Are you aware of the how far you can extend the use of Format Painter as a tool in Excel?  Format Painter goes way beyond simply formatting cell properties from one cell to another cell!  Expand your use of Format Painter with these tips so that it becomes your power tool for quick formatting consistency in Excel.

Format Painter Tip #1:  Learn the double-click mode of Format Painter

Knowing the double-click mode of Format Painter is essential for efficiency.  It allows you to be able to use this tool on multiple selections that are not or connected or “contiguous”.  Why is this mode a huge time saver?  Because single clicking Format Painter only applies formatting with one click or drag action.  If you double-click on Format Painter, it will stay on until you turn it off.  Thus, it avoids the hassle of having to turn it back on for multiple cell ranges that are non-adjacent.  When finished applying formatting in the double-click mode, simply turn it off by clicking on the Format Painter icon or by pressing Escape.

Format Painter  Tip #2:  Use Format Painter to paint properties to an entire column

Even experienced users of Excel may never discover that Format Painter can paint column properties from one column to another column.  The process is first to select the column that you want another target column to look like.   Activate Format Painter by clicking on its icon and then finish by immediately clicking on the heading letter of the target column.  Use this process to quickly match the width of one column to another column.   Or if you have a specific number format setup for a column (for example a percent style with a certain number of decimal places), paint those same properties quickly to another target column using Format Painter.

Format Painter Tip #3: Apply Format Painter across Excel sheets and Excel workbooks

A quick approach to getting an identical formatting look to other sheets and to other workbooks is to use Format Painter. To have Format Painter work across sheets, select a cell or a column that has properties that you want have on another sheet.  Then simply click or (double-click if you want to apply to multiple selections—see Tip #1) on Format Painter and immediately go to another sheet and click on your target cells or target column headings.   To have Format Painter work across files, once you activate format painter, simply go the other file if it is open or proceed to get it open.   Then use the Format Painter tool in the normal click and drag manner   Please keep in mind, however, that the best setup for maintaining the same formatting look across sheets or across files is to start using Styles. Styles offer the ability to get instant changes across sheets when you need to do any updating to the custom formatting look.   Everyone should learn how to create custom styles, modify custom styles, and merge them into other files for the ultimate setup for maintaining formatting consistency.