Microsoft Office Q&A: General Discussion (Word, Excel, PowerPoint...)

Amy Rivera66 said:I think I need some help with rotating things in Word.

Go back and check out my post from August 22, 2011. It might actually be useful for once.

Hey there... I was wondering if anyone could help me figure out how to write an Excel formula that pulls two numbers from Sheet1, adds them together, and then automatically displays that total over on Sheet2...

Here's what I'm looking at:
On a sheet I've named INVENTORY, I need to sum up two specific cells, M41 and N42, and have that final sum show up on my other sheet called LOGS...

Anthony Barrett11 said:Hey there...

Look, it’s pretty straightforward if you just slow down and look at it. Take Sheet1, for instance. If you type a formula like =SUM(M41;M42) into cell C1, you’re basically telling Excel to add up whatever is sitting in cells M41 and M42. Simple enough, right? Once that's done, you can head over to Sheet2. In cell B1, you could just type =Sheet1!C1. Or—and this is what I usually do because I don't have all day—you just go to Sheet2, hit the equals sign in cell B1, then physically click over to Sheet1 and click on cell C1. It works every time.

Look, you don't strictly need to do this with cell C1 on the Inventory sheet, but honestly? It’s got its perks.

Just head over to your Records sheet and click the cell where you want that total to show up. Type an equals sign, then jump back over to the Inventory sheet and click cell M41. Hit plus, click M42, and hit enter. (Now, if you just click M41 and drag your mouse down to M42, you'll get a different kind of formula—but you'd have to type =SUM(

So, here is what the formula looks like on the Records sheet:
=Inventory!M41+Inventory!M42

Or, if you prefer using the SUM function:
=SUM(Inventory!M41:M42)

Actually, I’d suggest putting those numbers in separate columns on the Inventory sheet instead (like column M and column N). Why? Because then it’s way easier to copy the formula from the Records sheet—you just grab that little black cross and drag the formula down. When the numbers are stacked vertically like this, it gets a bit more complicated, doesn't it?

Thanks a million... you guys really came through for me

I think I'm running into a bit of an issue while trying to import a .txt file into Excel.

The file is pretty large, with about 80,000 rows, and since I'm using Office 2003, I guess Excel just can't handle the whole thing at once; it seems to load roughly 65,000 lines and then gives me this message suggesting I import the rest onto a new sheet.

So, when I start the data import process and navigate to the file path, the first window—the one where I specify the 852 docs—asks me which row I want to start importing from, and even though I try typing in 65,000, it keeps giving me an error message as if that specific row doesn't even exist.

It feels like I might be doing something wrong here, 😁 so if anyone could maybe point me in the right direction, I would really appreciate the help. 🙂

The thing is, Excel 2003 is capped at 65,536 rows, while Excel 2007 can handle up to 1,048,576.
So, why not try importing it in two separate batches? Since you're dealing with 80,000 rows, you could just split that text file into two pieces and load them one by one.

So, what I'm really trying to figure out is how one would actually go about deciding where and how to tell the system to load up that second chunk of the document, maybe from row 65000 through to 80000?

So, you could just split that text file into two chunks—say, 40,000 rows each—and import them one by one. You’d save the first part as 1-40,000 and then do the same for the second part, covering 40,000 to 80,000.
You can't really dump everything onto a single sheet here; you'll need to load the second chunk specifically into Sheet2.

Depending on how many columns you're dealing with, you could always merge them back into one sheet later by placing them side-by-side, starting right next to the first set, if you really want them all in one place.

Hopefully that makes sense? If not, I honestly don't know how else to explain it, sorry! But this is the way to go.
I used to handle similar stuff with .dbf databases back in the day using Excel 2003, and with .lst files too.

I am uploading a simplified screenshot of my Excel document along with the specific tasks I need to complete using formulas. I am struggling to figure this out, but I am on a tight deadline, so any assistance would be greatly appreciated.



As you can see, I have two specific problems to solve. Question 1 concerns how to handle changing costs; for instance, if a value shifts from 20 to 25, how do I set it up so the total costs automatically update to 55? I need them to be directly linked.

Question 2 involves comparing planned versus actual budgets. In the first two scenarios, the budget is fine because the actual spending is lower. However, the third case is problematic. If the budget is exceeded—for example, if we hit 3500—how can I trigger an automatic alert? I was told to implement a "NOTE" (explanation) or perhaps a "ToDo" list. Essentially, I want the system to flag the error automatically by turning the cell red when the budget is blown, perhaps accompanied by a note explaining the next steps.

Please do not delete this thread until someone has had a chance to respond. This is quite urgent.

Thank you in advance. 🙂

Henry Lewis37 said:I don't really know how to pull this off, but I'm in a massive rush and could really use some help if anyone can step up.
Thanks in advance. 🙂

First thing: just type the formula =SUM(C1:C14) into cell D16.
Second part: Select your F27 cell, then head over to the Formatting tab and click on Conditional Formatting. In the conditional formatting menu, pick "Use a formula to determine which cells to format," and in the empty field next to it, type in =F27>B27. While you're still in that same menu, go to Format, set the font to bold, maybe pick a red color, and hit OK. Once that's done, just copy cell F27 and paste it down into F28 and F29.

Once your budget actually exceeds what was planned, the number in that cell will turn the color you picked—in this case, 3500 would show up in red.

You could actually structure that explanation using a formula like this:
=IF(G27>B27;"OVER BUDGET";"") -> feel free to change the text inside those quotation marks to whatever you want!

Just pop that formula into cell G27 and then drag it down the column.
Once you've entered the formula, click back onto cell G27 (where the formula is now sitting). When your cursor turns into that little black cross in the bottom right corner of the cell, just grab it and pull it downwards. Oh, and make sure to clear out that "NO" from the field first!
Wherever the budget has been blown, that custom text will pop up (plus you'll get that red color formatting Benjamin Wilson7 mentioned)

Help!!!
Does anyone know how to get rid of protection on an Excel worksheet!!
I'm sending over the Excel file that needs to be decrypted!
Thank you
Wait, actually, how am I even supposed to send it??

Benjamin Wilson7 said:You could structure that explanation using a formula like this:
=IF(G27>B27;"BUDGET EXCEEDED";"") -> you can change the text inside the quotation marks to whatever you prefer

Enter that formula into cell G27, then simply drag it down.
Once the formula is in, click back onto cell G27. When your cursor turns into a small black cross at the bottom right corner of the cell, just click and drag downwards. (Make sure to clear out that "NO" from the cell first)
Wherever the budget is exceeded, your custom text will appear (along with red coloring, as Walter Jackson48 suggested)

Well, that isn't working for me. It keeps telling me I can't use the minus sign or the greater than symbol, and suggests replacing them with quotes using a single tick. The problem is, I don't have that specific key on my keyboard. 🙂

rapidhawk23 said:Actually, how am I even supposed to send it??

Just upload it to some free hosting site.

There are a few ways to lock down a worksheet. The standard way is using a password on the actual Sheet or workbook, or going through VBA.
The real question is what kind of protection we're dealing with here and why it's there. Are you the one who locked it, or are you trying to crack someone else's work?

If you want it gone, you're gonna need the password.
btw: check out this link

Upload the file so we can actually see what's going on.

Henry Lewis37 said:Alright, I’m gonna lay out a simplified version of this Excel sheet and the tasks I need to tackle—basically some formulas and stuff. I'm totally stuck, but I need this done ASAP... Please, please don't delete this thread before someone gets back to me. It's urgent.

Just upload the file to a free hosting site. Put the task in there, and use cell comments to explain what you need and what the result should look like in a specific cell.

Henry Lewis37 said:Look, I just can't wrap my head around what you're saying,

Try typing this formula into G27: =IF(F27>B27;F27&" NE";""). That should force G27 to display the actual budget figure—provided it's higher than what was planned—and tack on an " own" right next to it in the same cell. For instance, if your planned budget in B27 is 300, but the actual amount in F27 hits 350, then G27 will show "350 NE". Also, if you set up conditional formatting for the cells in column F (starting with F27, F28, F29, etc.) using the method I mentioned before, that number 350 in F27 should pop up in bright red.
I think we've handed you enough pieces here to finally piece together a solution.

Hey everyone,
I need some help with page numbering in Microsoft Office. I'm working on a term paper and need the numbering to actually start on the third page.
Thanks in advance!

Ethan Anderson8 said:I need to set up page numbering so it starts on the third page. It's for a term paper.

We've actually covered this exact topic on the forum before. Just hit search or scroll back through the threads.
btw: if you can't find it, here are the links for Word 2003 and Word 2007

=IF(F27>B27;"OVER BUDGET";"") (-> ignore that little symbol, it's not part of the math)
- I actually meant to type the letter F there instead of G. I did that on purpose just to see if you were paying attention—don't get mad at me! The formula works perfectly fine regardless.
Just listen to what Walter Jackson48 is saying and figure out the right combination for your needs.
If you have even a basic grasp of English, Excel has built-in help features. Seriously, go read up on it; there are examples for pretty much every formula out there. Trust me, when you actually take the time to learn how things work, it might be a steeper climb at first, but once it clicks, you're set for life.🙂 (Speaking from experience here... it took a lot of grinding).
Best,