Customizing Excel

There is no doubt that the Standard, Off-the-Rack Excel Setup is just fine for most folks. It provides the features and does what most people want it to do. Since you are a reader of the blog, however, you do not fit into the mainstream of Excel users.

Excel offers a plethora of choices in customization for the uncommon user. Excel 2007, for instance, offers a One-Stop-Shopping location to choose a vast array of Excel Options. This Swiss Army Knife location can be found by going to the Office Button, and clicking on the Excel Options button in the lower right corner.

From there, you will be presented with the following General Categories of options:

1. Popular
2. Formulas
3. Proofing
4. Save
5. Advanced
6. Customize
7. Add-Ins
8. Trust Center
9. Resources

For example, two of my favorite options, the Analysis ToolPak, and Microsoft Solver can be found and activated by going to the Add-Ins category. Another common favorite is setting the default font and font size from the Popular category. Yet another favorite, found in the Save grouping, is adjusting how often Excel automatically saves your information.

Customizing Excel can provide nearly endless benefits for the uncommon user. If you haven’t already done so, check them out (You’ll be the envy of all of the other Excel Users on your block…).