Flash Fill automatically detects patterns in your data and fills remaining cells. It's like magic—no formulas needed for splitting names, formatting text, or combining columns.

How to Use Flash Fill

Method 1: Keyboard Shortcut
1. Type one or two examples
2. Press Ctrl + E

Method 2: Menu
1. Type examples
2. Data tab → Flash Fill

Method 3: Auto-detect
Start typing next example, Excel suggests pattern

Example 1: Split Full Names

Column A (Full Name) → Column B (First Name)
John Smith           → John
Jane Doe             → Type "Jane"
Bob Johnson          → Press Ctrl+E

Excel fills: Bob, Alice, etc. for all rows

Example 2: Combine Columns

Column A    Column B    → Column C (Combined)
John        Smith       → John Smith
Jane        Doe         → Type "Jane Doe"
Bob         Johnson     → Press Ctrl+E

Result: All names combined automatically

Example 3: Format Phone Numbers

Column A         → Column B (Formatted)
5551234567       → (555) 123-4567
5559876543       → Type "(555) 987-6543"
5552468135       → Press Ctrl+E

All numbers formatted consistently

Example 4: Extract Text

Extract Email Domains

Column A                  → Column B (Domain)
[email protected]           → gmail.com
[email protected]             → Type "yahoo.com"
[email protected]       → Press Ctrl+E

All domains extracted

Extract from Addresses

Column A (Full Address)              → Column B (City)
123 Main St, Boston, MA 02108        → Boston
456 Oak Ave, Seattle, WA 98101       → Type "Seattle"
789 Elm Rd, Austin, TX 78701         → Press Ctrl+E

Example 5: Format Dates

Column A         → Column B (Formatted)
1/15/2024        → January 15, 2024
2/20/2024        → Type "February 20, 2024"
3/10/2024        → Press Ctrl+E

All dates reformatted to long format

Example 6: Add Prefixes/Suffixes

Column A (ID)    → Column B (Full ID)
001              → EMP-001
002              → Type "EMP-002"
003              → Press Ctrl+E

Result: EMP-001, EMP-002, EMP-003, ...

Example 7: Clean Data

Remove Extra Spaces

Column A              → Column B (Cleaned)
  John   Smith        → John Smith
  Jane    Doe         → Type "Jane Doe"
   Bob  Johnson       → Press Ctrl+E

Capitalize Properly

Column A         → Column B (Title Case)
john smith       → John Smith
JANE DOE         → Type "Jane Doe"
bob johnson      → Press Ctrl+E

Example 8: Extract Numbers

Column A                 → Column B (Numbers Only)
Order #12345             → 12345
Invoice-67890            → Type "67890"
Ref: 11111               → Press Ctrl+E

Tips for Success

• Provide 2-3 examples for complex patterns
• Examples must be in adjacent column
• Works best with consistent patterns
• If it doesn't work, try more examples
• Undo (Ctrl+Z) and try different examples if needed

Flash Fill Limitations

• Doesn't update automatically (not a formula)
• Need to re-run if source data changes
• Can't handle highly inconsistent patterns
• Only available in Excel 2013 and later

When to Use Flash Fill vs Formulas

Use Flash Fill When:	Use Formulas When:
One-time data transformation	Data updates regularly
Pattern is complex to code	Need dynamic updates
Quick ad-hoc cleaning	Reusable process
Importing external data	Live calculations