2.1 AutoFill and Fill Series
In short: The fill handle is the small square at the bottom-right of the selected cell.
The fill handle is the small square at the bottom-right of the selected cell. Drag it (or double-click it) to continue a pattern.
| You type | Drag gives | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1, 2 (select both) | 3, 4, 5… | Two cells define the step |
| 14-03-2026 | 15-03-2026, 16-03-2026… | Days |
| Mon | Tue, Wed… | Built-in list |
| Jan | Feb, Mar… | Built-in list |
| Store-01 | Store-02, Store-03… | Number at the end increments |
| A formula | Same formula, references adjusted | See 1.3 |
After dragging, click the Auto Fill Options button to choose Copy Cells, Fill Series, Fill Formatting Only, Fill Without Formatting, Fill Weekdays, Fill Months.
Steps in Excel
- Series dialog: type 14-03-2026 in A2 › select A2:A32 › Home › Editing › Fill › Series… › Columns, Date, Weekday, Step 1 › OK (fills only working days).
- Double-click fill: if the column to the left has data, double-clicking the fill handle copies down to the last row automatically.
- Custom list: File › Options › Advanced › General › Edit Custom Lists… › type
Pune, Solapur, Nashik, Sambhaji Nagar, Kolhapur, Nagpur› Add. Now typing Pune and dragging fills all six cities.
Worked example. Amir prepares a Ganeshotsav sales tracker. He types 14-09-2026 and uses Fill › Series with step 1 and stop value 25-09-2026 to list every day of the festival period. Next to it he drags the city custom list.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip
Many students type a single number (for example 1) and drag it, and then every cell shows 1. If you want a series, select two values (1, 2) and drag, or hold Ctrl while dragging. After dragging, always look at the Auto Fill Options button.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – मराठी
बरेच students एकच number (उदाहरणार्थ 1) type करून drag करतात आणि मग सगळे 1 च येतात. Series हवी असेल तर दोन values (1, 2) select करून drag करा, किंवा Ctrl दाबून drag करा. Drag केल्यावर Auto Fill Options button नक्की बघा.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – हिंदी
बहुत से students एक ही number (जैसे 1) type करके drag करते हैं और फिर सब जगह 1 ही आ जाता है. Series चाहिए तो दो values (1, 2) select करके drag करो, या Ctrl दबाकर drag करो. Drag करने के बाद Auto Fill Options button ज़रूर देखो.
Practice task
Create a column of all working days (Mon–Fri) in October 2026 using Fill › Series. Add a custom list of the six cities and use it to fill a header row.