Stop Excel From Rounding Your Numbers
Excel rounding numbers on screen is usually harmless, but two causes change the stored value for good. A four-cause triage table with the fix for each.
2026-10-14 · 12 min read
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Practical notes on spreadsheets people actually have to read: formatting, number formats, and making a sheet look finished.
Why Is My Excel File So Large With Little Data? 6 Fixes
Usually formatting, not data: a used range far past your last row, duplicated conditional formatting rules or stray styles. Six checks, Ctrl+End first.
2026-10-13 · 12 min read
Copy an Excel Table to PowerPoint Without Losing Formatting
Paste with Keep Source Formatting for an editable table with the Excel look, or as a Picture to look identical anywhere. Link it if the slide must update.
2026-10-12 · 15 min read
Remove Spaces in Excel, Including the Ones TRIM Misses
TRIM fixes plain spaces and nothing else. Test which invisible character is in your cell, then remove it with the right formula or Find and Replace.
2026-10-09 · 10 min read
Excel Comments vs Notes: Which One to Use
Excel renamed old comments to notes and gave 'comments' to threaded replies. Here is which to use, what prints, and how to clear them before you send.
2026-10-08 · 11 min read
Lock Formatting in Excel but Still Allow Data Entry
Unlock the input cells, protect the sheet, and leave the right boxes unticked. A permission matrix for every Protect Sheet option, plus the paste problem.
2026-10-07 · 10 min read
Copilot vs ChatGPT for Formatting Excel Sheets
Copilot in Excel and ChatGPT both format spreadsheets now, but they touch your file differently. What each requires, what to check, and when neither fits.
2026-10-06 · 11 min read
Format a Pivot Table So It Survives a Refresh
How to format a pivot table in Excel so the number formats, widths and colours stay put after a refresh. Where each setting lives, and why it matters.
2026-10-02 · 14 min read
CSV vs XLSX: Which File to Send and Which to Keep
CSV for systems, XLSX for people. See exactly what Save As CSV deletes from a workbook, why reopening it changes your data, and which format to send.
2026-10-01 · 11 min read
Why Excel Shows #### and How to Fix It
Excel shows #### when a value won't fit its cell, and widening the column fixes only some cases. A symptom-to-cause table for negative dates and long text.
2026-09-30 · 11 min read
How to Make Excel Charts Look Professional
How to make Excel charts look professional: eight fixes for the default chart, each mapped to its Format pane control, then saved as a template.
2026-09-28 · 13 min read
Copy an Excel Table to Outlook Without Losing Formatting
Copy an Excel table to an Outlook email without losing formatting: your Outlook version decides the route. Four paste routes compared, plus the prep.
2026-09-25 · 12 min read
Excel Table vs Range: Which One Your Sheet Needs
When an Excel Table beats a plain range, when it gets in the way, and how to convert a Table to a range and keep the look. Six jobs, one verdict each.
2026-09-24 · 12 min read
Excel SUM Not Working? Five Causes, In Order
Excel SUM not working? A total that returns 0 or comes up short is rarely a broken formula. Run these five tests in order to find the cause in a minute.
2026-09-23 · 12 min read
Format a P&L in Excel So the Numbers Read
Indents for hierarchy, accounting underlines for subtotals, parentheses for negatives, units stated once: format a P&L in Excel, with a before and after.
2026-09-22 · 11 min read
Timesheet Formatting in Excel: Hours That Add Up
Timesheet Excel format that adds up: why 28:30 shows as 4:30, the [h]:mm fix, MOD for overnight shifts, and decimal hours for payroll, with a worked week.
2026-09-21 · 10 min read
Excel Workbook Tabs: Naming and Order That Work
A naming and ordering spec for Excel workbook tabs: the 31-character limit, characters Excel rejects, left-to-right order, tab colour and the README tab.
2026-09-18 · 13 min read
Wrap Text vs Shrink to Fit in Excel
Wrap Text grows the row, Shrink to Fit shrinks the font, widening moves the table. When each is right, and why AutoFit Row Height skips merged rows.
2026-09-17 · 9 min read
Spreadsheet Data Structure: Rules for Clean Data
Eight structural rules for spreadsheet data, each with the symptom you can see and what it breaks: sorting, filters, pivot tables, totals and CSV exports.
2026-09-16 · 13 min read
Excel Column Widths and Row Heights, Set Properly
AutoFit sizes a column to its longest cell, so one stray note wins. Measured widths for dates, currency, codes and names, plus row height set once.
2026-09-15 · 11 min read
Project Tracker Formatting That Shows Status
Project tracker spreadsheet formatting that holds up: a drop-down status column, one rule keyed to it, a quiet overdue signal and a before and after.
2026-09-14 · 12 min read
CSV Opens Wrong in Excel? Fix the Columns
Four different faults wear the same symptom when a CSV opens badly in Excel. Match the symptom to its cause, fix what is fixable, re-export the rest.
2026-09-11 · 14 min read
Make an Excel Invoice Look Professional
How to make an Excel invoice look professional: the five blocks, where the total sits, number format codes for money columns, and a clean PDF export.
2026-09-10 · 17 min read
Fix Inconsistent Date Formats in Excel
Inconsistent dates in Excel are two different problems with two different fixes. Three quick tests tell you which one you have before you change anything.
2026-09-09 · 12 min read
Excel vs Google Sheets: Formatting Differences
What happens to number formats, conditional formatting, fonts and print setup when a file moves between Excel and Google Sheets, in both directions.
2026-09-08 · 10 min read
Highlight Duplicates in Excel Without False Hits
Excel's Duplicate Values rule compares single cells, so it flags repeated first names and misses real duplicates. How to highlight duplicates properly.
2026-09-07 · 12 min read
Monthly Report Spreadsheet: Format for Skimming
A monthly report spreadsheet format built to survive next month: a data tab that grows down, a report tab that references it, and formats set on columns.
2026-09-04 · 13 min read
Financial Model Formatting: The Color Conventions
Blue inputs, black formulas, green links: what each colour means in a financial model, why colour marks editability, and how to save it as Cell Styles.
2026-09-03 · 13 min read
Text to Columns in Excel: And Three Better Tools
Text to Columns in Excel splits a column once, overwrites cells to its right and forgets the rule. When to use it, and when TEXTSPLIT or Power Query wins.
2026-09-02 · 13 min read
Repeat Header Rows on Every Printed Excel Page
How to repeat a header row when printing Excel: Page Layout, Print Titles, Rows to repeat at top. Plus why the boxes grey out and what Google Sheets does.
2026-09-01 · 13 min read
Google Sheets Formatting Tips: A 10-Minute Pass
Google Sheets formatting tips in the order they should run: a timed ten-minute pass over any sheet, sequenced so no step makes you redo an earlier one.
2026-08-31 · 16 min read
Client Report Spreadsheet: Layout That Gets Read
Build a spreadsheet for client report month-end: cover block, the client's number first, a period comparison, a notes column, and a method line.
2026-08-28 · 14 min read
Excel Color Palette: Three You Can Copy Today
Three complete six-slot spreadsheet palettes with hex codes, RGB fallbacks and computed contrast ratios. Paste them into Excel or Sheets and stop guessing.
2026-08-27 · 16 min read
Remove Duplicates in Excel Without Losing Data
Data > Remove Duplicates deletes rows permanently and judges them on an exact match. Here is the pre-flight check to run first, so you keep the right rows.
2026-08-26 · 11 min read
How to Format a Budget Spreadsheet People Read
Format your own budget instead of downloading someone else's: plan/actual/variance columns, negative-number codes, subtotal rows, and the one rule to add.
2026-08-25 · 14 min read
Excel Dashboard Design: One Screen, Five Numbers
Excel dashboard design best practices with a fixed budget: one screen, five numbers, one comparison each, and a wireframe mapped to real cell ranges.
2026-08-24 · 16 min read
Print an Excel Sheet on One Page Without Squinting
How to print an Excel spreadsheet on one page: set width to 1 page and height to Automatic, repeat the header row, and stop before the type gets tiny.
2026-08-21 · 13 min read
Best Font for Spreadsheets: Numbers That Line Up
The best font for an Excel spreadsheet is the one whose digits are all the same width. Here is the test, the measured shortlist and the default-font truth.
2026-08-20 · 13 min read
Accessible Spreadsheets: A Practical Checklist
Excel accessibility best practices in one place: the structure screen readers need, plus the WCAG contrast ratios and colour rules most guides leave out.
2026-08-19 · 13 min read
Merged Cells in Excel: What to Use Instead
Center Across Selection replaces most merged cells. A decision tree covers the ones you inherited: find them, unmerge them, refill the values safely.
2026-08-18 · 14 min read
Excel to PDF Without Losing Formatting
Excel to PDF without losing formatting: the loss happens in page setup, not the converter. A nine step pass to run before you export, in the right order.
2026-08-17 · 18 min read
How to Present a Spreadsheet to Executives
How to present Excel data to executives: a summary tab the file opens on, five numbers above the fold, scaled units, and the detail tabs underneath.
2026-08-14 · 16 min read
Alternating Row Colors: When They Help and Hurt
Banded rows fix wide tables and clutter narrow ones. The width test, both implementations in Excel and Google Sheets, and why banding breaks when you sort.
2026-08-13 · 16 min read
Excel Table Design: Rules That Make Tables Readable
Seven Excel table design rules, each tied to the reading habit it protects (alignment, decimals, lines, colour, totals), plus a 14-point scoring rubric.
2026-08-12 · 15 min read
Messy Spreadsheet Checklist: 12 Fixes Before You Send
A pre-send checklist for Excel and Google Sheets: merged cells, numbers stored as text, stray spaces, inconsistent dates, hidden columns and print setup.
2026-08-09 · 8 min read
Excel Conditional Formatting: When It Helps and Hurts
Excel conditional formatting: when data bars, color scales or icon sets help, why three-color scales hurt tables, and how to keep meaning out of color.
2026-08-09 · 8 min read
Excel Number Formatting: Currency, Dates and Custom Codes
How Excel number format codes work: the four-section syntax, # vs 0, accounting alignment, red negatives, date codes and a reference table of codes.
2026-08-09 · 8 min read
Make an Excel Spreadsheet Look Professional: 7 Rules
Seven rules that make an Excel spreadsheet look professional: gridlines, one accent color, number alignment, header rows, freeze panes and column widths.
2026-08-09 · 8 min read
