borders are grammar — a total earns its line.
Lay the accounting rulings onto a finished segment build. The grammar never changes: a line under the year headers; a line above every total, never below; EBITDA pulled through, set apart the way a computed line should be; and a thick outside border around the one figure the memo flags for the book. The sections and the headline year change every run.
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 b o⌥ h b o on macBottom border
Bottom border under headers — rulings mark structure, not decoration.
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+R⌘R on macFill right from the cell to the left
Same as fill down, but across — one quarter’s formula becomes the whole year in two keystrokes.
Ctrl+B⌘B on macBold
Bold marks structure: titles, total rows, anything the reviewer’s eye should land on first.
Alt h b t⌥ h b t on macThick box border
The thick box for the number the page exists to produce.
the par-setting sequence, straight through:
headers B2:E2 alt h b o · rule ABOVE both totals alt h b p · EBITDA B10 =B5+B9, fill ctrl+r, ctrl+b, alt h b p · thick box the headline C10 alt h b t · ctrl+s