This problem seems to come up a lot in our classes: You have a list of names in a column. Each cell contains both the first and the last name.

You need to have the first name appear in one column and the last name in the next column. (Or you have the city, state and zip code in one column and you want to split them up into three columns.) And, of course, you don’t want to re-type the whole list!

Excel has a feature to deal with this problem, but most people don’t know about it. Here’s how to split up the text into different columns:
(Let’s assume the list of names is in column A and there is data in several columns to the right of column A.)

1. First, insert two columns to the right of column A. (You really only need one, but like me, you should be paranoid about losing important data. The extra column is a precaution.)
2. Select Column A.
3. Select Data | Text to Columns.
4. The Convert Text to Columns Wizard Step 1 will appear:



5. Assuming the first and last names are separated by a space, select Delimited and click Next.
6. The Convert Text to Columns Wizard Step 2 will appear:



7. In the Delimiters section, check Space, remove other checks, and click Next.
8. The Convert Text to Columns Wizard Step 3 will appear:



9. In the Column Data Format section, select General or Text, and click Finish.
10. Your text should now appear in two separate columns:



11. You can now delete the extra column you created as a precaution.

Here’s an Excel tip you can use to impress your friends (or boss)!

To quickly create an Excel chart:

Select the data to chart and press F11 (on the top row of the keyboard).

Voila! A chart!

Moving to different cells using the mouse is all well and good, but what happens when you have a list with 5,000 odd rows? Moving to the end of the list or, worse, highlighting to the end of the list is cumbersome with the mouse. (See the end of this tip for an exception.)

The solution is to use the END key. The END key is used differently in Excel from other programs. The behavior of the End key is taken from Lotus 1-2-3 so if you know that program, you can expect Excel to behave the same way.

To use the END key to jump:
1. Tap the END key.
2. Tap any arrow key. (Make sure NUM LOCK is not on if you use the keypad.)
3. The current cell will jump in that direction. Excel will stop when:
• It reaches a blank cell.
• It reaches the edge of the spreadsheet.
• It starts in a blank cell and it reaches a cell containing text.

To get to the end of a range containing blank cells, you may have to repeat the END key operation until you reach the last cell you want.

Keep in mind that using the END key is a sequential operation: you tap the END, then tap the arrow. You do not hold the END down and tap the arrow key simultaneously.

To use the END key to highlight:
1. Hold down the Shift key.
2. Tap the END key.
3. Tap any arrow key, keeping the SHIFT key held down.
4. The current cell will jump in that direction, highlighting as it moves.

Now that you’ve learned all of that, if you have Excel 2003, you can use the mouse to jump like the END key:

1. Put your mouse on the edge of the cell in the direction you want to jump. (If you want to jump down, place your cursor on the bottom edge of the cell.)
2. A four-way arrow will appear.
3. Double-click. The current cell will jump the same as it does with the END key.

If you hold down the SHIFT key when you double-click, Excel will highlight as it jumps.