EXCEL: Always see the headings on scrolling

Excel is great for looking at lots of data, but when you can’t see the column or row headers, you have to scroll back and forth to check what the data means. Did you know there’s a great time saver which can lock the headers in place? Here’s how to do it.

Working with large spreadsheets? Excel’s Freeze Pane feature makes it easy to keep your headers visible as you scroll, so you never lose track of your data.

How to Freeze Headers

  1. Select the cell: Click the cell directly below the rows and to the right of the columns you want to lock.
    • Tip: To freeze just the top row, click any cell in Row 2.
  2. Go to the View tab: Find it in the top ribbon.
  3. Freeze Panes: Click Freeze Panes and select Freeze Panes from the dropdown.

Quick Alternatives

  • Freeze Top Row: Locks the very first row instantly.
  • Freeze First Column: Locks the leftmost column instantly.

To unlock, simply go to View > Freeze Panes > Unfreeze Panes.

We regularly update the Tech Tips with new articles and advice from the IT West team so be sure to check back for the latest technical tips, tricks and guidance from our team of business IT experts.

WORD: Swap text to capitals and back on the keyboard

You may already know about the toolbar shortcut to change your text from capitals (uppercase) and back again, but did you know that there’s an even quicker way? We’ll show you this nifty keyboard shortcut.

Need to switch between uppercase (capitals), lowercase, or sentence case? Microsoft Word makes it easy with a simple keyboard shortcut.

  • Windows: Highlight your text and press Shift + F3.
  • Mac: Highlight your text and press fn + Shift + F3.

Each press cycles through three options:

  1. Sentence case – only the first letter of the first word is capitalized.
  2. ALL CAPS – every letter is uppercase.
  3. lowercase – every letter is lowercase.

Windows Tip: You can also press Ctrl + Shift + A to toggle between all capitals and lowercase quickly.

Made a mistake? Undo instantly with Ctrl + Z (Windows) or Cmd + Z (Mac).

This shortcut is perfect for cleaning up text formatting without retyping anything.

We regularly update the Tech Tips with new articles and advice from the IT West team so be sure to check back for the latest technical tips, tricks and guidance from our team of business IT experts.

WORD: Insert chunks of text with a click

If you use MS Word a lot, you’re probably typing in the same information again and again and again. Save time by using the Auto Text function. We’ll show you how.

Speed Up Your Writing with Word’s Auto Text Feature

Microsoft Word’s AutoText lets you insert large chunks of text instantly—perfect for repetitive phrases or paragraphs. Instead of retyping, save your frequently used text as reusable snippets. Just highlight your text and press Alt+F3 to store it.

How to Set Up AutoText

  1. Create an AutoText Entry
    • Type and format the text or graphics you want to reuse.
    • Highlight the selection.
    • Press Alt+F3 (or go to Insert > Quick Parts > AutoText > Save Selection to AutoText Gallery).
    • Give it a memorable name and click OK.
  2. Insert Your Saved Text
    You can add your AutoText at any time using these methods:
    • Quick Method: Type the first few letters of the name and press Enter when the AutoComplete suggestion appears.
    • Keystroke: Type the exact name of the entry and press F3.
    • Menu Click: Go to Insert > Quick Parts > AutoText and select your snippet.

Pro Tip: Add the AutoText gallery to your Quick Access Toolbar for one-click insertion. Right-click the AutoText menu in Quick Parts and choose Add to Quick Access Toolbar for even faster workflow.

We regularly update the Tech Tips with new articles and advice from the IT West team so be sure to check back for the latest technical tips, tricks and guidance from our team of business IT experts.