
See our separate tutorial, How to Autofill Hours and Other Time Increments.
Hours (column E): Out step value is one hour. For detail instructions on autofilling month names, see How to Autofill Months and Years. Autofill Names of Months (column D): We started with January, but our default month format was Jan. Autofill Thousands (column C): In this example, Excel autofills by thousands as our step value is 1000.
Autofill Multiples of 5 (column B): Out first two numbers are 5 and 10, which gives up a step value of 5. Autofill Odd Numbers (column A): When the first two numbers, 1 and 3, are entered, Excel knows that the step value is 2. Then we autofilled the next four cells in the columns using the Fill Handle. In each column we entered the first two values so Excel could determine the step value. More Examples of Auto Fill of a Linear SeriesĮxcel can create linear series with many types of data. See Alternate Methods of Autofilling a Linear Series below.
There are two other methods in Microsoft Excel to autofill a linear series that you may find of interest though they require more steps. Just enter the first two values, such as 20 and 18, and use the Fill Handle for a linear series whose values decrease. Linear Series can also be created where the values decrease instead of increase.
Release the mouse button and the worksheet cells are autofilled (figure 3). Press the LEFT mouse button and drag to select the cells to auto fill (figure 2). With the first and second cell selected (highlighted), hover the cursor over the bottom right corner until the Fill Handle (+) appears - see figure 1. Enter the first two numbers in the first two adjacent cells. Open your Excel worksheet and follow the directions below. How to Create a Linear Series with the Fill Handle In several cases the right mouse button may need to be used, but we'll always inform you if this is the case. Release the mouse and the cells are filled. To autofill, press the left mouse button over the Fill Handle and drag over the cells to be autofilled. When you select your starting cells and hover the mouse over the lower right corner of the cell range, the Fill Handle, a plus sign, appears. The easiest method is to use the Fill Handle.Įxcel's Fill Handle is a cool tool used inside the worksheet. There are a variety of auto fill options in Microsoft Excel. But in each case we add or subtract the same number. has a step value of 2 because each new number in the series is "two more" that the number before.Ī linear series can consist of decimals, decreasing values, or negative numbers. The next number in a linear series is calculated by adding a constant, or "step value," to the current number. A linear series is a series of numbers that follows a pattern.