It is almost impossible to think of Excel without autofill feature. It allows you to generate numbers or dates and copy formulas with a single mouse movement. However, this single action can be a burden when you need to generate numbers in a large range. In this guide, we’re going to show you how to generate numbers without dragging the mouse in Excel.
Sample case
Let's say that you need to generate numbers from row 1 to 750 in a column. Common way is to enter 1 into a cell, select the cell below and enter 2. Then, select both cells and drag the square next to the 748 cells.
It works but it is not the fastest way to do it. Let's find out how to do it faster:
Fill Series feature
Fill Series feature allows you to fill either rows or columns with numbers including dates. You can generate numbers up to a given value with a given interval.
To use the Fill - Series feature follow the steps:
- Enter the number you want to start your series into a cell. This cell will be the first cell in the series.
- While the cell with number is selected, open Series dialog by following Home > Editing (Section) > Fill > Series path in the Ribbon.
- Series dialog welcomes you with bunch of options. To generate a series of numbers into a column, make sure Columns is selected in Series in
- Step value is the interval between each number. Keep 1 for sequential numbers.
- Stop value will be the last number in your list.
- Click OK to complete the number generation process.
This is how you can generate numbers without dragging the mouse.
