Check Out These Easy Ways to Select using the Name Box in Excel
by Avantix Learning Team | Updated November 8, 2021
Applies to: Microsoft® Excel® 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 and 365 (Windows)
The Name Box is located to the left of the Formula Bar in Microsoft Excel. It normally displays the name of the active cell. You can enter directly in the Name Box to quickly select cells or even objects.
Recommended article: 10 Excel Flash Fill Examples (Extract, Combine, Clean and Format Data with Flash Fill)
You can use the Name Box to:
- Select one or more cells
- Select rows or columns
- Name a cell or range of cells
- Navigate to a named cell or range
The Name Box can be resized by dragging its right edge to the left or right.
The following are 10 great ways to use the Name Box to select in Excel.
1. Select a cell
To select a cell, type the cell reference (such as a1) in the Name Box and press Enter.
2. Select a contiguous range of cells (method 1)
To select a range of cells, type the range in the Name Box using a colon (such as a1:b20) and press Enter.
3. Select a contiguous range of cells (method 2)
To select a range of cells, type the range in the Name Box using two periods (such as a1..b20) and press Enter.
4. Select a non-contiguous range of cells (method 1)
To select a non-contiguous range of cells, type the ranges in the Name Box using colons and commas to separate the ranges (such as a1:b20,d1:d20) and press Enter.
5. Select a non-contiguous range of cells (method 2)
To select a non-contiguous range of cells, type the ranges in the Name Box using two periods and commas to separate the ranges (such as a1..b20,d1..d20) and press Enter.
6. Select intersecting ranges (method 1)
To select only the cells of two ranges that intersect, type the first range in the Name Box using a colon, press the Spacebar, type the second range in the Name Box using a colon (such as d1:d15 a4:f12) and press Enter.
7. Select intersecting ranges (method 2)
To select only the cells of two ranges that intersect, type the first range in the Name Box using two periods, press the Spacebar, type the second range in the Name Box using two periods (such as d1..d15 a4..f12) and press Enter.
8. Select entire columns or rows
To select entire columns, type the first column in the Name Box, type a colon or two periods, type the second column (such as a:c) and press Enter.
To select entire rows, type the first row in the Name Box, type a colon or two periods, type the second row (such as 1:4) and press Enter.
9. Name a cell or range of cells
To name a cell or range of cells using the Name Box:
- Select the cell or cells you wish to name.
- In the Name Box, type a name (names cannot have spaces).
- Press Enter.
10. Select named cells or ranges
To select a named cell or range:
- Click on the arrow to the right of the Name Box.
- Select the named cell or range you wnat to select from the drop-down menu.
The Name Box is a great tool in Excel and can save you a lot of time.
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More resources
How to Convert Text to Numbers in Excel (5 Ways)
How to Use Flash Fill in Excel (4 Ways with Shortcuts)
How to Insert Multiple Rows in Excel (4 Fast Ways with Shortcuts)
How to Delete Blank Rows in Excel (5 Fast Ways to Remove Empty Rows)
How to Highlight Errors, Blanks and Duplicates in Excel Worksheets (Using Formulas)
Related courses
Microsoft Excel: Intermediate / Advanced
Microsoft Excel: Data Analysis with Functions, Dashboards and What-If Analysis Tools
Microsoft Excel: Introduction to Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)
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