Toni Dimaano Tech 12.28.2022 03:Dec AM EST

Microsoft Excel Formulas Now Easier With New Automation Features

Microsoft has revealed that it is improving Excel's autocomplete, at least in the web version included with Microsoft 365, formerly known as Office 365.

The tech giant announced formula suggestions and formula by example last week, which are two features that could automate some tasks that previously required manual labor.

Excel Makes Applying Formula Easier

According to Tech Spot, spreadsheets cannot be created without formulas, but mastering them in Microsoft Excel requires practice and can be time-consuming.

However, with this most recent upgrade, Excel web users will benefit from a small amount of automation, but Microsoft has also added new functionality to the desktop versions.

For the web, Windows, and Mac versions of Excel, the December 2022 update adds a number of new capabilities, including optional autofill features to make formula entry easier.

The idea behind formula suggestions is very straightforward: whenever you enter the equals sign in a cell, Excel for Web will attempt to propose an appropriate formula based on the data nearby.

The feature, which only functions in English at the moment, will recommend formulae for sum, average, count, minimum, and maximum.

The Verge writes that it is not a breakthrough function, to be fair, but Google Sheets has had a feature like this for some time.

Additionally, Excel's AutoSum has long been a rapid way to apply formulas to data, but for particular use situations, it may be a good time saver.

Moreover, there is Formula by Example, a feature that is comparable to Flash Fill in that it can automatically identify patterns in data and fill out the remaining columns of a table.

There Are Other Features Microsoft Introduced As Well

Microsoft is also now testing out a feature that can alert users when a link to a cloud workbook is broken and offer a new place to fix the link.

Additionally, the company is enabling the Windows app's Insider version for testing to access data from dynamic arrays and nested Power Query data types.

Tech Spot details that users can now rapidly enter the Power Query Editor by pressing Alt + F12 (or Option + F12 on a Mac) as well.

Additionally, Excel now supports the alternative text insertion of images from source URLs into cells.

The function supports BMP, JPG/JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG, ICO, and WEBP image formats, which users can alter to fit into a cell or retain certain pixel dimensions.

Which version of Excel receives each new feature is specified in a spreadsheet that Microsoft provided in this link.

The most recent discount for Office Professional 2021 is recommended for anyone who wants Microsoft Office without being reliant on an internet connection for the web version or paying for Office 365.

Over the course of the year, the productivity suite has been significantly discounted on and off, with the most recent sale providing a lifetime license for just $29.99.

It is important to note that the Windows and macOS versions of Microsoft Office Professional 2021 come with Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access, Publisher, OneNote, and Microsoft Teams.