Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: AutoFilling with Weekdays.

AutoFilling with Weekdays

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 2, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365


The AutoFill feature of Excel is very handy, allowing you to automatically fill cells with all sorts of information, based on the content of cells you select. For instance, if you fill two cells with the words "Monday" and "Tuesday," and then select those cells, you can drag the AutoFill handle to fill other cells with other days of the week.

What if you want to only fill cells with the workdays, Monday through Friday? This is easy to do if you make one small change in how you use the AutoFill handle. Instead of clicking and dragging it with the left mouse button, click and drag with the right mouse button.

When you release the button, a Context menu appears. Two of the options on the menu are "Fill Days" and "Fill Weekdays." If you choose Fill Days, then the range is filled with the names of the seven days of the week, the same as if you had used the left mouse button to do the AutoFill. The other option, Fill Weekdays, fills the range with the names of only the five days of the week, Monday through Friday.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3594) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: AutoFilling with Weekdays.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Copying Data without Leaving the Currently Selected Cell

Copying from one cell to another is easy when editing your worksheet. Doing the copying without selecting a cell other ...

Discover More

Double Indenting

Indenting a paragraph is easy in Word. In fact, the program provides shortcut keys that make it a snap. Indenting from ...

Discover More

Outstanding Macro Function Reference

Looking for a great reference that you can use to help figure out the various worksheet functions available in Excel? ...

Discover More

Program Successfully in Excel! John Walkenbach's name is synonymous with excellence in deciphering complex technical topics. With this comprehensive guide, "Mr. Spreadsheet" shows how to maximize your Excel experience using professional spreadsheet application development tips from his own personal bookshelf. Check out Excel 2013 Power Programming with VBA today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

AutoFill with Random Numbers

When entering data into a worksheet, you may have a need to fill a range of cells with a group of random numbers. This ...

Discover More

Turning Off AutoFill for a Workbook

Don't want people using your workbook to be able to use AutoFill? You can add two quick macros that disable and enable ...

Discover More

AutoFilling with the Alphabet

If you need to fill a number of cells with a specific sequence of characters (such as the alphabet), there are several ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 8 + 7?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.