Selecting the Current Region

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 20, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

Many of the options you undertake in Excel are done using a specific region of the screen. For instance, if you sort data, Excel first selects a region that it will sort. By definition, a region is the area surrounding an active cell that is bounded by blank columns and rows. Sometimes people refer to a region as a table or a list.

If you want to see what Excel considers to be the region surrounding a cell, simply select the cell and press Shift+Ctrl+* (that's the asterisk.) The region is selected.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2102) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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