Excel Tip: Fast data entry

Suppose you want to put the same string, number, or formula into two or more cells. Using the old-fashioned approach, you’d type the string, number, or formula into the first cell and then copy and paste that entry into the destination cells. But there’s a little-known tip that makes short work of placing the same entry in multiple cells. First, select all the cells you want to populate. Type the entry, but don’t press Enter. Instead, press Ctrl + Enter. When you do, Excel will copy what you typed into all of the selected cells.