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Save time with these Excel file menu tricks

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10th Dec 2014
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Accessing the file menu can get quite repetitive in Excel 2010 or 2013, but AccountingWEB.com technology editor-at-large David H Ringstrom reckons Excel 2010 has the best possible File menu arrangement, other than having Print Preview grafted onto it (but you can fix that).

Excel 2013 lost ground for some users becasuse frequent actions such as opening and saving files needed extra mouse clicks that ultimately could result in quite sore wrists. This article, presents my top tricks to minimise time lost.

Most of the tips relate to Excel 2013, but two are applicable to Excel 2010 as well. First, let's compare Excel 2013 with Excel 2010. Below,  see how it takes two clicks to reach the Open dialogue box in Excel 2010 (steps A and B), yet the same action can require up to four mouse clicks in Excel 2013 (steps 1 through 4).

See below

The more knowledgeable Excel users have been using the Ctrl-O keyboard shortcut to launch an Open dialog box from anywhere in Excel. This works without issue in Excel 2010 and earlier, but by default in Excel 2013 pressing Ctrl-O doesn't display an Open dialogue box. Rather, this launches the File menu, from which you'll then have to navigate your way to the Open dialogue box. But you can easily fix this as I'll demonstrate below.

In Excel 2013, choose File, Options, Save, click the checkbox for Don't Show the Backstage When Opening or Saving Files, and then click OK.

You should now be able to press Ctrl-S to save your files directly in Excel 2013 instead of being shown the File menu. This is a new "feature" in Excel 2013 that isn't available in earlier versions of Excel.

The illustration below shows how unticking the "Don't Show the Backstage When Opening or Saving Files" checkbox will let you restore the Ctrl-O and Ctrl-S keyboard shortcuts:

Now, I know I could press Ctrl-O to get to an Open dialogue box. However there are times when it just makes sense to click on the File menu. In an unsaved workbook in Excel 2013, you'll see the Open menu immediately when you click File. But you've still got to click Computer, Browse to get to an Open dialogue box.

Want to save some time? Double-click Computer, as shown below, to get to the Open dialogue box without clicking the Browse button.

I'm not sure why but when working in a document that has been saved in Excel 2013, clicking on File does not show you the Open menu, but instead displays the Info tab. To open another document, click the Open command before you can double-click Computer to get to the Open dialogue box:

Double-click on Computer to view the Open dialog box

Emailing workbooks and creating PDF versions of a document is another place where you can double-click to save a step in both Excel 2010 and 2013.

In Excel 2010, choose File, Save & Send, and then double-click Send Using Email to skip the Send As Attachment button. And in Excel 2013, choose File, Share, and then double-click Email to skip the Send as Attachment button.

Both scenarios assume you want to email the document as an Excel workbook. You'll need to click the buttons to the right if your goal is to send as PDF, XPS, or Internet Fax.

See below:  Double-click on Email to skip clicking on the Send as Attachment button

Or save yourself some more time by saving a document as a PDF file, as I'll outline below.

In Excel 2010, choose File, Save & Send, and then double-click Create PDF/XPS Document to skip the Create PDF/XPS button. In Excel 2013, choose File, Export, and then double-click Create PDF/XPS Document button to skip the Create PDF/XPS button.

See below: Double-click on Create PDF/XPS Document button to skip the Create PDF/XPS button

My preferred method for saving a spreadsheet as a PDF file is to choose File, Save As, double-click the Computer button, and then choose PDF from the File Type list.

See below: Follow these steps to save a spreadsheet as a PDF file

David H. Ringstrom, CPA, heads up Accounting Advisors, Inc., an Atlanta-based software and database consulting firm providing training and consulting services nationwide. Contact David at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. David speaks at conferences about Microsoft Excel, teaches webcasts for CPE Link, and writes freelance articles on Excel for AccountingWEBGoing Concern, et.al.

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By dul50n
11th Dec 2014 15:09

Why not customise the ribbon?

I don't know about Excel 2013, but I use 2010 and I simply went through the options menu to customise the ribbon and add my own tab. I then placed the commands that I frequently use on that tab.

I have instant access to shortcuts to Open, Open Recent File, Print Preview, New, etc. etc. Shortcuts can be created for any command in Excel and I've just checked and found a Send command that gives you a drop down with various options including send a copy of the document as a PDF attachment to an email.

Quite straightforward really.

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By shelburneaccountancy
29th Jan 2015 21:31

Save time with these Excel file menu tricks

 

I am using excel 2013. To open files use Crtl+F12.

This has always been an alternative to Ctrl+O.

 

Stephen Lawrence

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