How to Troubleshoot Microsoft Excel

1.
Start Excel from the main program. Sometimes a shortcut to a program can become corrupt and cause the application to have problems opening. Go to the 'Start' menu, click on 'All Programs' and find Microsoft Excel in the program list. If it opens properly, delete the problematic shortcut by right clicking it and selecting 'Delete.' You can make a new shortcut by right clicking the main application and choosing 'Send to Desktop.'
2.
Disable add-ins. Sometimes these optional programs are problematic. In Excel 2007, click the 'Office' button. Click on 'Excel Options' and select 'Add-Ins.' In Excel 2000-2003, go to the 'Tools' menu and select 'Add-Ins.' If you disable them and the problem is solved, enable them one at a time to determine which is corrupted.
3.
Let Excel find and fix the problem. If you are using Excel 2000-2003, go to the 'Help' menu, click on 'Detect and Repair' and then click 'Start.' In Excel 2007, click the 'Office' button, click 'Excel Options' and then click 'Resources.' Click 'Diagnose' and then click 'Continue.' Click the 'Start Diagnostics' button. Excel will look for potential problems and repair them, if possible.
4.
Perform a 'System Restore' on your computer. This will restore your computer to an earlier date and time when Excel was working properly. Click 'Start' and then 'All Programs.' Point to 'Accessories,' and then 'System Tools.' Click 'System Restore,' and follow the wizard's instructions.
5.
Uninstall Microsoft Office and then reinstall it . Go to the 'Start' menu and then to the 'Control Panel.' Select 'Microsoft Office' and uninstall it. Use the Office disk you used to install it originally and reinstall the software.

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How to Make a Graph on Excel That Shows Names for the the Y

1. Open a new Microsoft Excel 2010 spreadsheet. Click on cell 'B1' and type in the name of your first data series. This name will appear in your graph's legend. Then click on cell 'C1' and enter the name for your second data series.
2. Click on cell 'A2' and enter the names that will appear down your 'Y' axis into column 'A.' Continue to enter names until you have added them all.
3. Select cell 'B2' and type in the first data point that falls under the column and row names. Then select cell 'C2' and repeat the process. Continue until you have entered all of your data into columns 'B' and 'C.'
4. Click on cell 'B2.' Select the 'Insert' tab at the top of the screen. Click the 'Bar' button in the Charts area of the ribbon, then click one of the available bar graphs that appears in the pop-up menu. All of the available bar graphs will let you have names on the 'Y' axis and a certain number of data points on the 'X' axis. Once you click the graph type your bar graph will appear in the spreadsheet.
5. Click anywhere on the graph to select it, then select the 'Layout' tab at the top of the window. Click the drop-down arrow next to 'Chart Area' and select 'Horizontal (Value) Axis' from the list of choices. Click the 'Format Selection' button located just under the drop-down box and the Format Axis window will appear.
6. Click the radio button next to 'Fixed' in the 'Maximum' category on the right half of the window. Type the maximum value you want for your data points into the box next to the button. Then click on the 'Fixed' radio button in the 'Major Unit' category. Type in the value exactly one-half as large as your maximum value into this box.
7. Click 'Close' to close the Format Axis window. Your graph will now have the only two data points on the horizontal axis.

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How Do I Change Data in Vertical Columns to Horizontal Columns in Excel or Access?

Transposing Data in Excel
1. Highlight the columns you want to transpose into rows. Press “Control C” to copy the data.
2. Open a new worksheet for the transposed data. Select an empty worksheet tab from the bottom of the Excel window, or press “Shift F11” to create a new worksheet. Rename the worksheet “Transposed Data.”
3. Right-click on cell “A1” to open the context menu. Select “Paste Special” from the menu to open the “Paste Special” dialog.
4. Check the “Transpose” box at the bottom of the “Paste Special” dialog to transpose the data. Click “OK.” Your data will be pasted into the spreadsheet as rows. Save your workbook.
Transposing Data in Access
5. Open the table you want to transpose. Select “Save As/Export” from the “File” menu. Select “To an External File or Database” in the 'Save As' window and click “OK.”
6. Give your table a name and select the version of Excel installed on your computer from the dialog box. Click “Export.”
7. Open your exported file in Microsoft Excel. Follow Steps 1-4 of “Transposing Data in Excel.” Close Microsoft Excel.
8. Import the transposed data into Microsoft Access. Select “Import” from the “File” menu. Use the “Files of Type” drop-down list and select “Microsoft Excel.”
9. Locate and select the file that contains the transposed data and click “Import.” Click “Show Worksheets” on the first screen of the Import Wizard and select the “Transposed Data” worksheet. Click “Next.”
10. Do not select the “First Row Contains Column Headings” option in the second screen of the Import Wizard; click “Next.” Check the “No Primary Key” option on the third screen of the Import Wizard and click “Finish” to import your data into a new table.

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How to Make a Schedule in Excel

1. Open Microsoft Excel. click the 'File' menu and choose 'New.'
2. Go to the 'Available Templates' section and the Office.com Templates area.
3. Preview a schedule template by clicking on it. Once you have found the one that fits your requirements, click the 'Download' button. The schedule will open as a new Excel worksheet.
4. Change existing text in the schedule template by double-clicking on the cell that contains the text you want to alter. Select the existing text using your mouse or the keyboard shortcut 'Ctrl-A.' Type over the existing sample text with the information you need on the schedule.
5. Modify the color of a cell by clicking the cell to select it. Right-click and choose 'Format Cells.' Go to the 'Patterns' tab and choose the hue you want in the Cell Shading Color section. Click the color and click 'OK' to apply it to the cell.
6. Adjust the font in any cell by clicking the cell to activate it, and right-clicking and choosing 'Format Cells.' Go to the 'Fonts' tab and choose a font type, style, size and color, and apply any effects you choose. Click 'OK' to apply the changes.
7. Press 'Ctrl-S' to save your schedule. Provide a name for the worksheet and navigate to the location where you want it saved.

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How to Activate the Excel Help Button

1. Open Microsoft Excel.
2. Click the 'Help' button, which is the blue circle with a question mark in the middle of it in the upper-right corner of the worksheet just below the 'Maximize'and 'Minimize' buttons. The 'Excel Help' window is activated and pops up on the screen.
3. Click one of the links in the 'Getting started with Excel 2010' area or type a search term into the help text box at the top of the window. Close the help box by clicking the 'X' in its top-right corner.

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How to Stop Auto Recalculation Upon Data Entry in Excel

1. Open Microsoft Excel, and then open a new or previously saved workbook.
2. Click 'File' at the top of the screen. Click on 'Options' in the drop-down menu that appears. The 'Excel Options' window opens.
3. Click 'Formulas' on the left side of the window. Under 'Workbook Calculation,' click 'Manual.'
4. Click the 'Recalculate workbook before saving' check box if you want to turn this option off as well. Click 'OK' to close the window.

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How to Format Dates in Descending Order in Microsoft Excel

1. Confirm that the dates exist in a single column, running vertically. Excel can only sort data in the columns, not the horizontal rows, of a spreadsheet.
2. Highlight the data you want to sort.
3. Right click any highlighted cell and select 'Format Cells.'
4. Select 'Date' from the 'Category' column, choose your preferred format from the adjacent 'Type' column, and then click 'OK.'
5. Click 'Data' in the top menu bar and select 'Sort.' If you use Excel 2007 or later, select the 'Data' tab near the top of the window and click the 'Sort' icon instead.
6. Click the drop-down menu below the 'Order' heading and select 'Oldest to Newest.'
7. Click 'OK' to sort your dates in descending order.

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How to Use V

1. Open Excel and open a spreadsheet that you plan to use the vlookup on. Make sure the spreadsheet has column headers and at least three columns. Each column should have at least 10 lines of varying data so you can see how vlookup works. For example, your spreadsheet could have three columns with the title of 'Employee ID number,' 'Name,' and 'Hire Date.' The first column, employee ID, should be sorted in ascending order. This is a requirement of Vlookups.
2. Review the components of a vlookup. Your vlookup will be comprised of four parts: lookup value, table array, column index number, and range lookup. The lookup value is the value that you will enter in the vlookup. Based on this value, the vlookup will give you the result from another column. For example, in this vlookup example with our current data, we will find the hire date when someone enters the lookup value of the employee ID number.The table array is the table that contains the data the vlookup will be searching for the result. In our example, we will use our three columns as our data. The column index is the column that contains the result we are looking for. In our example, if we are looking for the hire date when we enter the employee ID number, our column index refers to the third column or column C. In our formula we enter 3 to represent column C since it is the third column in the table.Lastly, in the range lookup, we indicate if we are looking for a close enough match or exact match. If it is close enough, enter TRUE. If you want an exact match, enter FALSE. In our example, we want an exact match because when we enter the employee ID number, we want to know that employee's hire date.
3. Enter your vlookup in the first cell of the fourth column. On the Formulas tab, click on the 'Lookup button.' Select 'Vlookup.' The function arguments window opens. In the Lookup Value box, enter the 'employee ID number.' In the table array, click on the red box at the end of the 'Table Array' field. Highlight your table and click on the red box again. In the column index number, enter the '3' because the hire dates are stored in the third column. Since we are looking for an exact match, enter 'FALSE' in the Range Lookup field. Click 'OK.'

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How to Make Microsoft Excel 2007 Talk

1. Open the spreadsheet that you want Excel to dictate.
2. Click the 'Customize Quick Access Toolbar' drop-down arrow located next to the 'Quick Access Toolbar.' The 'Quick Access Toolbar' contains the 'Save,' 'Undo' and 'Redo' buttons.
3. Click 'More Commands' and click 'All Commands' from under the 'Choose Commands From' drop-down list.
4. Scroll down the list, click 'Speak Cells' and click the 'Add' button.
5. Click 'Speak Cells -- Stop Speaking Cells' and click the 'Add' button. Click 'OK.'
6. Highlight the cells that you want Excel to dictate and click the 'Speak Cells' button in the 'Quick Access Toolbar.' To stop using the 'Speak Cells' function, click the 'Speak Cells -- Stop Speaking Cells' button in the 'Quick Access Toolbar.'

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How to Open Excel 2003 in Safe Mode

1. Locate the icon for opening Excel 2003 by clicking the 'Start' button and selecting 'All Programs,' then 'Microsoft Office,' then 'Microsoft Office Excel 2003.' Don't click the icon yet.
2. Hold down the 'Control' key on your keyboard while you left-click 'Microsoft Office Excel 2003.' You should click the left mouse button normally, but continue to hold down the 'Control' key until you see a Windows message prompt.
3. Select 'Yes' when Windows prompts you for confirmation of running Excel in safe mode. Excel will open after you click 'Yes.'

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How to Make a Combo Box in Excel 2003

1. Open Excel on your computer, and open a new spreadsheet. Somewhere in the spreadsheet, enter the data that will appear in the combo box. For example, you might enter data between cells C4 to C10.
2. Go to the 'Forms' toolbar, and select 'Combo Box.'
3. Drag your mouse over the cells that you want the combo box to encompass. Once you release your mouse click, the combo box will appear.
4. Right-click on the new combo box,, and choose 'Format Control' from the menu. Specify the cell range of your data in the 'Input Range' field; in the above example, you would enter C4:C10, because those are the cells that hold your data.
5. Go to the 'Cell Link Box,' and enter the number of the cell where you want the index value of items selected in the combo box to appear. Click 'OK.'

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How to Execute a Macro in Excel 2003

1. Open Excel 2003 and select the workbook that will use the macro. Click 'File' on the menu bar and select 'Open.' Browse your files and locate the workbook. Click the workbook and select 'Open.'
2. Click 'Tools' on the menu bar and select 'Macro.' Select 'Macros.' Select your macro from the list of available macros.
3. Click 'Run.' The macro is executed on the workbook.

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How to Calculate the Percent of a Quarter Passed in Excel

1. Open a new Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
2. Click on cell 'A1' and enter the first day of the quarter. Then click on cell 'A2' and enter the last day of the quarter. Finally, click on cell 'A3' and enter in the date with which you want to determine the percentage of the quarter passed.
3. Click cell 'B1' and enter in the following:=A3-A1This will tell you how many days into the quarter you are. Click cell 'B2' and enter the following:=A2-A1This will tell you how many total days there are in the quarter.
4. Click on cell 'B3' and enter the following:=B1/B2This will give you your percentage in decimal form. Right-click the cell and choose 'Format cells.' Select 'Percentage' from the list on the left side and click 'OK.' Your result will now display as a percentage.

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How to Make the Lines Print When Working With Excel 2003

1. Open the spreadsheet you're working on in Excel 2003 and highlight the cells you want to print.
2. Go to the 'Formatting' toolbar and click the arrow beside the 'Borders' button to expand it. Select 'All Borders' from the list. If the 'Borders' button is not visible in the 'Formatting' toolbar, click the 'Toolbar Options' arrow at the end of the toolbar to expand it. Choose 'Add or Remove Buttons,' 'Formatting' and 'Borders.' Alternatively, you can select 'Format' and 'Cells' from the menu to open the 'Format Cells' dialog box. Select the 'Border' tab and click 'Inside' from 'Presets.' Select the single, solid line style from the 'Line' section. Go to the 'Border' section and click the top, middle, left and right borders. The thumbnail in the dialog box now shows borders around and between the selected cells. Click 'OK' to apply them.
3. Click the 'Print Preview' button in the 'Standard' toolbar. The border lines are displayed in print preview, signifying how the spreadsheet will look when it's printed.
4. Click the 'Print' button at the top of the window. The 'Print' dialog box opens. Choose 'Selection' in the 'Print what' section and click 'OK.'

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How to Set Page Break Views in Microsoft Excel 2003

1. Create a page break. To create a page break, left-click on the cell rows that you wish for a page break to occur by clicking on the corresponding row number to the left; the entire row will become highlighted when you left-click on the row number.
2. Access the “View” menu. Scroll to the “File” tab on the command bar and then select “Page Break Preview.”
3. Use the page break preview menu. Once inside of the page break preview menu, you will be able to see where page break occurs on the spreadsheet, because it will have a double grey line highlighting it.
4. Adjust where page breaks are located. To adjust page breaks, simply left-click on the grey page break link and hold the mouse button in as you drag the page break where desired.

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