Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 18, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Natasha noted that she used to have a equal sign next to the Formula bar that I could click instead of having to enter the equal sign. Clicking the equal sign would also add an equal sign in front of whatever was already in the cell, without deleting the cell contents. When Natasha's office upgraded to Excel 2002, the equal sign disappeared. She wondered how she could get the equal sign back.
The change you noted was done on purpose by Microsoft. They, without any fanfare, dropped the equal sign from the left of the Formula bar with the introduction of Excel 2002. Instead, Microsoft changed the tool to the Insert Function tool, which you can click on to select how you want to put together a formula using functions. This is obviously not the same as the old equal sign tool, however.
You can, if you desire, add an equal sign tool to a toolbar. Follow these steps:
Figure 1. The Commands tab of the Customize dialog box.
The equal sign tool can be used to enter an equal sign at the beginning of the Formula bar. It doesn't completely function like the old tool, as it won't add an equal sign to the beginning of the existing cell contents, and you can't place the tool right next to the Formula bar.
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