How to use Focus Cell to see cells in Excel effectively

An alternative method to keep certain rows and columns visible is by using the “freeze panels” option, accessible from the “View” tab on the ribbon. This feature allows you to pin the first rows or columns so that they remain visible while you scroll through the sheet with the mouse or arrow keys (as shown in the image above).

Focus Cell Function in Excel

The word focus can be interpreted as "to focus", "to concentrate" or "to highlight". This is exactly what this new Excel tool does: when you select a cell, its associated row and column are automatically highlighted with a color chosen by the user . The visual effect is as follows:

How to enable this feature? The process is simple: go to the tool ribbon at the top of the interface, click on the "View" tab , then enter the "Show" group and select the "Focus Cell" option, which will also allow you to customize the highlight color for the rows and columns linked to the active cell.

For faster access, it is recommended to add this feature to the Quick Access Toolbar , located in the upper left corner of the Excel window. This way, you can activate or deactivate Focus Cell with a single click on its icon.

Importantly, Focus Cell is automatically activated when using the Find (Ctrl F) or Replace (Ctrl H) functions , making it easy to identify the current cell while browsing through the results.

However, this feature will not be available if you have already applied “Freeze Panels” or “Split Panels” to your spreadsheet. This limitation has been reported by users of the test program, and although Microsoft is already working on solving it, for now it is not possible to use both functions at the same time. It would be ideal to be able to combine them to further improve the browsing and data reading experience.

When will it be officially released?

Currently, the Focus Cell feature is only available to users enrolled in the Microsoft Insiders program , specifically those who have version 2410 (Build 18118.20000) or later installed in the Beta channel.

After completing testing and fine-tuning the final details, Microsoft plans to extend this feature to all Excel users on Windows PCs, and later to versions for Mac and the web platform. Although there is no official confirmed date , its launch is likely to occur in a matter of weeks or, at most, a few months.

Other handy Excel features

In addition to Focus Cell, Excel offers several essential tools to efficiently manage cells , which are the fundamental building blocks of any spreadsheet. Here are some of the most useful ones that every user should know:

• How to count cells containing text in Excel
• How to Split a Cell in Excel: Detailed Step-by-Step Guide
• How to join two or more cells in Excel
• How to protect cells in Excel and secure your data

And if you want to delve deeper into the advanced use of Excel, we invite you to explore more articles about this software that we publish regularly in Windows News.

The above is the detailed content of How to use Focus Cell to see cells in Excel effectively. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!