How to Use Flash Fill in Excel | How to Combine Data from Different Cells in Excel

In this video, we'll teach you how to use the flash fill function in Excel.

If Excel recognizes a pattern, the flash fill function allows to automatically fill the data, according to that pattern, in the remaining cells.

So, let’s say we have a sheet over here with employee names, with first name and last name of each employee present in separate columns. The data in the full name column will follow a standard pattern throughout the sheet, which is “First Name” … “Space” followed by the last name. So let’s use the Flash Fill function to quickly do this for the whole sheet.

➡️ To make sure that you have Flash Fill Function enabled, go to he File menu and move to Options.
➡️ Once the Excel Options pop up window opens up, move the Advanced section and over here under the “Enable AutoComplete for cell values” option you can see that the Flash Fill option is enabled.
➡️ Now let’s head back to the sheet.

So, first of all we have to establish a pattern in the full name column so that Excel can recognize it and auto fill the remaining cells.
➡️ Over here, you can see that I am manually entering the first name and last name of for the first two rows here.
➡️ The moment I move to the third row and start typing, excel determines a pattern and shows us a preview of the output. You can simply press Enter and the whole column will be automatically filled.

➡️ Alternatively, once you have established a pattern in the first row, you can select the cell, move the cursor to the corner of the cell and when the cursor icon changes to a plus sign, press the right mouse button and drag the cursor down to all the cells you want to automatically fill. Once you release the button, a menu will open up. From here, you can select the Flash Fill option, and Excel will automatically populate data in the specific pattern for the selected cells.

➡️ And the easiest way to go about it is to enter data in the first row to determine a pattern. Next, move to the Data tab and in the “Data Tools” section click on the “Flash Fill” option. Excel will populate the data in the selected cells automatically.

And that’s it!

❓💬 Which Excel function would you like to know more about? Let us know in the comments below.

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