Selecting cells is a necessary part of using Excel. Often, we need to select cells that are not close to each other. In these instances, selecting cells can be tricky. In this article, we will discuss five ways to select non-adjacent cells in Excel.
The first method is the easiest and most straightforward. By holding down the Control key, you can select non-adjacent cells. Simply click on each cell you want to select while holding down the Control key. Once you have selected all necessary cells, release the Control key.
If you prefer to use only the keyboard, you can use function keys to select non-adjacent cells. First, click on any cell to act as the active cell. Then, press the function key F8. This enables the extended selection mode. To select non-adjacent cells, press Shift + F8. This enables the add or remove selection mode. Use the arrow keys to move the selection and select the cells you want. Once you have selected all necessary cells, press F8 again to enable the extended selection mode and select the cell or group of cells. Finally, press F8 to get back to normal mode.
Another easy way to select non-adjacent cells in Excel is by using their cell names. First, click on any cell to mark it as the active cell. Then, click on the name box in the top left-hand corner of the spreadsheet. Type the name of the cells separated by a comma. You can enter the name of the single cells or the range of cells separated by a comma. Press Enter, and this selects all the non-adjacent cells in the spreadsheet.
Using the go-to option is a similar way of selecting non-adjacent cells as using the name box option. First, navigate to Home under editing. Click on the drop-down from find and select and click on go to, or use the keyboard shortcut Control + H. This opens up a go-to dialog box. Enter the name of the cells or a range of cells separated by a comma and click on OK. This selects the non-adjacent cells in the Excel spreadsheet.
There is another special case to select non-adjacent cells in Excel. However, this method can be used if the content of the cells is similar. To find cells with similar values, navigate to Home under editing. Click on the drop-down from find and select and click on find, or you can use the keyboard shortcut Control + F. This opens up a find and replace dialog box. Click find and enter the value you want to locate. Click on find all, and this shows the location and description of the cells with the specific value. Click on Control + A to select all the cells with similar values. Finally, click on close or the x button to close the find and replace dialog box and keep all the selected cells.
In conclusion, there are five ways to select non-adjacent cells in Excel. You can choose any method that suits your purpose. If you have any queries, feel free to leave them in the comment section below.