Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Office 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: Easily Entering Dispersed Data.
I needed to enter information into many rows of widely dispersed columns, like A, Q, BD, BJ, CF, etc. (I'm sure you get the idea.) I was right-arrowing along and I was thinking: if I were in Word I'd just set some tabs or bookmarks to move around quickly. What is the equivalent in Excel? A little delving into the Help files let me know that it's done like this:
Figure 1. The Protection tab of the Format Cells dialog box.
Figure 2. The Protect Sheet dialog box.
That's it! Excel will only let you go to cells that are still editable, and those are the ones for which you cleared the Lock property before you protected the sheet. Enjoy tabbing to the places on your worksheet that you need to.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (9364) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Office 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Easily Entering Dispersed Data.
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Want to easily move information from one cell to another? A quick way to do it is to simply drag and drop using the mouse.
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2017-01-18 20:09:51
Col Delane
The easiest way is to use a Custom View.
1. Select View / Custom Views / Add
2. Enter "All Visible" (or whatever suits) as the name for the View, then click Ok
3. Hide all the columns in between those in which you need to enter data.
4. Select View / Custom Views / Add
5. Enter "Data Entry" (or whatever suits) as the name for the View, then click Ok.
To switch between the views, select View from the main menu, followed by the desired View, then click Show.
2017-01-17 16:05:54
Beat Rohrer
Awesome idea; this will save me tons of time that I can invest to read more ExcelTips, so I can become even more productive...all the way until I have to take up golf to keep myself occupied.
This only leaves me with one dilemma: How to explain my tanned face when I get home from "work"...
2017-01-17 15:57:57
Shandor
The tip is useful enough, but mostly because it points up the need for the next generation of input form software. Business cases like this need easily configurable forms to pipe entries into a database from our phones, tablets, and computers--and not be brittle like spreadsheets. It's time to get away from the past 15 years and rise into the 21st century. Microsoft's own InfoPath does some of what I mention, as does Nintex and Outsystems. But they need to be totally user friendly and mobile capable.
2017-01-17 15:53:26
Alec Whatmough
in step 11, you need to uncheck "Select Locked Cells". Then, when the sheet is protected, right arrow takes you straight to where you want to go. Leaving it checked means the arrow key takes you to all the cells you can't edit!
2014-03-16 10:42:46
Surendera M Bhanot
Another easier way is to --> Select the whole sheet by clicking the Button at the intersection of Column Header and Row Numbers at the left top of the work area of the sheet. The whole sheet is Selected.
Now, press <Ctrl> and Click and select each of the Columns in which you want to place data, while the <Ctrl> key is stayed pressed.
Release the <Ctrl> key and Click Format (in the Cells group) on the Home Tab and click <Hide & Unhide> from the drop down menu that appears. Choose <Hide Colomns> from the options that appears. How everything in the Sheet is hidden except the Columns in which you want to fill the data. These columns appear side-by-side and data can be filled in by pressing TAB key. Unhide the sheet after you are done, if required.
2014-03-16 10:18:53
Surendera M Bhanot
How can we hide the sheet except the selected columns in one go?
2014-03-15 14:54:48
E Nora
A simpler, temporary method: Select the first cell needed. With [CTRL] key depressed, select other cells. Release [Ctrl]. [Tab] to return to the first selected cell. Type entry, [Tab] to each successive cell. A single click anywhere outside the selection will unselect.
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Office 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: 
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