When I go to full screen I no longer have the single toolbar button I used to. How can I get it to show up again?
	Whenever I click on the Windows menu, at the bottom it shows Cindy.xls:1, Cindy.xls:2, Cindy.xls:3, etc. What is going on here?
	How would I use an outline in Excel?
	What are the Outline Tools?
	How do I create an outline manually?
	How to I hide and show detail data in my outline?
	How do I copy, print, or chart only the visible cells in my outline?
	How do I remove an outline from my worksheet?
	How do I create different views of the same worksheet?
	How can I see more than one workbook at a time?
	How can I view my worksheets at different levels of magnification?
	How do I use Excel's Split Screen feature?
	How do I view two (or more) tabs of the same workbook simultaneously?

I happened to be viewing a chart in "full screen", and wanted to remove the "un-full screen" icon to better view the chart. Once done, I can't seem to get this button back. When I go to full screen I no longer have the single toolbar button I used to. How can I get it to show up again?
Keywords: Full Screen
Posted December 20, 1996

From the Excel menu select View - Toolbars. Scroll down the list of toolbars until you find the one labeled Full Screen. Put a check mark beside it and click OK. You will now see the button floating somewhere on your screen. Click the X in the upper right corner to make it disappear.

Now, the next time you choose the Full Screen option this toolbar will appear again. However, if you close it again while in full screen mode you will have to repeat the process above to regain it.

One of my users has a problem in her Excel program. After she opens her file, whenever she clicks on the Windows menu, at the bottom it shows Cindy.xls:1, Cindy.xls:2, Cindy.xls:3, etc. What is going on here?
Keywords: File, Window
Posted December 20, 1996

These are just multiple windows that are all showing the same file. These are typically created when the user chooses Window - New Window from the Excel menu. The easiest way to close them is to choose each one in turn from the Window menu and then press CTRL W until there is only one left.

How would I use an outline in Excel?
Keywords: Outline Detail Worksheet
Posted July 22, 1996

Excel offers an outline format that allows you to collapse sections of the worksheet to display only summary cells, or expand hidden sections to show the underlying detail. An outline is useful, for example, for displaying monthly budget figures for sales and expense items. The columns would include monthly, quarterly, yearly subtotals, and grand totals where the rows would include sales, expenses, and gross profit totals. If less detail was needed, you could hide monthly totals, displaying only quarterly and yearly subtotals, by using an outline.

One of the biggest advantages of outlines is that as soon as you have hidden some data, you can work with visible cells as though they were a single range. This allows you to format those cells quickly, print them, create charts, etc.

The easiest way of creating an outline is to let Excel do it for you. However, first you must determine if your worksheet is a good candidate for an outline. Use this criteria:

• The worksheet must contain formulas that reference cells or ranges directly adjacent to the formula cell.
• There must be a consistent pattern to the direction of the formula references.

If your worksheet is outline material:

1. Select the range of cells you want to outline
2. If you want to outline the entire worksheet, select a single cell
3. From the menu bar, choose Data - Group and Outline - Auto Outline
4. Excel creates the outline and displays the outline tools.

What are the Outline Tools?
Keywords: Outline Tools Detail Worksheet
Posted July 22, 1996

Excel offers an outline format to better organize and view your data. Excel can automatically create an outline from your worksheet with the Data - Group and Outline - Auto Outline command. It divides the worksheet into a hierarchy of levels. The levels range from the worksheet detail to the grand totals. Excel can handle up to eight levels of data. The lower outline levels have higher level numbers. Using an example of a budget worksheet, Excel creates levels for both the column and row data:

• In the columns, the monthly figures are the details (level 3), the quarterly totals are the first summary data (level 2), and the grand totals are the highest level (level 1).
• In the rows, the individual sales and expense items are the details (level 3), the sales and expenses subtotals are the next level (level 2), and the Gross Profit row is the highest level (level 1).

To help you work with outlines, Excel adds the following tools to your worksheet:

• Level bars - These indicate the data included in the current level. Click on a bar to hide the rows or columns marked by a bar.
• Collapse symbol - Use this to hide (or collapse) the rows or columns marked by the level bar.
• Expand symbol - When you collapse a level, the collapse symbol changes to an expand symbol (+). Use this to display (or expand) the hidden rows or columns.
• Level symbols - These indicate which level each level bar is on. Use these to display all the detail data for that level.

NOTE: Use Ctrl + 8 to toggle the outline symbols on and off.

How do I create an outline manually?
Keywords: Outline Detail Worksheet Manually Create
Posted July 22, 1996

When creating a worksheet, there may be times when you find it convenient to use an outline for organization purposes. This can be done automatically using Excel's Data - Group and Outline - Auto Outline command. However, when creating an outline, Excel will ignore a row if it is not a subtotal or some other formula. To have more control over the outlining process, you can outline your worksheet manually.

To do this you must selectively group or ungroup rows or columns. To group a range, assign it a lower outline level (give it a higher level number). To ungroup a range, assign it a higher outline level:

• Select the rows or columns you want to group/ungroup.
  NOTE: To select an entire row, click on the row heading or press Shift + Spacebar. To select an entire column, click on the column heading or press Ctrl + Spacebar.
• To group the selection:
  1. Choose Data - Group and Outline - Group command OR Press Alt+ Shift+ Right arrow OR Click the Group button on the Query and Pivot toolbar
  2. If you selected something other than entire rows or columns, Excel displays the Group dialog box. You will need to choose the appropriate option.
  3. Repeat these steps to group additional rows or columns.
• To ungroup a range:
  1. Choose Data - Group and Outline - Ungroup command OR Press Alt + Shift + Left arrow OR Click the Ungroup button on the Query and Pivot toolbar
  2. If you selected something other than entire rows or columns, Excel displays the Ungroup dialog box. You will need to choose the appropriate option.
  3. Repeat these steps to group additional rows or columns.

How to I hide and show detail data in my outline?
Keywords: Outline Detail Data Show Hide
Posted July 22, 1996

The purpose of an outline is to enable you to move easily between views of greater or lesser detail. To create an outline, from the menu bar choose the Data - Group and Outline - Auto Outline command.

To hide detail data in your outline, choose one of the following:

• Click on the collapse symbol at the bottom (rows) or right (columns) of the level bar that encompasses the detail data
• Select a cell in a row or column marked with a collapse symbol, then select the Data - Group and Outline - Hide Detail command
• Select a cell in a row or column marked with a collapse symbol and click on the Hide Detail tool on the Query and Pivot toolbar

To show collapsed detail data in your outline, choose one of the following:

• Click on the appropriate expand symbol
• To see the detail for an entire level, click on the level marker
• Select a cell in a row or column marked with an expand symbol, then select the Data - Group and Outline - Show Detail command
• Select a cell in a row or column marked with an expand symbol and click on the Show Detail tool on the Query and Pivot toolbar

How do I copy, print, or chart only the visible cells in my outline?
Keywords: Detail Data Outline Print Copy Chart
Posted July 22, 1996

An outline added to your worksheet organizes data so that certain ranges can be visible at once. When you collapse an outline level, the data is only temporarily hidden from view. If you select the outline, your selection includes the collapsed cells. To copy, print, or chart only the visible cells:

1. Hide the outline data you do not need
2. Select the outline cells with which you want to work
3. From the menu bar choose Edit - Go To command to display the Go To dialog box
4. Select the Special button to display the Go To Special dialog box
5. Choose the Visible Cells Only option
6. Click OK for Excel to modify the selection to include only those cells visible

NOTE: A shortcut is to use the Alt+; (semicolon) key.

How do I remove an outline from my worksheet?
Keywords: Detail Data Outline Remove
Posted July 22, 1996

Excel offers an outline format to better organize and view your data. Excel can automatically create an outline from your worksheet with the Data - Group and Outline - Auto Outline command. Removing the outline is just as simple.

• To remove only part of an outline - Select the appropriate rows or columns
• To remove the entire outline - Select only a single cell
  1. Select the Data - Group and Outline - Clear Outline command
  2. Excel adjusts or removes the outline

How do I create different views of the same worksheet?
Keywords: View Manager Worksheet
Posted May 21, 1996

Displaying the same file in multiple windows is a great way to manage large workbooks. However, you probably do not want all those windows active all the time. A solution is to create different views of your workbook. A view is a specific workbook configuration that can include the window size and position, panes and frozen titles, zoom magnification, selected cells, display options, row heights and column widths, and print settings. Once a view is saved, recalling it is quick and easy.

You can use Excel's View Manager to create the workbook views:

1. First set up your workbook with the view configuration you want
2. From the menu bar choose View - View Manager; Excel will display the View Manager dialog box
3. Click on the Add button to access the Add View dialog box
4. Enter a name for the view in the Name edit box; the name must begin with a letter
   NOTE: The first view you create should be of you basic worksheet. Name it Normal.
5. In the View Includes section, select the extra setting you want to include in the view
6. Click on OK or press Enter; Excel will save the view and return you to the workbook

To display a workbook view:

1. From the menu bar choose View - View Manager
2. Use the Views list to hightlight the view you want to use
3. Click on the Show button and Excel will display the view

To delete the view:

1. Highlight the view you want from the Views list
2. Click on the Delete button; Excel will delete the view

How can I see more than one workbook at a time?
Keywords: View Worksheet Workbook Arrange
Posted February 8, 1996

There are times when you need to see two parts of your spreadsheet or workbook. The easiest way to do this is to open another copy of the workbook. From the menu bar choose Window - New Window. This will open a second copy of the workbook. Then choose Window - Arrange... from the menu bar.

Now scroll around the worksheet to see different portions at once, or even view different sheet tabs of the same workbook at one time. This is a great feature for seeing the results of links.

Tell me more... Say you have a formula on sheet 2 that is effected by an entry on sheet 1. Do the Window - New Window and Window - Arrange... thing, and show one sheet in one window and the other sheet in the second window. Now whenever you change the value on sheet 1, you'll instantly see the results in the second window!

Macro If this is useful, and you find that you'll use it a lot, here is the code for a toolbar button:

Sub NewWindow()
    ActiveWindow.NewWindow
    Windows.Arrange ArrangeStyle:=xlHorizontal
End Sub

How can I view my worksheets at different levels of magnification?
Keywords: View Worksheet Zoom Magnification
Posted January 16, 1996

The options for magnification are:

• To see more of a worksheet at once, change the percentage in the Zoom Control box on the Standard toolbar to less than 100%.
• To view your sheets at different levels of magnification, click on View - Zoom menu, or you may choose the Zoom Control on the Standard toolbar as a shortcut.
• Another way to see more of a workbook is to select the View - Full Screen command. The title bars from the main Excel window and the workbook window are removed, the toolbars, the formula bar, and the status bar are also removed.
• To revert to the normal view screen, select View - Full Screen again.

How do I use Excel's Split Screen feature?
Keywords: Split Screen View Worksheets Freeze Unfreeze
Posted January 16, 1996

You can view two parts of the same document at the same time by selecting Window - Split. If the split isn't where you want it, you can adjust it by dragging the appropriate split bar. After you have split the worksheets and arranged each pane, you may freeze the worksheet panes by selecting the Window - Freeze Panes command. Excel replaces the thick gray split bar with thin black freeze bar. The frozen panes provide the following advantages: If you place the splits just below your column headings or to the right of any row headings, no matter where you move in the worksheet, up or down, left or right, the row and column headings remain visible.

Here are two different short cuts to remove panes:

• To unfreeze panes without removing the splits, select Window - Unfreeze Panes command
• To unfreeze panes and remove the splits, select the Window - Remove Split command

How do I view two (or more) tabs of the same workbook simultaneously?
Keywords: View Worksheet Workbook
Posted January 16, 1996

Use the Window, New Window command to create a second view of the current workbook. Your second window will share the same name as the first with a ":2" appended. You'll also notice the name of the first sheet now contains a ":1" at the end. This is still the same file, just with two views. Any entries made in one sheet will be reflected in the other window(s). When you are finished with your editing, be sure to close the window with the ":2" otherwise you will save the file with 2 windows.

Use the Window Arrange command to quickly size the two windows. This is great when you want to see a chart on one tab and the data on another or sometimes just the top and bottom of the same worksheet (although in that case, you could just split the single window). This is also handy when you need to copy some information from one sheet to another. (Plug Alert: The Baarns Utilities Bonus Toolbar contains buttons for quickly arranging your windows.)

Back to Top

Back to the FAQ Table of Contents

What's another word for thesaurus?