Named ranges are a valuable asset to your Excel workbook because they make it easier to build formulas and navigate through your data. If you think the set-up time for applying named ranges is too much of a burden, you’re wrong.

Here are two ways to quickly assign a named range in your workbook:

• Use the Name Box. You can quickly create a named range without ever opening a dialog box. Just select the cell(s) you want to include in the range, click in the Name Box and type the name you want to give the range (without spaces), as shown in Figure A. Then, press [Enter] to accept the name.

• Create a name from existing worksheet text. You can use the data you already have in a worksheet to define named ranges. For example, let’s say you want to name cells B2:B4 in Figure A based on each cell’s corresponding label in column A. Just select cells A2:B4 and choose Insert | Name | Create from the menu bar. (In Excel 2007, go to the Formulas tab and select Create From Selection from the Defined Names area.) In the Create Names window, select the Left Column check box (where the names appear) and click OK. Now when you select cells B2, B3 or B4, you’ll see that each one is a named range with a name identical to its label in column A.

Filed under: Microsoft Office Tutor