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Excel - How to Automatically Extend Series with the Fill Handle - Episode 1111

723 views · Published 29 September 2009 · 2:41 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: MrExcel.com · 2009 · Education

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Microsoft Excel Tutorial:  How to Automatically Extend Series with the Fill Handle.

Welcome back to the MrExcel netcast, where we discuss all things Excel. In this episode, I'll be sharing a cool trick that I picked up during my recent seminars in Plano, Texas. It's related to a common problem that many of us have encountered - the fill handle. You know, when you put in a number and drag the fill handle, it just fills in the same number repeatedly. Well, I have a solution that will save you time and frustration.

There are a few workarounds that I've seen for this issue, such as selecting multiple cells and dragging the fill handle, or using the right-click menu to choose "Fill Series". But the fastest and most efficient way, in my opinion, is to hold down the Ctrl key while dragging the fill handle. This will automatically fill in a series of numbers.

Another solution is to use a formula, such as =ROW(A1) or =1+H1, instead of just a number in the first cell. This will automatically adjust the formula as you drag the fill handle down. But here's a new trick that I learned from a participant in my seminar - simply put an apostrophe before the number. This will convert it to text, allowing you to extend the series just like you would with text, and then easily convert it back to numbers.

I love discovering new and efficient ways to solve common Excel problems, and I hope this trick will save you time and frustration in your future projects. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the MrExcel netcast, and be sure to join me next time for more Excel tips and tricks. Don't forget to like and subscribe for more helpful content. See you next time!

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Table of Contents:

(00:00) Starting with a large amount of data and how to analyze it
(00:14) A cool trick for using the fill handle in Excel
(01:04) Different workarounds for the common problem of 11111
(01:35) Using an apostrophe before a number to extend a series
(02:07) Converting text to numbers in Excel
(02:17) Clicking Like really helps the algorithm

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Priscilla from Plano Texas offers up yet another way to have the Fill Handle automatically extend 1 to 1, 2, 3. Episode 1111 shows you how.

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