Here is a handy little formatting feature in Excel which you probably know how to use.
Suppose we were setting up the headings for this spreadsheet.
Now we want to set up a title above the quarters.
First we would type in the title in cell B1.
Then to center it across the periods, we would highlight the cells we want.
Finally, we would go to the formatting toolbar and click the Merge and Center icon.
This is our finished result.
You may already use this handy icon often. Your cells are nicely centered and merged.
There are some temporary drawbacks to merged cells. For example, you can't copy the format of one column to another when it crosses over merged cells.
What you might have to do is to unmerge the cells, do the temporary formatting or other change, and then merge back the cells.
In earlier versions of Excel, this meant having to go to the Format menu.
Not so in Excel 2002. A nice feature added is that you can use the same Merge and Center icon in reverse.
Highlight the merged cells
Click the Merge and Center icon
The cells will be unmerged
Do the formatting or other processing
Highlight the cells again
Click the Merge and Center icon
The cells will be merged again
A nice little timesaver with Excel 2002.
So when you have cells to unmerge, whether temporarily or permanently, use the Merge and Center icon in reverse if you have Excel 2002.