Learn to select non-adjacent/non-continuous cells or ranges of cells using five different methods in Microsoft Excel.
If you need to select a range of cells that are continuous or adjacent in Excel All you need to select one cell, and then using the mouse’s left button pressed to drag it over the other cells you wish to select. You can also hold the Shift key , and utilize Arrow keys for selecting the entire range.
Occasionally you may require to select multiple cells that are not next to each other (non-adjacent/continuous cells). However, selecting cells that are not adjacent is somewhat more difficult than choosing continuous cells, but it’s very simple.
Sometimes, you might need to format, copy or erase the contents of cells that are not adjacent in Excel that requires you to select all of these cells at the same time. There are a variety of easy ways to select adjacent cells within Excel that include using the keyboard, keyboard and mouse, Name box, Find and Replace tool, and the Go To tool.
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Selection of Non-Adjacent Cells using Keyboard and Mouse
Many people are aware that it is possible to select adjacent cells using the mouse and keyboard together. This is the most efficient method to select various non-adjacent cells as well as the ranges of cells.
If you wish choose cells which aren’t close to one another Press and hold the Ctrl key , and then select each cell using the left mouse click (you may also select and drag a selection of cells simultaneously). Do not release the Ctrl key until you have completed selecting the cells, or else you’ll lose your selection completely and have to do it again.
If you wish to select columns that are not adjacent or rows, press and hold the Ctrl key , then press the column letter (B D, B) as well as row number (5 7, 10 12, 12,) to select all rows or columns.
You may also choose the mixture of random cells or whole columns or rows. When selecting cells, if you select any incorrect cells you can uncheck them by holding and pressing the Ctrl key , then pressing on the cells you have selected to remove them.
Selecting Non-Adjacent Cells Using the Keyboard Only
If you’re a keyboard user There’s a method to select cells that are not continuous using the keyboard. This can be accomplished through Extended Selection mode. Extended Selection mode. Follow these steps to do that:
Then, put your cursor in the first cell you wish to select. Press F8 to activate Extended Selection mode, which will also select that first cell. It is evident on the bar that displays status at the lower left-hand part of your Excel screen.
If you wish to select adjacent cells make use of the Arrow keys to make the selection. Because when the Extend Selection feature is enabled it will only allow the selection of cells that are adjacent.
Press and release the keys Shift + F8 to turn off the ‘Extended Selection mode’. This will begin the “Add or Remove Selection’ mode. The ‘Add or Remove Selection’ mode keeps your current choices and lets you highlight cells that are not adjacent to each other using your mouse or the arrow keys. Utilize the arrow keys to navigate into the cell that you want to choose.
Then step is to then press the F8 key once more and then make use of the arrow keys to select the cell. After that, press Shift + F8 to turn on the extended selection mode, and to switch onto the cell that you would like to add to your selection. Repeat the procedure to select additional non-continued cells.
Simply put, F8 switches the selection mode, allowing you to select a cell Next is Shift + F8 which allows you to move into the following cell(s) you wish to select. Then F8 allows you to select the following selection.
If the ‘Add or remove Selection’ feature is enabled it is also possible to employ the mouse to make selections that are not adjacent to each other.
Selecting Non-Adjacent Cells Using the Name Box
This box can be located on the left side of the bar for formulas,. It typically shows an address for the cell that is active or in the group on the worksheet. It is also possible to make use of this box in order to choose non-continued cells.
If you choose a cell, your Name box will show the cell’s address. Additionally, if you type an address or reference to a cell within the name box, it will choose that particular cell.
Let’s say, for instance, you’d like to draw attention to the following adjacent cells and ranges: A5, B2:B10, D5, E2 and E10. Here’s how to accomplish this:
Then, you need to click in the Name Box and then type in the cell or range references you wish to include within the Name Box separated by commas. (,). After that you can press Enter.
All your cells you have specified will be selectedimmediately. Additionally, your Name Box will now show the address of the cell that was last entered.
You can enter your mobile numbers in any order you like within the name Box.
Selecting Non-Adjacent Cells Using Find and Replace Tool
Sometimes, you might require highlighting the cells (non-contiguous cells) in accordance with a particular characteristic in them.
For instance, in the table below, you will find several types of retailers and you might want to select all cells with the type of retailer “Walmart”. Follow these steps:
Select the entire range of data or the specific range you wish to highlight cells, and after that, press CTRL + F. Alternately, you may also select the ‘Find and Select’ option on the Home tab and choose the ‘Find’ option..
Within the Find and Replace dialog, type in the value you wish to emphasize in the ‘Find What’ field. In this case, we’re entering “Walmart”. Click the “Find All buttons.
The box that is below that Find as well as Replace dialog will display all the results that correspond to the search term (Walmart). Then, use Ctrl + A to select all the cells that were discovered.
After that, click the button ‘Close’ to end then close the Find and Replace dialog. Then, you’ll be able to see all cells that contain the word you want to replace have been chosen.
Selecting Non-Adjacent Cells or Columns Using Go To
Another method to select columns or cells that are not adjacent is to use the ‘Go To’ option.
The Home tab on the ribbon, select the ‘Find and Select option, then select Go To or hit the F5 function key.
You will now be presented with you will see the Go To dialog box. In the box ‘Reference you must type in the cell reference or the range of cells you wish to choose and separated by a comma. After that, click “OK” or hit Enter.
It will also highlight specific cells.
Similar to similar fashion to the Name Box method, you can enter address in whatever order you like. You can also choose to group distinct cells, ranges as well as rows and columns in a row.
After you have selected the cells, you can edit, change or format the cells.
Entering Data in Non-Adjacent Cells Simultaneously
The majority of the time you choose several non-contiguous cells in order to enter a value in or substitute a value. In this way, you can enter the same value into multiple cells at once. This can be accomplished with an easy keyboard shortcut. Here’s, how:
Then, choose the cells that are not adjacent to each other you wish to fill with the same data by using one of the methods above.
After the cells have been selected Start typing the number (e.g. Sports Goods) into one of the cells you have selected.
After entering the value After entering the value, hit Ctrl + Enter instead of Enter All the chosen cells are filled using the same information, at the same time.
This method is used to input numbers, text, values, as well as formulas.