Microsoft Excel offers users many ways they can be able to work efficiently and effectively. One of these ways is the ability to move automatically to the next cell when feeding in your data. It makes working with spreadsheets easier and saves time, as you do not have to move your cursor every time to achieve this.
Our guide below explains the different methods you can follow to move automatically to the next cell in Excel. Here we go.
Move to the next Excel cell after pressing the Enter key
When you enter or type in your information in Excel and press the Enter key, Excel will automatically move you to the cell below the one you have entered your text or values. But this is not the only norm Excel offers, as you can also configure the program to move in a different direction once you press the Enter key.
1. In an open Excel workbook, click on the File tab of the main menu ribbon.
2. In the menu list, click on Options to display the Excel Options dialog box.
3. In the dialog box, click on the Advanced option on the left.
4. In the Editing options section, ensure the checkbox before ‘After pressing Enter, move selection is checked.
5. Next to the Direction option, use the drop-down list to specify the direction that Excel should move.
6. Click OK.
Moving automatically to the next cell in Excel by applying the Protect Sheet Feature
You can apply Excel’s Protect Sheet feature to move to the next cell with the steps below automatically:
1. Select the cell range you want to move automatically in an open Excel workbook.
2. Right-click to display a context menu list.
3. Click on the Format Cells option to display a dialog box.
4. In the displayed Format Cells box, click on the Protection
5. Here, unselect the Locked option checkbox.
6. Click the OK
7. Next, click on the Review
8. Click on the Protect option and select Protect Sheet to display a dialog window.
9. In the open window, select or turn on the Protect worksheet and contents of the locked cells check box.
10. Next set a Password in the password field and unselect the Select locked cells option checkbox.
11. Click the OK
12. Excel will prompt you to confirm the password. Type your password in the Password box and click the OK button.
13. Click on a cell within your range and press Enter You will notice it moves automatically.