Excel-2013-workbook_0

Customizing Excel

Add a command to a group Click to view Click to add the Click to view
another group of command on the all the tabs on
Once a new tab or group is created, add commands to the commands. left to the selected the Ribbon.
group. Also add commands to groups that already appear
on the Ribbon. group on the right.

1. In the right column, select the group to which to add a Figure 14-2: Adding commands to groups on the Ribbon.
command to.
This could be a group created from scratch, or even a The Print Preview and
group that appears by default. Print command added
to the Printing group.
2. In the left column, select the command to add to the
Ribbon. Click the Add button. The Printing group,
The command is added to the group. added to the Home tab
Tip: Not finding the command to add? Click the of the Ribbon.
Choose commands from list arrow and select the
group of commands to view. Figure 14-3: The Home tab of the Ribbon, customized
with a new group.
Restore the default Ribbon

If no longer wanting to use the customizations added to the
Ribbon, restore the Ribbon to its original, default settings.

1. Click the Reset button.
Two options appear:

 Reset only selected Ribbon tab: Restores the
default settings for the selected tab.

 Reset all customization: Removes all Ribbon and
Quick Access Toolbar customizations, restoring
them to the default arrangement and appearance.

2. Select the reset option to use.
The Ribbon is restored to its default settings.

Remove a tab or group

Remove a specific tab or group from the Ribbon.

1. In the right column, right-click the tab or group to use.

2. Select Remove from the contextual menu.
The tab or group is removed from the Ribbon.

Tips
 Any changes made to a program’s Ribbon will appear

only in that program.
 To hide a tab on the Ribbon, deselect its check box.

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Customizing Excel

Customizing the Quick Access  Exercise
Toolbar
• Exercise File: None required.
The Quick Access Toolbar is a shortcut for commands that • Exercise: Add the Print Preview command from the
are used often. If the Quick Access Toolbar doesn’t contain
enough frequently used commands, customize it by adding Popular Commands group to the Quick Access Toolbar.
or deleting commands. Move the Quick Access Toolbar below the Ribbon.

1. Click the File tab and select Options. Click to view another Commands on the
group of commands. Quick Access Toolbar
The Excel Options dialog box appears. are listed here.

2. Click the Quick Access Toolbar tab. Click to move the Quick Click to reset the Quick
Access Toolbar below the Access Toolbar to its
This tab displays options for customizing the Quick Ribbon. default settings.
Access Toolbar.
Figure 14-4: Adding a command to the Quick Access
The left column displays commands to add to the Toolbar.
Quick Access Toolbar. The right column displays
commands that appear there.

3. In the left column, select the command to add to the
Quick Access Toolbar.

4. Click the Add button.

The command is added to the Quick Access Toolbar.

Tips

 Arrange the order in which the commands are
displayed by clicking the Move Up and Move Down
buttons to the right of the column.

 Click the Reset button and select Reset only Quick
Access Toolbar to return the Quick Access Toolbar to
its default commands.

 Select a command in the Quick Access Toolbar column
and click the Remove button to remove it from the
Quick Access Toolbar.

284 © 2013 CustomGuide, Inc.

Customizing Excel

Using and Customizing  Exercise
AutoCorrect • Exercise File: None required.
• Exercise: Create an AutoCorrect entry that replaces “ot”
AutoCorrect automatically corrects many common typing
and spelling errors as they are typed. It is also a great way with “to”.
to use shorthand for longer words, phrases, or symbols. Try the AutoCorrect entry with this phrase, “He was going
ot the store.”
AutoCorrect is a feature that is shared across the Microsoft
Office suite—so any additions or changes made to He was going ot
AutoCorrect in one program, such as Word, will appear in
all Microsoft Office programs, like Excel, Excel, and Press <Spacebar>
Outlook.
He was going to 
How AutoCorrect works
Figure 14-5: An example of how AutoCorrect works.
Sometimes typos are corrected as text is entered in Word.
When typing an AutoCorrect entry and then pressing the Figure 14-6: The AutoCorrect tab of the AutoCorrect
<Spacebar>, AutoCorrect replaces that text with the correct dialog box.
text.

For example, AutoCorrect will change the mistyped words
“hte” to “the”, or “adn” to “and”. AutoCorrect also corrects
simple grammar mistakes, such as capitalization problems.
For example, it would change “GOing” to “Going,” or
capitalize the first letter in sentences.

Create an AutoCorrect entry

Excel already has many entries in AutoCorrect, but it
allows adding entries to correct habitual misspellings,
quickly insert a symbol, or insert a shorthand version of a
long phrase frequently used.

1. Click the File tab and select Options.

The Excel Options dialog box appears.

2. Click the Proofing tab.

This tab displays options for how Excel corrects and
formats text.

3. Click the AutoCorrect Options button.

The AutoCorrect dialog box appears with the
AutoCorrect tab in front.

4. Type the word or phrase to correct or use as shorthand
in the Replace text box.

This is the text that AutoCorrect will recognize when
typed.

5. Type the word or phrase to appear in the With text
box.

When the text in the “Replace” text box is typed with a
space, the text in the “With” text box will appear.

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Customizing Excel

6. Click Add.
The entry is added to the AutoCorrect list.

7. Click OK to close the AutoCorrect dialog box. Click
OK to close the Excel Options dialog box.
The dialog boxes close and the entry will now be
available in all Excel workbooks, and also in all other
Office applications.

286 © 2013 CustomGuide, Inc.

Customizing Excel

Changing Excel’s Default  Exercise
Options • Exercise File: None required.
• Exercise: Explore the tabs in the Excel Options dialog
Microsoft spent a lot of time and research when it decided
what the default settings for Excel should be. However, the box.
default settings may not always fit the user’s needs.
Figure 14-7: The Formulas tab of the Excel Options dialog
This lesson isn’t so much an exercise as it is a reference on box.
how to customize Excel by changing its default settings.

1. Click the File tab and select Options.

The Excel Options dialog box appears.

2. Click the tabs on the left to view different option
categories.

See Table 14-1: Tabs in the Excel Options Dialog
Box, for more information on these categories.

3. Change the options as desired. Click OK to confirm
the changes.

The changes are applied to the Excel program.

Table 14-1: Tabs in the Excel Options Dialog Box

General Change the most commonly modified options in Excel. This includes enabling the Mini Toolbar and Live
Preview. Also, change the color scheme, control ScreenTips, and change the user name.
Formulas
Proofing Change options related to formula calculation, performance, and error handling.

Save Change how Excel corrects and formats text. Change the types of errors that Excel flags when looking for
spelling and grammar errors.
Language
Advanced Customize how workbooks are saved, such as how often AutoRecover saves a workbook, and change default
file locations.
Customize Ribbon
Quick Access Toolbar Add additional languages to edit documents. Also set the language priority order for added languages.
Add-Ins
Trust Center Advanced options for working with Excel. Change how Excel works when editing text; modify how cut,
copy, and paste commands operate; customize tools in the window, such as how it displays screen tips and
scroll bars; adjust how Slide Show view looks and operates; control how the workbook is printed; choose
advanced save options; and control various Web options.

Create custom tabs and groups for the Ribbon.

Add commands to the Quick Access Toolbar.

View and manage Microsoft Office add-ins, such Acrobat PDFMaker and custom XML data.

Help keep workbooks safe and the computer secure and healthy. Read privacy statements and change Trust
Center Settings to control how Excel works with macros, add-ins, the message bar, trusted publishers and
locations, and more.

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Customizing Excel

Creating a Custom AutoFill List  Exercise
• Exercise File: CustomizingExcel.xlsx
Excel’s AutoFill feature is the nifty function that • Exercise: Use the data in A1:A10 to create a custom
automatically enters a series of values. If typing the same
list of words frequently, a good idea is to save a lot of time AutoFill list.
by creating a custom AutoFill list. Once a custom AutoFill Try using the AutoFill list in the worksheet.
list is created, the one thing left to do is type the first entry
of the list in a cell, and use AutoFill to have Excel complete Figure 14-8: The Custom Lists dialog box.
the rest of the list.

Create a custom AutoFill list

1. Click the File tab on the Ribbon and select Options.

2. Click the Advanced tab and scroll down to the General
section. Click the Edit Custom Lists button.
The Custom Lists dialog box appears.

3. Select New List under the Custom lists section.

4. Type the first entry to include in the AutoFill list and
press <Enter>. Repeat for each entry of the list.
Other Ways to Enter Custom List Entries:
Select the cell range that contains the information to
include in the custom AutoFill list. Then open the
Custom Lists dialog box. Click Import.

5. Click Add.
The custom list is added to the dialog box.

6. Click OK, OK.

Use a custom AutoFill list

Using a custom AutoFill list is just like completing any
other series with AutoFill.

1. Click the cell where to begin the custom fill series in.

2. Type an item from the series.

3. Click and drag the cell’s fill handle to complete the
series in the cells selected.

288 © 2013 CustomGuide, Inc.

Customizing Excel

Creating a Custom Number  Exercise
Format • Exercise File: CustomizingExcel.xlsx
• Exercise: Select cell C1 and create this custom number
A previous lesson in this chapter already covered how to
format values (numbers). Excel comes with a huge number format: ##-####
of predefined number formats to use. With so many
available number formats, it is unlikely that a custom Figure 14-9: Creating a custom number format.
number format will ever need to be created, but if it does,
here’s a brief overview.

1. Click the Home tab on the Ribbon and click the Dialog
Box Launcher in the Number group.

2. Click Custom in the Category box.

This is where to modify a copy of an existing format
code to meet the specifications. A custom number
format is created by specifying format codes that
describe how to display a number, date, time, or text.
Table 14-2: Format Codes for Numbers and Dates,
gives some examples of how to use these codes when
creating custom number formats.

Tip: The sample area of the number dialog box
becomes very important when creating custom
number formats. Watch the sample area carefully to
see how the custom number format

3. In the Type list, select a number format that to
customize.

The number format appears in the Type box.

4. Make changes to the number format in the Type box
using the format codes shown in the Table 14-2:
Format Codes for Numbers and Dates.

Table 14-2: Format Codes for Numbers and Dates

Numbers Dates and Times

To Display Use this Code To Display Use this Code

1234.59 as 1234.6 ####.# 1/1/11 as 1-1-11 m-d-yy

12499 as 12,499 #,### 1/1/11 as Jan 1, 11 mmm d, yy

12499 as 12,499.00 #,###.## 1/1/11 as January 1, 2011 mmmm, d, yyyy

1489 as $1,489.00 $#,###.## 1/1/11 as Fri 1/1/11 ddd m/d/yy

.5 as 50% 0% 1/1/11 as Friday, January 1 dddd, mmmm, d

.055 as 5.5% 0.0% 4:30 PM as 4:30 PM h:mm AM/PM

Hide value ;; 4:30 PM as 16:30 h:mm

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