Defensive Excel working style

In driving there is something called defensive driving. In the same way, there is a defensive Excel working style in Excel.

Be vigilant

Be vigilant about which changes you make in Excel. Be vigilant about which cells, rows, columns or other objects you have selected. Avoid keyboard shortcuts if you tend to make mistakes in Excel, and use the ribbon’s buttons as much as possible instead.

Save

Save often and don’t be afraid to experiment! The Quick Access Toolbar has a button for saving.

The keyboard shortcut for saving is Ctrl+S, while the shortcut for saving under a new name is F12. Save under new names regularly so that you can go back to earlier files. It is common to save every 5-10 minutes. It is a good idea to write a version number and a short description of what you have done since the previous version each time you save under a new name. For example, you can call the first Excel file My Excel file 1 - started budget.xlsx. The second Excel file might then be named My Excel file 2 - entered all cost items.xlsx.

Undo and redo

The Quick Access Toolbar has buttons for undo and redo. Undo is used often and there is no shame in that. Undo when something did not turn out the way you intended and try again. If you are unsure what changes you have made since everything worked well, it can be safer to go back to an earlier saved version instead. The keyboard shortcut for undo is Ctrl+Z. You can undo several steps by clicking the undo tool repeatedly or by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Z repeatedly.