Tips and News

Fill formulas down in seconds

Written by Woodthorpe IT | Feb 17, 2026 11:00:00 AM

 

If you’ve ever dragged a formula down hundreds (or thousands) of rows, you’ll know how fiddly and time-consuming it can be — especially if you drag too far or not far enough.

There’s a much faster way.

Once you’ve entered your formula in the first cell:

  1. Click on that cell
  2. Move your mouse to the small square in the bottom-right corner (the fill handle)
  3. Double-click

Excel will automatically copy the formula down as far as the data goes in the column next to it - no dragging required.

This works brilliantly for things like:

  • Calculating totals or percentages
  • Converting values
  • Applying the same formula to a long list of rows

It’s a tiny trick, but it can turn a slow, repetitive task into a one-second action — exactly the kind of time-saver busy Excel users appreciate.