---
title: Flash Fill Magic (Ctrl + E)
description: Speed up data formatting in Excel with Flash Fill. Learn how to automate tasks like splitting names, reformatting addresses, and more.
---

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# [Flash Fill Magic (Ctrl + E)](https://woodthorpeitsolutions.co.uk/tips-and-news/flash-fill-magic)

 Written by [Woodthorpe IT](https://woodthorpeitsolutions.co.uk/tips-and-news/author/woodthorpe-it) | Nov 4, 2025 11:00:00 AM

If you ever spend time retyping patterns of information like splitting full names into first and last, changing postal addresses or formatting phone numbers try **Flash Fill**.

Type the first example of how you want your data to look,

press **Ctrl + E**, and Excel will automatically fill the rest of the column to match your pattern.  (if you want to be specific, highlight the area you want the fill to happen within.)

👉Works brilliantly for cleaning or reformatting text data.

👉You may need to type 2-3 examples of the pattern if you are attempting something more complex.  This "teaches" Excel what you are expecting.

[View full post](https://woodthorpeitsolutions.co.uk/tips-and-news/flash-fill-magic)

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