Excel Tips

Back to Hints and Tips Index                                             Back to Main Index

Refreshing a Workbook

If you want to return your spreadsheet back to the last time you have saved, instead of closing the workbook, answering No to saving changes and then reopening the workbook, you can use the Refresh button on the Web toolbar.

  1. From the View menu select Toolbars4Web.
  2. Click on the Refresh Current Page button.
  3. The following dialog box is displayed:

  1. Click Yes.
  2. The spreadsheet will be restored to the way it was the last time you saved it, and you will lose any changes you have made to it since then.

Changing the Standard Colour Palette

Excel features a standard set of 56 colours you can use whenever you want to format something.

  • Changing the colour of text or the background of a cell, Excel offers 40 colours to choose from.

  • Working with a drawing object, Excel offers the same 40 colours, plus access to additional ones.

  • Change the colours of a chart element (data series, plot area, gridlines, whatever), you get the same 40 colours plus 16 more.

To change the range of the 56 colours, follow these steps:

  1. From the Tools menu select Options.
  2. Click on the Colour tab.
  3. Under Standard Colours, click on a colour to replace.
  4. Click on the Modify button.
  5. Select a new colour.
    OR
    Select the Custom tab. Change the settings (move the cross-hair pointer around and the arrowhead up and down) to create your own colour.
  6. Click OK.
  7. Repeat Steps 3–5 for every Standard colour you want to replace.
  8. Click OK.

The colours you selected will be your new default choices.

Use the Scroll Lock key to freeze the cell pointer in its cell

  1.  Press the Scroll Lock button on your keyboard

  • Press the left or the right arrow key to scroll horizontally, one column at a time.

  • Press the up or the down arrow key to scroll vertically, one row at a time.

  1. You can scroll through a large worksheet without losing your place.

Back to Hints and Tips Index                                             Back to Main Index