Tame your computer - easy money

In her regular series for Cambridge Network members, software training expert Karen Roem offers handy tips to help you 'Tame your computer'. This week she describes a quick currency formatting fix (Microsoft Excel).

You are probably aware that you can format your cells to display your country’s currency symbol by simply clicking on the Accounting Number Format button on the Home tab. (Exactly. No need to click on the drop-down arrow next to the coins.)

The Accounting format lines up the currency symbol on the left edge of the cell and that’s exactly what I often hear people don’t like. They prefer to apply the currency format, where the symbol is right next to the number. OK, you can right-click the cell and select Format Cells, but it’s four clicks before you’ve applied the new format. (Not that I’m counting.) So why not use a keyboard shortcut?

Here’s how:     Press CTRL + SHIFT + 4

The shortcut is easier to remember if you think of it as CTRL + SHIFT + $.

Any zero values that were displayed as a dash when the Accounting format was used will now be displayed as zeros with decimals.

By the way, to choose Euros or Dollars instead of Pounds, simply click on the drop-down arrow next to the Accounting Number Format button.

Karen Roem offers software training and support through her company Roem Ltd.  Contact her by email (Karen@roem.co.uk) or visit her website at  www.roem.co.uk


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