How-To

How to Apply Formula to an Entire Column in Excel

By Adam Davidson

Updated November 29, 2023

Copying and pasting formulas in Excel can be time-consuming. If you want to apply a formula to an entire column in Excel, follow this guide.

Formulas in Excel are a powerful way to manipulate your data. There are more than 450 functions that you can use in combination to create almost any formula you could wish for.

Once you’ve created your formula, however, you may want to apply it to other cells. You could simply copy and paste your formula into each cell, but if you’re working with a lot of data, this can quickly become time-consuming.

The good news is that it’s quick and simple to apply your formula to an entire column of cells with just a few clicks. If you want to know how to apply a formula to an entire column in Excel, follow the steps below.

How to Apply a Formula to an Entire Column in Excel Using AutoFill

The autofill handle is a tool in Excel that allows you to fill multiple cells with the same values or formulas. There are two ways that you can use the autofill handle to apply a formula to an entire column in Excel.

Double-Clicking the Autofill Handle

The simplest way to use the autofill handle is by double-clicking it. This will quickly apply your formula to multiple cells, although you don’t have control over exactly how many cells get filled.

Here’s how to apply a formula to an entire column by double-clicking the autofill handle:

1. Select the first cell where you want your formula to appear and enter your formula.
   
2. Press Enter.
3. Click back on the cell to highlight it.
4. Double-click on the small square in the bottom-right corner of the cell.
   
5. The cells beneath will now autofill.
   

This method applies your formula to all the cells beneath that have data in adjacent cells. If you have any gaps in your data, however, then the cells beneath those gaps won’t be filled.

Dragging the Autofill Handle

If you want more control over which cells have your formula applied to them, you can opt to drag the autofill handle instead. This lets you select the range of cells to fill.

To apply a formula to an entire column by dragging the autofill handle:

1. Select the first cell where you want your formula to appear and enter your formula in the cell.
   
2. Press Enter.
3. Click back on the cell to highlight it.
4. Click and hold the small square in the bottom-right corner of the cell.
   
5. Drag down over the cells that you want the formula to apply to.
   
6. Let go of the autofill handle and the cells will autofill.
   
7. You can use the same method to fill cells down, up, left, or right.

How to Fill a Formula Down an Entire Column in Excel

Another way to control exactly which cells your formula gets applied to is to use the Fill tool from the ribbon.

Here’s how it works:

1. Select the cell where you want your formula to appear and enter your formula.
   
2. Hit Enter.
3. Highlight all of the cells where you want your formula to be applied.
   
4. Click on Home.
   
5. In the Editing section of the ribbon, click on the Fill tool.
   
6. Click on Down from the list of options that appear. You can also choose to fill up, left, and right.
   
7. Your selected cells will now have the formula applied to them.
   

How to Extend a Formula to an Entire Column Using a Keyboard Shortcut

You can achieve the same result by using a keyboard shortcut. To apply a formula to a specific set of cells:

1. Click in the first cell where you want your formula to appear, and enter your formula in the cell.
   
2. Hit Enter.
3. Drag down to highlight all of the cells where you want your formula to be applied.
   
4. Press Ctrl-D on Windows or Cmd-D on Mac.
5. Your selected cells will now have the formula applied to them.
   

Excel Tips and Tricks Can Save You Time

Learning how to apply a formula to an entire column in Excel can save you a significant amount of time. There are plenty of other Excel tricks that can also be huge time savers.

If you want to lock your data once your formulas have been calculated, you can learn how to replace a formula with the result next.