Free Spreadsheet-Based Form 1040 Available for 2012 Tax Year
Fresh from our pull-back from the fiscal cliff, it’s not just the IRS that’s been madly updating forms for the 2012 filing season. Right on schedule, Glenn Reeves of Burlington, Kansas has released his...
View ArticleMicrosoft Office 2013 Officially Released
The latest incarnation, or rather incarnations, of Microsoft’s flagship productivity suite were released on January 29, 2013. The plural reference is a nod toward both the web-based Office 365 version...
View ArticleIdentifying Duplicate Values in an Excel List
From time to time, you may need to identify duplicate values with a list in Excel. Modern versions, including Excel 2007 and later, provide this capability with just a few mouse clicks. For good...
View ArticleRestoring Classic Print Preview in Excel 2010/2013
Long-term Excel users will recall that Excel has historically provided a separate Print Preview window that made it easy to zoom in and adjust settings. Excel 2010 introduced a new “Backstage View”...
View ArticleHow to Disable Worksheet Animation in Excel 2013
Excel 2013 has arrived, and for the most part, it’s much like Excel 2007 and 2010, but with some spiffy new features, such as Recommended Charts and Pivot Tables, Flash Fill, Quick Analysis, Power...
View ArticleRecovering Unsaved Excel Workbooks
It’s every spreadsheet user’s worst nightmare – you’ve worked on a workbook for a period of time, and then accidentally close it without saving. Or the power goes out, or Excel crashes . . . the list...
View ArticleMicrosoft Excel: Inserting Rows and Columns with Ease
Spreadsheet users frequently insert rows and columns into spreadsheets, but for most users, it’s a multiple-step process. Even savvy users who rely on keyboard shortcuts have to use two different...
View ArticleCreating a Series of Letters in Excel
By its very nature as a spreadsheet, it’s easy to create a series of numbers in Excel. For instance, you can enter the number 1 in cell A1, hold down the Ctrl key, and drag the fill handle in cell A1...
View ArticleDetermining Worksheet Cell Protection at a Glance
It can be frustrating when you’re working in an unfamiliar worksheet and “the cell or chart you are trying to change is protected” prompt appears on-screen. By default, you can’t easily tell at a...
View ArticleSticker Shock Awaits Sage 50/Peachtree Payroll Service Users
The 2014 version of Sage 50, formerly known as Peachtree Accounting, is available for purchase now. As a result, certain users who rely on the payroll subscription are going to experience sticker shock...
View ArticleResetting the Last Cell in an Excel Worksheet
It’s frustrating when Excel acts as if the active area of a worksheet is significantly larger than the actual area where you have data. Suddenly your scroll bars move you into uncharted areas, such as...
View ArticleExcel Tip: Use Conditional Formatting to Identify Unlocked Cells
In a previous article, I described a technique that lets you tell at a glance if an individual cell is unlocked within a worksheet. In this article, I’ll demonstrate how you can use conditional...
View ArticleThe End Is Near for Windows XP
Despite three subsequent Windows releases, Windows XP remains the second most popular operating system version. This cycle started when users eschewed Windows Vista, even though Microsoft redeemed...
View ArticleExcel Tip: Determining the Remaining Length of a Loan Using NPER
Previously I’ve explained how you can use worksheet functions in Excel to determine the payment for a loan, as well as how to calculate total interest in a single worksheet cell. This time around I’m...
View ArticleFarewell, Lotus 1-2-3
IBM recently announced that Lotus 1-2-3 will no longer be available for purchase. Most readers of this article will likely have one of two reactions: “What is Lotus 1-2-3?” or else an incredulous...
View ArticleOvercome a Nuance of Excel’s Subtotal Feature
Many users rely on the Subtotal feature in Excel to instantly insert totals, averages, counts, or other statistics into a list. As you’ll see, the feature is easy to use – until you want to copy or...
View ArticleResolving #VALUE! Errors in Microsoft Excel
It’s a frustrating experience when a simple Excel spreadsheet displays #VALUE! in a worksheet cell rather than the expected result. Many times the problem is obvious, in that you’ve tried to do...
View ArticleMicrosoft’s Chip In Program Offers Crowdfunded Laptops to Students
Microsoft is dipping its corporate toe into the crowdfunding pool. An experimental program dubbedChip In allows students to tap friends and relatives in a quest to fund their next computer. The program...
View ArticleImproving the Integrity of Excel’s SUM Function
My unscientific observation is that the SUM function is the most widely used function within Excel spreadsheets. This function makes it easy to add up multiple cells at once without laboriously adding...
View ArticleAutomating Data Validation Lists in Excel
Let’s first take a look at the Data Validation feature. On the first worksheet of the workbook where you created your list, click on cell A1 and type the word Fruit. Next, select cell A2 and choose...
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