【Ranges in Microsoft Excel】Step by Step Guide ▷ 2022

The excel ranges They are one of the most used aspects within this program. With it, all kinds of operations can be carried out and they can be worked together or separately.

In this way, different formats can be applied to it or ordered within the same spreadsheet. In summary, constitute the basis of all operations carried out within .

Throughout this post, we will talk about what are ranks, what are they for, what are the types and how to identify them within the document. In addition, we will teach you how to get the most out of them.

What is a range in Microsoft Excel and what is it used for in spreadsheets?

As we indicated previously, an Excel range is understood to be the entire set of adjacent cells that can be selected with the aim of executing the same operation with all of them. Through said groupthe user can apply formats to them, order elements and perform any other type of tasks in the .

It is the main base of everything Excelbecause in the range you can execute all kinds of operations. More simply, it can be said that the cell range it is nothing more than a set of them. It gets its name from the first and last cell select, for example, A1 and D3 (A1:D3).

When you proceed to select them, you can perform different tasks on them at the same time. Notably cell ranges are used to form tables, create reports, charts, and much more.

In case you want to work on a certain range, just scroll through the sheet with the mouse and click on the cells in which you are going to work. You can also take advantage of the ranges if you need do a specific calculation on a set of cells.

What you should do is write into the formula the range of cells They have the data you require and that’s it.

Types of ranges What are all that exist in Microsoft Excel?

exist three classifications of range typesand each of them has a different functionality.

In this sense, we will explain what each type is about:

One Dimensional: As its name implies, a one-dimensional range is one that refers to a single cell. It can be from the current sheet being worked on or from another sheet. Examples of them are A1, B2, C3, among others.
two-dimensional: when speaking of two-dimensional ranges, it refers to a group of contiguous cells or not, and it applies both for a current sheet and another. For example: A1:D3, B5:M2, etc.
three-dimensional: three-dimensional ranges refer to a cell or group of cells starting on one sheet and ending on another. They have this name because the ranks go through the leaves, which gives them depth. For example: Sheet1:Sheet3!F3.

Learn step by step how to select ranges in your Excel spreadsheets

Once you are clear about what a range and the types that exist, the next step is to work directly on the spreadsheet. The range selection process is very simple.

Next we will show you a step-by-step guide where you will learn how to select ranges easily and quickly:

Select a range

To select a single range, there are different ways:

Press the left button of your mouse and drag it in the desired direction until all the cells you are going to work with are selected. Then release the mouse.
Use the Shift key and take advantage of the keyboard arrows to select the range of cells you need.
Enter the address of the range into the Excel name box, then press Enter. Keep in mind that the address you entered will disappear, but the range will remain selected.

Select multiple ranges

On many occasions, you may need to apply a special format to ranges that are not contiguous. To be able to select them in Windowsthere is a specific technique.

Then follow these steps:

Select the first rank.
Immediately after, press Ctrl and hold it down while selecting other ranges with the mouse.
when you have finished the selectionyou can drop the ctrl key.

In case you have a macOS teamyou apply the same procedure but instead of pressing the Ctrl key, you must do it with the command key.

You can too select multiple ranges using only the keyboard.

To do it in Windows you must:

Press the combination Shift+F8 after you have selected a range.
This will will allow to add a new range to the selection.
you will appreciate that did you press the combination correctly?because the status bar will show the message “Add to selection”.

Select ranges in different spreadsheets

Three-dimensional ranges allow you to use different cells on multiple sheets and work with them in parallel. One point to keep in mind when you are going to select ranges in different spreadsheets, is that you can only select the same range for the different sheets.

The procedure is the next:

select range you want on the first sheet.
Press the shift key (on Windows) or Command (on macOS) Y click on the last sheet label in which you are going to include the selection. For example: select cell range B2:C5 from sheet 1 to sheet 4.

Also, you should know that once the selection is made, any command you execute inside it will be applied to all the ranges of the different sheets that are included. Holding the Shift key will select a continuous group of sheets, but if you must select sheet by sheet, use the Ctrl key and choose each one to include in the selection.

Paste in certain ranges

Within Excelit is possible to decide how the data will be pasted within certain ranges. In order to do so, the options included in the excel paste special. To learn about the different possibilities, open the Paste button dropdown menu.

There you will find options such as:

Paste: paste cell content, data validation and formats.
Formulas: paste the formulas without the formatting of the cells.
Format of formulas and numbers: paste formulas and number formatting.
Keep source format: paste the formulas and all the cell formatting.
Without Borders: Paste everything except the cell borders.
Maintain width of source columns: paste the formulas and the width of the source columns.
Transpose: allows you to change the orientation of the range, changing the rows by columns or vice versa.
Values: paste only the result of the formulas.
Format of values and numbers: paste both the result of the formulas and the format of numbers.
Value format and origin: paste the result of the formulas and all the formatting of the cell.
Format: paste only the formatting of the cells.
Paste link: creates a formula in the destination cell, making a reference to the source cell.
Image: paste the copied cells as an image.
Linked image: paste the information as an image, which is automatically updated if the original data is modified.

In this sense, to paste into certain ranges of Excel within Windows, you just have to copy the cells that contain the data you need. Then go to the range where you are going to paste the information and choose between the special paste options.

In the case of macOS, you have to:

select cells or ranges that have the information you require.
In the tab of Starttap on Copy.
Click on the first cell or range where do you want to paste information.
In Startclick the arrow next to the button Paste.
Choose special paste.
Choose fill options what you wish.