How to Use a Fill Handle in Excel

The fill handle is a tool in Microsoft Excel that helps improve productivity. This feature makes it possible to fill an entire section of cells with the same data or formula. Alternatively, the fill handle can also detect and reproduce formatting and read patterns in the data, text, or formula to replicate those across a selection of cells.

How to use the fill handle

Filling cells using the ribbon toolbar

Alternatively, you can use the fill tool from the ribbon toolbar to fill a selected cell based on its surrounding cells. Begin by selecting the cells you want to fill, including the cell(s) that will serve as the source for your data or formulas. Then, select the Fill tool from the far right of the Home tab on the ribbon toolbar.

The dropdown menu contains several options for filling data:

• Down, Right, Up, Left: Fills the data in a single direction
• Across Worksheets: Fills the data across multiple selected worksheets
• Series: Fills the data with specific customizations, including step value, stop value, growth, and date format
• Flash Fill: Fills data in a selected cell’s column based on the surrounding data patterns (example: First name and last name in Column A, first name in Column B, and last name in Column C)

There is also a Justify option, which merges text in multiple rows in a single column. Justify cannot be used with formulas or numbers.

Excel filling errors

If an attempt at filling cells doesn’t go as expected, there are a few troubleshooting steps you can take. The exact solution depends on the problem you’re encountering:

• If the cell output is incorrect or not what you expect, check the cell reference to see if the cell contains a formula rather than plain data. 
• If you’re unable to see the fill handle when you hover your cursor, go to Preferences > Edit and check that “Allow fill handle and cell drag-and-drop” is enabled. 
• If filling the cells doesn’t generate the automatic calculations you need, go to Preferences > Calculations and check that “Automatic” is selected under Calculation Options.

Kaiti Norton

Kaiti Norton is a Nashville-based Content Writer for TechnologyAdvice, a full-service B2B media company. She is passionate about helping brands build genuine connections with their customers through relatable, research-based content. When she's not writing about technology, she's sharing her musings about fashion, cats, books, and skincare on her blog.