turned on or off, so you might find that it is not working as you would expect. Excel will copy the cell, replacing the two that were there previously: If we open the Auto Fill Options menu, however, and select Fill Formatting Only, the formatting will be added to those cells without changing the values: Take a guess at what Fill Without Formatting would do. If you are on Windows, go Sort We usually type 1, 2, 3, 4… Like that, isn’t it? These are the below options, you will get. This has been a guide to Fill Handle in Excel. Enter some values such as number or alphabets or dates in at least 3 cells to have a pattern. When you hover over it, you should get a small black cross. Drag the Fill Handle for as many rows or columns as desired. In this video, you’ll learn a faster way to use the fill handle in Excel. Excel's fill handle is a multipurpose, small black dot or square in the bottom right corner of the active cell that can save you time and effort when it is used to copy the contents of one or more cells to adjacent cells in a worksheet. Now drag the fill handle. Note: Once all the week names end it will start over again from the day where you have started. Excel's fill handle is a small rectangular control that appears whenever a cell or range of cells are selected. The Fill Handle in Excel allows you to automatically fill in a list of data (numbers or text) in a row or column simply by dragging the handle. In the Advanced category, under Editing options, select or clear the Enable fill handle and cell drag-and-drop check box. In this module, we will learn the following about the fill handle: Excel functions, formula, charts, formatting creating excel dashboard & others. Here are the steps to auto-fill your series of numbers. Note: Video of solution at bottom of post. This little thing can do some awesome things, and that's what we will cover in this short tutorial. Fill handle in excel is very simple and easy to use. Here we discuss how to use the fill handle in excel to make your data entry easier along with excel examples. However, if there is a value in the adjacent column, you can hover the mouse over the right edge of the selection and double-click. Fill by holding the Ctrl Key. Look at all the options one by one. Alternatively, click the fill handle in the source cell and drag it over the target cells. In the active cell of the worksheet, the fill handle is a small black box at the bottom right corner, as shown in the below image. Generally, in excel we enter serial numbers. Title Photo: David Wright at Unsplash.com. Use the AutoFill option to get repeating series. Fill Handle with Quarters. You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community, get support in the Answers community, or suggest a new feature or improvement on Excel User Voice. The behavior of the fill handle … We can increment the date by 1, by 2, like that we can auto fill. This article shows how to activate the Fill Down command with a keyboard or mouse shortcut in Excel 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, Excel Online, and Excel for Mac. Fill Handle in excel is used for filling up the data by creating a series of value which either follow a pattern or we can check if the values we entered are of series or not. Look at the below image where I have a list of cities from B1 to B20. Click File > Options. It is very easy to implement. I just need to type 1 and 2, select the two numbers, and double-click. Excel Help. A client of mine recently ran into an issue I hadn’t seen before. The fill handle works with quarters in many formats: To do both quarters and years, you have to start with a number, then Q, then any punctuation (period, space, apostrophe, dash) before the year. , and then dragging the cell or range of cells to another location. It will fill until the cell A20. The main purpose of a fill handle is to extend the data throughout the selected cells. Fill Without Formatting:This options fill the cells based on the recognized pattern but do not copy the formatting. Duplicate Things. It could be either the three alphabets nomenclature (Mon, Tue…) or the full name ( Monday, Tuesday ). Excel fills from your list. Having trouble seeing the file handle? Grab the Fill Handle and drag. Bài viết này mô tả cách sử dụng Fill Handle trong MS Excel (Excel 2003, Excel 2007, Excel 2010 và Excel 2013) thông qua một số ví dụ. © 2020 - EDUCBA. Fill handle in Excel is the small square that one finds at the bottom right corner of a selected cell. With the help of the fill Handle (a small box at the lower right corner or the active cell), you can copy a cell or automatically complete a series. In Microsoft Excel, fill handle is a command that lets you fill data in to your spreadsheet cells, that is based on a pattern you establish.For example, you can use this command to continue a series of numbers, text combinations, or dates. Excel will recognize the item and when you drag the fill handle in Excel across your range, it will populate it with the values from your list. I use this trick for lists that should be in Excel, such as a list of the U.S. states and a list of the letters of the alphabet. Copy a cell or range of cells by holding down CTRL while you position the mouse pointer on a cell or cell range border so that it changes to a copy pointer You can extend a series of numbers, dates and text combinations to desired number of cells. For those of you that don't know of it, it's the small black square in the bottom right of the active cell.