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◆ Formatting · drill · Excel Keyboard Fluency track

Fix the squeezed columns

#### is a width problem, not a number problem — the figure is fine, the column is too narrow.
The regional revenue page prints in the morning and nothing on it reads: the two label columns are squeezed so the business lines are cut off, the four quarter columns are four different widths, and the Total column is empty. Total the quarters, size the page so every figure reads, and give the quarter block one width across for the print. Dress the Total row once the grand figure lands, then save it down.
train this drill → par 36s · optimal 33 keys · keyboard only · free
The shortcuts in this drill
Alt walks: tap Alt, release, then the letters in sequence — each key steps one ribbon menu. On a Mac, tap and use the same letters (KeyTips, Excel 2024+).
Alt h o i⌥ h o i on macAutofit column width
The ##### fix: autofit the column to its widest entry in three keys.
Alt h o w 1 2⌥ h o w 1 2 on macSet column width…
Exact column widths when autofit gives a ragged page — uniform width is part of house style.
Ctrl+D⌘D on macFill down from the cell above
Build the logic once in the top cell, select down, and stamp it — the standard way to fill a schedule.
Ctrl+B⌘B on macBold
Bold marks structure: titles, total rows, anything the reviewer’s eye should land on first.
Alt h b p⌥ h b p on macTop border
Top border above a total row — the accounting ruling that says “this line sums the ones above.”
Ctrl+S⌘S on macSave
functions you'll type: SUM()
The optimal line
the par-setting sequence, straight through:
labels A:B · alt h o i · quarters C:F · alt h o w12 · =SUM() down G · alt h o i · row 13 ctrl+b + alt h b p · ctrl+s
More Formatting drills
Typeset the memo
Bold the header, unbold the imposter, italicize the memos, flag the discontinued line in r
The decimals pass
Take a comps page to the house decimal standard, and find the cell somebody hand-formatted
Set the alignment
Center, left, right — and a long title centered across the table, never merged
Rule off the schedule
Accounting rulings: line under headers, line above every total, outline the headline
← Center Rule Off → all 74 drills
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