Shortcut to Apply a Formula to an Entire Column in Excel

Try double-clicking on the bottom right hand corner of the cell (ie on the box that you would otherwise drag).

Select a range of cells (the entire column in this case), type in your formula, and hold down Ctrl while you press Enter. This places the formula in all selected cells.

If the formula already exists in a cell you can fill it down as follows:

• Select the cell containing the formula and press CTRL+SHIFT+DOWN to select the rest of the column (CTRL+SHIFT+END to select up to the last row where there is data)
• Fill down by pressing CTRL+D
• Use CTRL+UP to return up

On Mac, use CMD instead of CTRL.

An alternative if the formula is in the first cell of a column:

• Select the entire column by clicking the column header or selecting any cell in the column and pressing CTRL+SPACE
• Fill down by pressing CTRL+D