Have it Your Way…

No, we’re not talking Burger King here.  The fact is that we have discussed various ways that you can customize Excel to suit your specific needs.

The Standard, Off-the-Rack Excel Setup suits most users just fine, as it provides the features that most people want.  With an analogy to camera buffs, it is sort of a Point-and-Shoot approach to spreadsheets.  Nothing fancy here.  Of course, as a reader of Excel blogs, you are not a typical Excel user.

Excel offers an abundance of choices in customization for the more sophisticated user. The current and recent past versions of Excel, for instance, offer a One-Stop-Shopping location to choose from a massive array of Excel Options. This location can quickly be found by clicking on File on the toolbar, and going to Options button in the lower-left corner.

There you will be presented with the following 10 Categories of options:

1.   General

2.   Formulas

3.   Proofing

4.   Save

5.   Language

6.   Advanced

7.   Customize Ribbon

8.   Quick Access Toolbar

9.   Add-Ins

10. Trust Center

As an illustration, two of my all-time favorite options, the Analysis ToolPak, and Microsoft Solver Add-in can be found and activated by going to the Add-Ins category. The “Toolpak” provides a short list of powerful analysis tools that nearly any knowledgeable Excel specialist will find valuable.  The “Solver” add-in enables you to harness the sheer number-crunching power of contemporary computers, and with a bit of care, will provide you Best-Case-Scenarios for a potentially endless variety of business needs (and besides that, it is Totally Cool!).

Taking just a bit of time to add a Customized Interface to your Excel setup can provide you a wealth of powerful advantages in the future. If you haven’t explored these potential treasures, take 5-10 minutes at the end of the day and see if there isn’t something there which can make your life with excel better and more convenient. Why not “Have it Your Way…”?