Microsoft Excel — The Basics of the “QAT”
Eliminate repetitive steps with the Quick Access Toolbar
Background
I do a lot of Excel development sessions and get to work with a lot of professionals that work with Excel everyday.
I frequently pose the following question:
“How many of you have more than 10 items on your Quick Access Toolbar?”
What’s are the most frequent responses?
- “Not sure what the Quick Access Toolbar is”
- “No”
So this post is for the majority of Excel users who have yet to get started with the Quick Access Toolbar (“QAT”). And it is just the very basics!
Step 1 — Move the QAT to below your Ribbon Menu
- By default, it is located at the very top of your Excel window
- Click on the drop-down arrow and select “Show Below the Ribbon” (Item 1 below).
Step 2 — Add Your Most Frequent Tasks to the QAT
- Microsoft gives you a few items to click and add to your QAT — and starts you off with four. Click on items you want to add. #’s 2 & 3 below (sorting) are used frequently, so add them!
- Un-click an item to remove it. I use the keyboard shortcut “CTRL + S” to save my files, so that is an easy one for me to eliminate.
- Next, consider your workflow and add more items. Shoot for 10–15 items you use frequently AND commit to using them.
- You can also add sub-menu items with the same approach.
Those are the very basics to get you started!
Take 15 minutes to get 15 items on your QAT and you will be well on you way to being far more productive with Excel!
Step 3— Going Just a Little Deeper…
- Use the File → Excel Options menu to modify the QAT
- Add Macro functions to your QAT. Change “Choose commands from:” to Macros and Excel will display available macros that are located in your file, your personal macro workbook (personal.xlsb), or active add-ins (NOT all though).
Good luck!
About Don
“On a mission to challenge the status quo to a more productive and effective end…”
Don is passionate about helping professionals and organizations keep up and adapt to the changing business world that we operate in.
One lesson learned over the years is that all of us, regardless of organization type or size, struggle with similar issues — primarily information management, organization, presentation, and effective use of our time. Let’s change that…one person at a time!
