Win+Pause keys

It’s the shortcut to get direct to Windows Settings > About.

You can alternatively type “Settings” into the Windows search bar (for Cortana). Then you might need to scroll down depending on the window size. Then click on ‘About’ on the left hand side.

This shows the following information:

• Device Specifications
• Windows Specifications

So, by device specifications, we mean the specs of your Tablet (e.g. Surface 2-in-1), Laptop, or PC.

See further below for an image showing the key locations.

Device Specifications

There are ‘Copy’ buttons for each, so you can easily copy your Windows PC information, making it easier to copy and paste to share in an email or help desk chat!

For example:

Device name
Processor
Installed RAM
Device ID
Product ID
System type
And further information like Pen and touch Pen and touch support with 10 touch points

Windows Specifications

Similarly the Win & Pause keys shortcut gives you the following Windows Specification information:

Edition Windows version
Version
Installed on ‎Date
OS build
Serial number
And further information like Experience for example: Windows Feature Experience Pack

Where is the Win Key?

Win is short for Windows, and it looks like the Windows symbol rather than having Win written on it.

The windows key is bottom left on every Microsoft Windows keyboard.

It seems to always be between the Ctrl and Alt keys. On any keyboard I remember looking at anyway. See below for where it is on my Surface Type Cover keyboard.

Win key placement. Bottom left between the Crtl and Alt keys (for ‘control’ and ‘alternate’). Note: only the left side of the keyboard is shown in this image.

Where is the Pause key?

On my Logitech wireless keyboard, the Pause and Break and special function PC Power on/off are all top right of the keyboard. Just above the Num Lock key on the number keypad.

Logitech Wireless keyboard and mouse. Click for a close up of the Pause key with the PC on-off key (and perhaps also to buy!)

NOTE: these are affiliate links, so if you buy something and it complies with the Amazon requirements, then we get a small commission which will make a difference to whether we can keep this website running (and help others like you) or not.

Overall the two keys are located as shown below. When you see this, you might note that you cannot press both keys at the same time with only one hand (unless you have very large hands! Maybe Lionel Richie could perhaps!).

Here are the key locations on a Logitech wireless keyboard.

On my Surface Pro, there isn’t exactly a Win + Pause key combination possible. However that does not really matter, as there is a very quick alternative shortcut.

Just hit the Settings key. That is shared with the Function key F8. The beauty is that the Settings key is the main key so you only have to tap that key (just like sound mute on F3). You don’t need Alt, Win, nor Fn key (Alternate Windows or Function keys).

MS Surface Pro keyboard Settings key. It’s kind-of in a similar position towards the top-right of the keyboard. Given the MS Surface Type Cover doesn’t have a Pause or Break key (nor a separate number key pad) its a pretty handy alternative.

You might need to scroll down on the left to select ‘About’ in Settings.

On Windows 10 when you press Win+Pause you will see the following Settings screen (or similar):

Windows 10 view of result from the Win+Pause or Settings key. Windows 11 is probably similar.

So we’ve covered in much detail the shortcut these two keys pressed together do.

See this other article if you instead wanted to search to find how to ‘Pause Windows Updates‘.

Summary

This article aims to give you help with the shortcut Win + Pause, which as you now know gives a handy shortcut to get your windows computer (PC, tablet, or laptop) specs and system properties. In addition, it aims to show you where the windows key is, and also where the pause key is. Thanks for reading!

The post win-pause shortcut appeared first on TheTechMentor.com.

Background

I’ve previously written about resetting the password for Windows 10 in this article here ‘Hiren boot reset password Windows 10‘. I thought I’d update it here for you here for the new version of Windows 11.

The key to this procedure, is to download the correct FREE software which makes it easy. I’ll give you links to everything you need here and show you in detailed steps how to use Hiren’s boot USB for a Windows 11 password reset.

Note: in the ol’ days, we would talk about Hiren’s Boot CD (and they continue to label it that way ongoing on their website, as it is in their domain name/URL), but PCs and laptops with CD drives are pretty rare these days, so sometimes I will just refer to it as Hirens Boot USB.

I’ll show it in detailed steps to first set up your Boot USB then how to use it to reset a Windows 11 password. If you want to change password in windows directly, you’ll need to set up the USB tool to use this method.

How to reset Windows 11 Password – with Hirens Boot USB

Download the executable file to set up your USB correctly, this is the first step.

Note: this is probably obvious: you will need to set up either the bootable USB on another computer that the one on which you need to do the password reset.

Step 1: Download the executable file for USB

You will need to download the USB version of Hiren’s boot CD/USB from the website; download USB version here. The version you need is:

Hiren’s BootCD PE – ISO2USB v1.1 (x86)

This is the Hiren’s BootCD PE – ISO2USB portable tool. Download ISO2USB-exe here and save to you PC.

It seems if you click on their website to download it, they show an ad these days just before it downloads (they have to fund their website, right). So click the ad if it appeals to you or close it with the little cross top right corner of the popup.

Step 2: Download the ISO file for HirensBoot CD

If you are not familiar with Hirens boot CD, it contains very many useful utilies. Only one section of it is used to reset passwords on Windows.

In it you will find:

• Windows Login Unlocker v1.6
• Lazesoft Password Recovery v4.0.0.1
• NT Password Edit v0.7

Download the ISO file here.

Now you can insert USB or after you start Step 4.

Step 3: Insert USB

Now, I suggest you start with a blank USB.

If you want, you can format and/or partition your USB first (they have a ‘how to’ on the Hiren’s Boot website if you haven’t done this before).

I propose the better way is to let their USB set up executable file do it for you. This is what I will show below.

Step 4 Run Hirens USB 1.1 and Select USB Set up Options

Run the exe file. A neat thing about the executable programming is that it will only show connected USB flash drives in the selectable items list under ‘USB Device’.

Run the exe file to set up the USB with Hiren’s Boot CD as a USB. Select ‘Yes’.

Note: You’ll need to run as Administrator.

This will bring up the Hiren’s Boot USB set up (Hiren’s BootCD PE ISO2USB v1.1) interface as shown below.

Setting up Hirens Boot CD on USB uses this interface to make sure you set up the USB correctly. After this we can change or remove the Windows 11 password with one of the utilities included.

Select your chosen USB if you have more than one connected.

WARNING: Make sure you pick the right USB devise! Do not re-format a USB with your data or files unless you want that!

Step 5 Provide new USB name (optional)

You can write a new name for the USB under ‘New Drive Label’.

Note: This needs to be an upper-case, alpha-numeric name or up to 11 characters.

Step 6: Select HirensBootCD ISO location.

By default, the exe looks in the same folder as itself for the iso file. It will already be shown here if you downloaded the iso and the exe files into the same folder.

If you downloaded them or moved them into locations separate from each other, then you can navigate to select the iso file location within ‘ISO File’ in the popup.

Step 7 Make the Hirens USB

You can leave the ‘Format Selected USB Device’ check box checked (as this is my preferred option).

Also leave the ‘Copy ISO Content to USB Device’ check box as checked.

Click ‘Process’ and you will be prompted are you sure. Be very sure, there is no going back after formatting your USB!

If you have formatted manually the way you prefer, you can un-check that first checkbox.

After some time, at the bottom of the window you’ll see a message stating that the ISO content was successfully copied to the drive containing your selected USB.

You can eject your USB (use ‘Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media’ via the little up arrow and USB icon in the Windows 11 taskbar).

Step 8 Insert USB into locked Windows 11 PC tablet or Laptop and Boot-up

Restart to boot from the CD.

You may have to change the computer’s boot order in the BIOS in order to boot from the USB.

Step 9: Select Windows PE from the menu and reset Windows 11 Password

Windows PE is for deployment and recovery (if you’ve been around a while you might call it the mini XP for Windows 11).

When you boot from the USB, you will see a Hiren’s boot menu, a little like the one below (sorry that image is reused from the older article referred to above).  

As I state above, this is the deployment and recovery version for Windows 11.

The programs that can allow you to reset or change a windows password are:

• Windows Login Unlocker v1.6
• Lazesoft Password Recovery v4.0.0.1
• NT Password Edit v0.7 (basically the one in the image below)

So select the one most appropriate for your machine (using the arrow key) and press enter.

I’ll continue with steps per my method for the Windows NT machine, but yours will be similar.

Select the right one of the three programs listed above to change password. Yes, your version will be more recent than mine shown – last I checked it is up to v1.0.2 of the PE x64 version (1 July 2021).

Note: Several lines of text will roll up the screen, which may be a little disconcerting the first time you see it.

Step 10: (If necessary) Select the partition

If more than one partition is identified, it will prompt you to select the disk where Windows 11 is installed.

Note: Windows 11 installation normally takes up around 27 GB to 30 GB (ie. 27 to 30k MB) so look for a partition with that sort of size if you have more than one.

If prompted, type the number corresponding to the Windows partition on the screen.

Step 11: Acknowledge or Select Path

I expect most PCs will have the default path as Windows/System32/config.

For most PCs you can just hit <Enter>.

Step 12: Select Hirens boot cd PE Windows 11 Reset Password App

You can just press <Enter> again, because it is the ‘password reset’ option we need.

Step 13: Select to Reset Administrator or another user password

As I indicated what you see exactly will depend on which app you selected. Most will give you alternatives actions at this point.

You’ll need to choose the user account that needs its password reset.

The user accounts will now be displayed and usually include Administrator and Guest in addition to the users normal set name, which you (or they) should easily recognize.

Reset Administrator password Windows 11 with Hiren boot cd:

• Type ‘Administrator’ and press <Enter>.

Reset (User account) password on Windows 11 with Hiren boot cd:

In your case it’s you or your client’s username.

• Type the username from the list and press <Enter>.

Step 14: Select the Option to Clear Password

Again, this step is written to show you what to expect, but your view will likely be app-dependent.

Type ‘1’ and press <Enter> for the default option ‘Clear (blank) user password’, as in my version this is the actual step that will reset the password in Windows 11.

Of course you can opt to change password rather than clear it.

You should get feedback that it is successful, ‘Password cleared’.

Note: * Be sure to save the changes as you exit.

Press ‘q’ and hit <Enter> to commence quitting the main menu.

Note: Yes you can change password for Windows 11 (just write a new password) rather than clear it.

Step 15: Save Changes

Hit the ‘y’ key for yes (and press <Enter>), and your password reset will be saved (ie. the password is saved as null).

Step 16: Reboot Windows 11 PC, Laptop, or Tablet

Remove the USB. You are now ready to reboot the machine. 

Restart the PC.  You or the user can now log into the computer without a password.

You’ve now performed your very own Hirens boot USB password reset in Windows 11! Well done!

I’ve shown one method for the final few steps and as indicated, on how to reset a Windows 11 password. Your last few steps could be different depending on your selected app.

The post How to Remove Password in Windows 11 With Hirens Boot USB appeared first on TheTechMentor.com.

If you do want to see how to clean it including with a toothpick, see this article. But, be aware that is not the end-all be-all cleaning method.

Why is a toothpick not the most effective for cleaning your phone charger port?

Sure, a toothpick can get in and scrape out the bulk of the lint from your pocket that collects in the charger port.

I also like them because they are wood and fine, which means they are a little flexible. Less likely to break something. Not only that, but they will also likely break instead of your phone if you use too much force.

But they are not the only option by far. 

If soot has already started to burn onto the connector pins, the metal connectors that transfer power between the charger and the phone, can get soot deposited on them.

To clean them you need more than just to scrape the lint or dust out.

We will first look at alternative options for use instead of a toothpick for scraping. Then we will look at how to give an even better clean.

When you do use a toothpick, the idea is to gently glide up and into one edge of the charger port.

Then swipe across and then retain it at an angle and withdraw to scrape out any lint or dust collected in there. Repeat.

How to clean iPhone charging port without toothpick – Preferred Options

I talk about an iPhone charger port here, but of course it is relevant to any smartphone with a ‘female’ connector that makes a catchment pocket.

You can do something similar to above without a toothpick.

You will need something that is similar in size to the hole in your iPhone for the lightning connector. It’s surprisingly narrow!

WARNING: Make sure you do not use anything too hard. It could scratch and damage your phone. Also, I recommend you turn your phone off before putting anything other than the charger in it.

You can try one of the following.

1. Q-tip or Cotton Bud

A Q-tip often works well. Sometimes called a cotton bud in some locations.

I often recommended them, especially when doing a better clean with a cleaning fluid (see end of this article).

You can use pliers or your teeth to crush the stem to make it narrower.

I find that, even when crushed, the stems are still a little too wide to fit inside the port. 

This means often only the cotton part fits in. This allows you to do a partial clean. It is okay but perhaps not the best way to remove all lint from the port.

In fact, it’s better for rubbing the pins to clean them than to remove lint jammed up inside.

A great tool to use to clean iPhone charging port without toothpick, is a twist-tie.

2. Twist-tie

By twist-tie, I mean those plastic-coated wires that we use to twist around other things to keep them together or freezer bag, not a cable tie.

The ones that come with freezer bags are not very strong so are not very good at all.

The black or white ones used on loose parts in toys or cables or work quite well.

The best ones are the stronger black ones that are typically on serious quality electrical goods. Including on new USB cables! If you buy new charger cable, look for and use the twist-tie to clear out the phone charger port before you start using your new cable.

Use the same method as explained above for the toothpick, but of course you do it without the toothpick!

In fact, it might be better than a toothpick because you can bend slightly the end to make a tiny hook.

In the photo below, you can see some lint or dust removed when I did a clean that was a success. There was more removed than shown in the photo.

This is how I got lint out of iPhone charging port without a toothpick.

I had the black twist tie wrapped around my new charger cable when it arrived! Perfect to give the phone charger port a wipe before inserting my new cable.

After all, you don’t want to get a black stuff on your new charger cable right away.

How I cleaned my iPhone charging port without toothpick using the twist-tie that came with my new iPhone charger cable!

My choice of iPhone charger cable?

I bought some like this iPhone charger cable and found the two cables to be awesome with a very robust design, and I’m really happy with them.

That is my choice but there are many more options, of course. You can search and find your own choice. This one is just to get you started.

TIP: Look for something that is going to protect the cable near the ends as that is where they fail in a way you can’t easily fix them.

Note: the above link is an affiliate link and if you click and buy one and it qualifies then I’ll probably get a tiny fraction of that. Which is to say (with the price of a charger cable), almost nothing, lol!

More ways to clean an iPhone charger port without toothpick

Along similar lines to Part 1, there are other small plastic-only items you can use.

A great one, though not always handy, is a ‘cable tie’.

3. Cable Tie

I’m referring to the plastic ones.

Metal ones are rare but if you have one, and want to use it because you have nothing else, please take extra care!

A metal one will be hard and you run the risk of damaging your iPhone or Android phone port. Not worth it to just clean out some lint or other stuff!

A cable tie for those that don’t know is a narrow plastic strip with a step pattern on one side, and an end that it zips into. People clamp cables and hold other things tightly together using cable ties very often.

These come in all sorts or sizes and variations.

You can typically cut them with good scissors and strong force, or a knife.

The method is the same:

Push it gently up into one end.

Drag it along the inside of the port.

Hook out the lint at the other end.

Repeat a few times, including from the other side.

4. Plastic 3D printing filament

If you or a friend has a 3D printer, then they likely have bits and pieces of tiny plastic parts that they don’t know what to do with. In any case there will be spare off-cuts of raw filament that we use that don’t serve any other purpose.

These plastic filament ‘threads’ can be quite useful.

They are strong enough to not break off inside your phone port.

3D filament can be harder than compressed lint from clothes or jeans.

I had to shave off a small edge just slightly for it to fit into the iPhone charger port. It made a sharper point for scraping the lint out. You could squeeze it with pliers to make it narrower, or you could bite it if you don’t have any tools!

You can bend plastic filament, just enough at the end to help make it a little more L-shaped or hook-like.

Less recommended ways to clean an iPhone charger port without toothpick.

Here are some more alternatives, but these are less recommended.

Some are metal so the warning above holds true. You run a risk to damage your phone so be gentle.

5. iPhone Ejector Tool

You will know the iPhone ejector tool for accessing the SIM card tray is metal. It can be handy as some iPhone users keep them in their phone case.

It has a nice little handle and a long thin projecting part. Insert it gently and scrape outwards.

NOTE: For iPhone 14 models bought in the United States, they use an eSIM so you probably won’t have an ejector tool either!

6. Paper clip

This can be less preferred because it is metal.

Having written that, some paper clips come with a plastic coating or paint which makes them an ideal option to clean your phone or iPhone charger port.

Blue works better than yellow (no that is just a joke!)

Bend open the paper clip just at one end to provide a handle (the looped part) and a cleaning prong (the open end).

If you only have a metal paper clip, you can try to wrap some paper around the end before you insert. I’m mixed about this idea because you do not want a little piece of paper to become trapped in the end so you cannot insert your charger cable all the way in.

7. Folded cardboard

I have tested folded paper and typically it isn’t strong enough. Perhaps an origami expert can fold one to make a great hook that is also strong? I actually tried to make folded paper hooks, but found they unfold rather than being useful!

But I think there will always be some cardboard lying around that you can get your hands on if there are no toothpicks in sight.

You will need to make a few folds after you tear off a small piece. That can give it strength as well as creating extra pockets to catch the lint or dust.

Compacted cardboard may be enough like wood, and so it gives another way to clean your iPhone charger port without a toothpick.

After Removing Lint, Clean the Phone Connector Pins

It is a good idea to rub the tiny metal connector pins inside the phone/iPhone port to clean them with a suitable cleaning fluid. 

I use a mix of bicarb soda and vinegar on a Q-tip.

Those who tout a toothpick probably never do this and wonder why their chargers are always failing so soon.

The cleaning mix and Q-tip can work quite well. I can see the black remains coming off onto the Q-tip. That proves the pins inside are becoming cleaner.

It can take a little set up and effort, but it is worth it.

For detail on how to make a suitable cleaning fluid and what else to use and do, see this article.

Also Clean the Charge Cable

It is important to clean the iPhone lightning cable or other phone USB charging cable once you have removed lint.

It might even be more important!

Why? Because the cable pins may have some soot burnt on them. That started off as the lint or dust and maybe oils from our skin we try to remove from the port. 

When the power starts to flow for charging, the first arc can burn that dust or lint. Carbon (ie. Soot) is not a great conductor! Plus, some of it can wipe off one surface to foul another.

To clean and fix a lightning cable of the burnt soot on the pins as per this article is just as important as removing the lint.

Rub the burnt pin or black line on the charger with cleaning fluid.

After cleaning, be sure to keep a look out for a black line on your charger cable to reclean it before it gets too bad.

Summary

We have now shown how to clean iPhone charging port without toothpick. As you now know, it may be best to clean your phone/iPhone charger port without a toothpick! Some FAQs follow.

The post How to clean phone charging port with/without toothpick appeared first on TheTechMentor.com.

As with all things in Excel, there are multiple paths you can follow when alphabetizing in Excel. You can alphabetize a list or table of data including names. We explain three different methods in detail so you can find the one that works best for you. We show quick methods in brief; the fastest way is with only two clicks! We show in detail how to do a simple Sort, a Custom Sort and the powerful Filter. We quickly show how to alphabetize in brief immediately below, so read on.

Alphabetizing in Excel in Brief:

If you like shortcuts try this (if not read further below): Select a cell in the column in a range you want to sort, press <Alt> H S then S (to alphabetize) or O (to sort in reverse alphabetical order).

The image below shows how to alphabetize in Excel in one view.

Alternatively, with your range selected, you could press <Ctrl> <Shift> L at the same time, then click the down arrow and ‘Sort A to Z’. This is the method i use when quickly alphabetizing in Excel.

More detail for three methods with tips and notes below make it easier for you and help avoid pitfalls. If the above is not clear or you like to use a mouse and buttons (or touchscreen), or you want a little more guidance and explanation, read on.

Alphabetizing in Excel, in one image.

This is a detailed guide. Suggest you click on the in-page link in the Contents below to take you direct to the section that seems most relevant to you.

Contents

How to – Alphabetizing in Excel in Brief

Alphabetizing in Excel – in Detail

Method 1 – Simple One-off Sort

Alphabetizing in Excel – Fastest way to Alphabetize (in Two Clicks!)

Using Only the Keyboard in Brief

How to Alphabetize in Excel 2 – Custom Sort (more capable)

Method 3 – Sort using a Filter (most powerful but quite simple)

Alphabetizing in Excel – in Detail

Again, there are several ways to do it; for each you can use the Ribbon or keyboard shortcuts.

Many people find clicking buttons with a mouse or using a touchscreen is easy. For this you can use the Ribbon.

Using the Ribbon menu (on a normal or large screen)

We want to show using the Ribbon as it is nice and visual with a mouse or touchscreen. We’ll show you keyboard shortcuts as we go. It is worth noting that the Ribbon does change depending on the size of the screen, so we’ll show whats required on a small screen further below.

We will explain what to do for a one-off Sort, how to use the more powerful Custom Sort button with its dialog box, and then we’ll show you how to set up a table Filter.

A Filter can do a lot more and is handy if you want to sort a large table in multiple ways. As the name suggests it can also filter out data (in many ways). It is very powerful because it can give more insights into your data.

How to Alphabetize in Excel – Method 1

Simple One-off Sort

This is the simplest way when alphabetizing in excel, showing how to alphabetize in Excel. Shown in detail so almost anyone can follow it.

Step 1: Select your table.

First, you need to help Excel know what you want to sort. Excel can identify a table automatically, so if you have one, just click in the table to select a cell anywhere in the column you want to alphabetize.

If you just have a single column, just click in that column. It is enough to have a cell selected anywhere in the column (as per image below).

Ready to sort.

Some Notes and Tips for Selecting the Table (if easy for you, skip on down):

NOTE: to keep rows together when you sort, you want all the data in the row recognized or defined to be within one table. Similarly for columns. 

NOTE: you want to notice whether Excel correctly determines if your list or table has a header row that you don’t want moved when you sort.

TIP: When your list is a short single column with a heading that looks similar to your list (e.g. text items and text header). Click and drag your mouse to select all the cells except your heading.

TIP: Inspect your results immediately after Alphabetizing. If Excel sorts including or excluding the top row you want or don’t want, press <Ctrl> z to undo. 

NOTE: If you are using a Mac, use the Command key and letter shown instead of the <Ctrl> key described here and anywhere else in this article. I.e. <Command> z for undo, <Command> c for copy.

TIP: A more sophisticated method of sorting (shown further below) can give you the option to specify with a check box for ‘My data has headers’.

Excel is great because it remembers the table header correctly after you’ve helped it the first time.

Step 2: View the Home tab.

Click on the Ribbon ‘Home’ tab, if you are not already on it (click on or nearby the letters of the word HOME at the top of the screen).

Home tab top left hand side.

If you want the keyboard shortcut, use the <Alt> key and letter H key.

You can tap on the screen on or nearby the letters of the word HOME if you have a touch screen.

NOTE: you will find ‘Sort and Filter’ buttons also in the Data tab on the Ribbon. The shortcut keys are a little different for that tab.

Step 3: Get the Sort and Filter Menu.

Click (or tap) ‘Sort and Filter’ button (shortcut <Alt> H S) in the ‘Editing’ group of buttons on the right hand side to show the menu.

Step 4: Select to Sort.

On the little drop down menu that appears, click on ‘Sort A to Z’ to alphabetize. Or just press the letter S on the keyboard at this point .

On the far right of the Ribbon in the ‘Editing’ tab, click Sort & Filter then Sort A to Z to alphabetize in Excel.

Alternatively, if you want to sort in reverse alphabetical order, click the next menu option down ‘Sort Z to A’ (or press the letter ‘o’ key on the keyboard).

TIP: to remember shortcut keys in the above steps is S is for Sort. Use the next letter of the word, o in sort to sort in reverse alphabetical order.

Alphabetizing in Excel – Fastest way to Alphabetize (in Two Clicks!).

If you’ve read above you understand some pitfalls and tips that might help this work best for you (due to header/no header).

Step 1: Right-Click in the table in the column you want to alphabetize.

TIP: The selected cell does not have to be in the table. Just right click directly in the column you want to sort.

Move the mouse down and hover over Sort in the pop up menu.

Step 2: When the subsequent menu pops up, click Sort A to Z.

The fastest way to alphabetize in Excel – in two mouse clicks! First use the right mouse button.

The result of the above operation is as per the screenshot below.

Excel table arranged alphabetically after we right-clicked in the first column.

Using Only the Keyboard in Brief

Many people who work on Excel a lot find using the keyboard quicker than the mouse (which can be fiddly for some).

Using only the keyboard, it is as follows:

Step 1: <Alt> H (for Home tab).

NOTE: you will see black letters appear on the Ribbon when you press <Alt>. Don’t be alarmed. These are the shortcut letters for all the options within the ribbon. They can be used for Accessibility so you don’t need a mouse.

Step 2: Now press S (for sort).

You press S for sort (you guessed it). Then…

Step 3: Choose whether to sort in forward or reverse order.

Then press S (for Sort A to Z) or O (for sort Z to A).

TIP: you don’t need to hold the <shift> key down as you select letters in the shortcut.

So you can press <Alt> h, s and finally s or o to alphabetize or sort in reverse alphabetical order respectively.

Excel keyboard shortcuts to alphabetize (start with H).

How to Alphabetize in Excel – Method 2

Custom Sort (More Capable)

This is a more complex method than the first to alphabetize in Excel.

Many people find Method 3 further below easier than this.

Importantly, a Custom Sort sorts alphabetically and keeps rows together.

NOTE: to keep rows together you want all the data in the row recognized or defined to be within one table. Same for columns.

FAQ:

How do I sort alphabetically in Excel without mixing data?

That typically means to keep rows together when you sort. The fix is do not have totally empty rows between parts of the data you want to be treated as a single table. Similarly, do not have totally empty Columns between your data that you don’t want mixed.

TIP: Where you would like to force Excel to treat your data as a single table and therefore not mix data, you can highlight all the data (yes, the whole data table) before you act to sort it.

We’ll manage Headers more easily with this method. You could check the start of Method 1 for details, tips and notes relating to selecting your table or column and headers.

Custom Sort is more capable than a simple Sort because you can sort a table by one column and by subsequent columns in one operation. However some find it a little more fiddly and complicated to use. That’s why some people prefer to use a Filter, because it is far more powerful with additional features and isn’t really much more complicated.

A Custom Sort is helpful when some of your items are identical and you want to define how these rows with common items will sort based on other columns (of text or data).

For example, you have names of children in a school and there are twins or triplets! We will show how to alphabetize last names in excel, and for the rows arranged together by identical last name, sort those by first name.

Step 1: Check you are on or click on the Home tab on the Ribbon.

Or use <Alt> H on the keyboard.

NOTE: You could alternatively use the Data tab, where the Sort & Filter group is.

Custom Sort step 1.

Step 2: Click on the Sort & Filter button towards the far right of the Ribbon.

Or if you started via the shortcut, continue with S (or ‘s’, i.e. no <shift> key required).

Step 3: When the drop down menu appears, click on ‘Custom Sort…‘.

First click Sort and Filter, then Custom Sort… on Excel Ribbon.

To continue the shortcut, type U (or ‘u’).

Step 4: Notice and Adjust the Header Check Box.

In my example (shown below), the selected cell had been the top first row and column of the table. Excel automatically identified my table has a header and checked the ‘My Data Has Headers’ and selected the range within the table.

You can click the check box to toggle it on or off and observe the range selected in the table.

Alternatively you can type H to toggle it.

You will see something else brilliant Excel has also done in the background in the next step.

The Custom Sort set up box. Notice the header checkbox was pre-selected by Excel. I didn’t need to do it!

Step 5: Choose Last Name

Click the edit box’s little down arrow next to Sort by (under Column) and select to alphabetize by last name.

TIP: as seen in the image below, Excel pre-populated the drop down list with all the table header names. This is much clearer than Column A, Column B, Column C, etc. that appear when you don’t have a header row. Much clearer and easier to use. Brilliant!

Excel pre-populated the drop down list with the names in my table header. It makes it nice and clear by what you choose to sort.

We can leave Sort On Values and Order A to Z as these defaults are what we need.

But what do we do with the twins? How do we tell Excel how we want those treated? We need to set up another level to sort by.

Step 6: Add a Sub-level by which to Sort (Optional).

Click Add Level and observe an additional row has been inserted under the first.

Then Click Sort by down arrow and select another option. For our example we choose First name.

Again, we leave Sort On Values and Order A to Z as these defaults are what we want.

Custom sort with two levels of alphabetization by last name at the top level and then by first name as a secondary level.

TIP: In some situations we might want to organize by ascending numbers or some other arrangement after we alphabetize the top level names. For example, we could define a secondary sort by Class number for children with the same last name.

Step 7: Click OK or press <Enter>.

The Custom Sort setup form closes and the table is organized alphabetically by last name then by first name.

Here’s the result of our example custom sort to alphabetize by last name, then first name. Check out the order of the twins and triplets.

TIP: As for the simple Sort, you can instead right-click within the table to get a pop up menu, hover the mouse over Sort…, and then select Custom Sort at the end of the subsequent popup menu. From there you continue as above to set how you Excel to arrange your data.

If we change our mind and want to say, sort by class first, then by last name we could run custom sort again.

However, if we expect we will want to slice and dice our data in different ways to get better insights, we do not have to run Custom Sort over and over. With many variables it can become cumbersome. The solution is to use the very powerful table Filter.

Method 3 – Alphabetize in Excel Using a Filter (powerful but quite simple)

This method shows how to alphabetize in Excel with a filter which is a commonly used and quite simple method once you get the hang of it.

Table Filters are great because you can sort by data in any column when you have several columns of data.

This is very handy if, for example, you have a table that includes first and last names and want to alphabetize by last names one moment, by the names another moment, or by numeric data such as sales volumes, or by ascending dates, etc.

The bonus is you have other filter features as the name suggests. It’s a very powerful tool but all aspects of the Filter in Excel is beyond the scope of this article.

NOTE: If you are working on Excel spreadsheets from others (e.g., in a team) then your data might already have a Filter.

FAQ: 

How to recognize if my Excel table already has a filter?

Look at the top (or header) row. At the end of each cell there would be a small box with a down arrow if a Filter is already applied. See screenshot below.

A Filter ads a small box with down arrow at the end of each header cell.

Step 1: Select your table.

If you have a clear set of data in a table, you can let Excel automatically select the whole table.

• You can click to select any cell inside the table (before you continue as below) and see if Excel does the rest as you want.
• Rows or columns right next to your table might make Excel include them as part of your table.
  TIP: Insert a Row or Column to separate data you want included from other entries in your spreadsheet that you don’t want mixed up.
• You can use <Ctrl> z to undo if it doesn’t work how you’d like.

Otherwise, to select (and define) your table to Excel, click and drag the mouse from the first cell in one corner to the last cell in the opposite corner to highlight all cells.

Step 2: Click to get the Sort and Filter menu.

Click on the Sort & Filter button on the Home tab of the Ribbon at the top of the screen.

Or type <Alt> H, then S on the keyboard.

Step 3: Select Filter.

When a drop-down menu appears, click on Filter (it has an icon that looks like a funnel).

Or you can type F rather than clicking the button.

Filter on Excel Ribbon at the top right-hand side.

NOTE: There is a single shortcut to set a Filter when you have a cell selected in a table. Press <Ctrl> <Shift> L (all at the same time).

Every header cell has the small box and down arrow to access a drop down menu.

Notice at the header row of your table, each cell has a little box with a small down arrow.

These are controls that you use to manipulate the data. That includes the controls to sort your data alphabetically, sort smallest to highest for numbers, or filter (or hide) certain data and a whole lot more.

It might cover your header name. It can bother some people as it might be more difficult to read your header.

TIP: if you prefer to see the whole header name, adjust the column width (drag the end of the column label at the top, A, B, C etc. further to the right with the mouse) until the column is wider than the header name by the width of the little drop-down arrow box.

Step 4: Choose the column you want to alphabetize.

Click the drop-down button (down arrow) atop the table for that column.

A drop-down menu will appear with the next options.

Step 5: Click to Sort.

To begin alphabetizing in your Excel table, click Sort A to Z at the top of the drop-down menu.

There are many more options that cen be seen in the drop-down menu. We only need the very top one to Alphabetize by first name in our example.

TIP: To sort alphabetically in reverse order, click the down arrow then click Sort Z to A second to top in the drop down menu that appears.

The Result – We have Alphabetized in Excel

The table will be sorted alphabetically for the column in which you selected the drop-down button. Notice each entire table row moves to keep the relevant data adjacent to the cell that has been sorted.

Our list sorted by First Name. Notice the drop-down button has changed to include a little arrow to show the entire table is sorted by this column.

NOTE: If you get a result you didn’t expect, it might be due to Excel incorrectly identifying your table, or your table header. You might need to make sure you have a blank row (or column) before your table starts. Or you might need to select the specific cells to which you want Excel to apply the Filter.

TIP: You can click undo (or use <Ctrl> z as the keyboard shortcut for undo) after you click Filter or after any sort step.

How to Alphabetize by Last Name then First Name with a Filter

Follow the above method Steps 4 and 5 to sort by first name, except that finally you click on the drop-down button in the Last Name header.

In our result below, we have alphabetized by Last Name.

The drop down button has changed for the Last name.

Notice how the rows with the same last name (for the twins and triplets) have remained sorted alphabetically by first name.

NOTE: The excel filter keeps rows for identical items sorted in the order they were previously.

For a Filter, this is how to achieve the Custom Sort’s multiple ‘Level’ effect (shown above).

TIP: To get the above result if say, the school data were originally sorted by class, we should first sort by First Name, and only after that alphabetize by Last Name (as shown above).

The post How to Alphabetize in Excel appeared first on TheTechMentor.com.

Learn how to copy a list of file names into Excel and also how to copy folder names into Excel. First you start with a list of folders or file names. Though it’s not obvious how you copy those names, you can do it in two main steps. Unless you know how to, it’s hard to see how to get just the list of names instead of copying the files themselves. That is what you get if you just select and click copy. Not obvious but it is simple and I’ll break it down so almost anybody can do it! Read on.

Contents (click to jump to the section that you need)

Introduction

How to Copy FILE NAMES into Excel (or text file)

Copy all file names in a folder Windows 10

How to Paste into a text file

Special formula to trim (remove path) pasted filenames In Excel

How to Copy FOLDER NAMES into Excel (or other app)

Copy multiple folder names

Formula to cut down Extracted folder names (remove paths)

Summary

Introduction

You might need to get a list of folder names or file names into another useful place, like Excel or a text file. Let’s say you have your list already. It might be all folders on your PC for example, or more likely a list of sub-folders.

Now you want to know how to export them to Excel or another app (yes, you can use other apps or programs as the destination).

You select the ones you want, click copy, and… Uh-oh, no you have just copied all the files or folders (not the names). You can’t past those into an Excel sheet or a text file.

Seems impossible, but there is a sneaky yet easy way to do it.

We will answer in detail the question “how do I copy a list of file names into excel?” 

In other words, “how to export file names to excel” when you are asking for the files names only which are contained in a folder (or directory) in Windows, like you see in File Explorer.

After we’ve shown how to copy file names from folder to Excel, we’ll show how do it with a list of folder names (i.e. the folder names only).

Recommended Reading:

How to Alphabetize in Excel (opens in new tab), including examples that show how to sort by last name then first name.

How to Copy File Names into Excel

We are going to walk you through the process so anyone can follow it step by step.

If you know most of how to do this, you should be able to skim read just the highlights.

If you are an expert, here it is, super short:

• Select multiple files (or just one).
• <Shift> + right click on a selected file.
• Select ‘Copy as Path’
• <Ctrl> + <v> into Excel
• Use my formula to easily trim path from list of filenames with path.

Click here to jump direct to the formula.

As that probably isn’t detailed enough for most people, read on to see it step by step.

Step 1 Select the files you want to copy in your list of file names

Open ‘My Computer’ (or ‘This PC’) and go to the files you want.

You can select just one file or multiple file names.

There are many way to select multiple file names.

For example, you can click and drag the mouse over the ones you want.

This image shows how to copy file names by selecting them (with click and drag) to paste into Excel at a later step.

Copy all file names in a folder Windows 10:

You can hit <Ctrl> + <a>.

The ‘a’ is to select and copy all file names in a folder in Windows 10 – that is hold down the ‘control’ and tap the ‘A’ key for the letter ‘a’.

It is the same shortcut to select all items (not just files) within any directory and many views of items in all versions of Windows, it seems.

Alternatively, if you want a specific selection of your file names do this: Press <Ctrl> and click on each individual file to select just the file names you want. You can click again to deselect one.

There are many more ways to copy filenames from Windows Explorer, once you have selected them using the above step.

You can sort the list by clicking the header as shown below – either by alphabetically (Name) or by Date when in the ‘Details’ view (rather than icon view). To see the ‘Details’ view, look at the top, for the ribon and click ‘View’, and then ‘Details’.

Use the Control key and the ‘a’ key to select and copy all file names in a folder in Windows 10. You may like to sort by Name or Date first. Note the date information won’t be exported to Excel via this method. The next part of how to copy the file names follows below.

If you don’t want all the file names, with the list sorted you can select adjacent files by first clicking on the end of the range of files names you want, then hold <Shift> and click the other end of the range of filenames in your list.

There are many ways to do it. I guess you get the picture and may have your own preferred way.

If you have the particular case of wanting to select from a search for specific files, see Save Explorer Search Results to Excel.

So, we have selected all files, next to copy the names not the files.

Here is how to copy the file names (not the files).

Step 2 Copy File Names

This is a special way to copy your selection, so you get the names and not the whole files.

To extract file names from folders, do this:

Press <Shift> + Right-Click.

To be clear, that is press the <Shift> key and while still pressing it, then click the right mouse button on any of your selected file names (any file will do if all files are selected).

This shows a less often viewed pop up menu.

In this menu options list scan down to find “Copy as Path”. See below for an example.

Copy file names using Copy as Path to be sure to copy the names (not the full files) to the clip board ready to paste into Excel.

Now, if you can’t see it, remember it should be there if you hold down the shift key when you right click. Look closely at the screen copy for how it looks in Windows 10.

In Windows 7 and Windows 8 this pop-up menu will look a little different, but the shift right-click menu contains ‘Copy as Path’.

So again, just to be clear, if you do not see ‘Copy as Path’ in your pop-up options, check again if you still have <Shift> held down when you clicked the right mouse button on a selected or highlighted file.

TIP: If you find you didn’t have the <Shift> key held down, simply hold shift now and right-click on one of your already selected file names (away from the menu that already popped up) so that your file selection remains selected.

This just saves you having to select multiple file names again. Remember this one because it’s common to forget the first few times you do it after you learn it here.

So by this you have you have extracted file names from folder(s). Next, how to copy file names into Excel, to complete the copy paste into excel (or text file).

Step 3 Paste to Export File Names into Excel or Text File

I cover here how to copy multiple file names into excel and also as an alternative I cover how to paste into a text file instead. You could paste into Microsoft Outlook or other email program, Google docs, or what ever software you have with a text editing field.

Go to your excel file and select where you want to paste. Make sure there is nothing below the selected sell that you wouldn’t want pasted over.

Press <Ctrl> + <v>.

That is hold down the control key and then press the letter v.

That is a shortcut, and there are many other ways to paste.

If you don’t like using short cut key combinations, you can use the click the icon with the image of the clipboard (often with Paste written under it).

Another alternative is to right click and then paste (use the paste icon).

More than just a list of file names?

NOTE: Do not worry when you see there is more stuff in there than just the file names! At this point the file path as well as the file name will be pasted. The next step will help you clean that up to leave only the file names if that is all you need.

To paste into a text file:

Open an existing text file or start a new one. You will need Notepad or other text editor. If you don’t know how to do this, one way is to start Notepad. Since Notepad is included in every version of Windows, we’ll demonstrate with that.

Windows 8: Swipe down from the right and start to type Notepad in the search.

Windows 10: In the search bar (normally at the bottom of the screen, unless you moved it!) start to type Notepad. Only the first two or three characters are likely to be required for Windows to respond by showing the Notepad app.

Click on the Notepad icon and you are away!

Step 4 Tidy up the list of file names pasted into Excel or Notepad.

As you will now see, whether you have pasted a single file or multiple file names, they all come with the location of the file too.

If you don’t have a big list of files, you can manually edit them. Yes, it might take a little time, but you will have completed your task to copy and paste a list of file names into Excel.

Before you groan, if you have a huge list of file names (or even a few and you are lazy like me) I have a brilliant secret formula that will cut out everything except the file name. I’ll show that secret too!

So, you can click in the Formula bar at the top of each cell in turn, then delete the unwanted file path manually, leaving only the name.

Or you can double-click on the excel cell and edit the text in the cell.

Or you can use the function key <F2>.

Just find the function keys near the top of your keyboard and press ‘F2’.

Either way, you can select the unwanted part of the text before the file name itself, by clicking and dragging the mouse.

Or you can press arrow keys to get the cursor when you need and tap delete, delete, delete, delete, … etc.!

Special formula to cut pasted filenames

Here is one great advantage of using Microsoft Excel when you do copy file names into Excel this way.

Excel can automatically trim your list down to just all the files names only for you.

If you are not familiar with Excel formulas, this can work for you, but you will need to have pasted the file list in Cell B2. Maybe you will want to start a new Excel sheet so there is nothing else in there, if that is the case.

Click here to download an excel file with the formula and examples.

You can copy and paste the formula from there.

If you don’t want to download the file, you can do the following:

Copy from this website and Paste my PARTIAL formula below into Excel (I suggest Cell A1).

See also the note further below.

=TRIM(RIGHT(SUBSTITUTE(B1,

Then continue to write the rest of the formula as per the image below.

Those are Excel formula quotes! Strange (or clever?) formula is it not?!

NOTE: Why did I show the formula like this? It is because you need to be sure you get the Excel formula quote marks into the formula. This blog automatically changes formula quotes to curly or ‘smart’ quotes. A good way to be certain the formula works is to type it direct into Excel yourself (sorry!). If you copy and paste from a website, sometimes you get the ‘fancy’ 66-99 version of quote marks (or otherwise modified quotation marks which are not suitable for Excel) which will stop my formula from working (even if they don’t look different)!

As stated above, to use my formula without any alterations, you will need to have pasted your file list (and paths) into cell B1.

If you are familiar with excel formulae, you can paste wherever you need and edit my formula to suit.

That will be easy if you have a basic understanding with Excel formula cell references.

Do not worry, you do not need to know much about formulas or understand this one in particular. Just paste it (preferred) or type it in (less preferred in case you mistype it).

The final formula to paste into Cell A1 with additional typing should look like:

Formula to extract filenames in Excel in cell A1 wit reference to cell B2.

Now you can copy and paste this formula next to every file name and path in your list.

Again, as with all things Excel, there are many ways to do this.

Translating from another language?

If you are reading this article in a language other than English, please note the above formulae is for the English version of Excel. Different languages have different text to describe the equivalent formulae in your language. See further below to learn how to get the formula in your language.

After pasting formula into every Excel cell.

You might not want several cells with formulae and cells with paths there.

You can Copy and ‘Paste Values’ the cells that include the formulae. Either into another location or directly over the top of the formulae. Then you can delete all the unwanted cells.

To do this, click the paste button then ‘Paste Values’ (or right click on the first cell and select ‘Paste Values’).

What to do when filenames are pasted into a text file:

If you pasted into a text file, the only way is to manually edit the file name and path to leave only the file name.

If you really have too many to edit, you could paste into excel, use my formula as above, and then copy that list of file names into a text file.

How to Copy-Paste Folder Names into Excel

We are going to walk you through the process so anyone can follow it step by step.

If you know most of how to do this, you should be able to skim read just the highlights.

If you are an expert, here it is, in brief:

• Select to copy multiple folders.
• <Shift> + right click on a selected folder.
• Select ‘Copy as Path’
• <Ctrl> + <v> into Excel
• Use my formula to trim path.

Click here to jump direct to the formula for a list of folders.

If that isn’t detailed enough, read on to see it step by step.

Step 1 Select the folders you want to copy in your list of folders

You can select just one folder or multiple folder names.

To select just one folder, just click on it.

How to copy multiple folder names into Excel

There are many way to select multiple folders to get their names into MS Excel.

For example, you can click and drag the mouse over the ones you want.

It’s basically the same as shown above when selecting file rather than folders.

You can hit <Ctrl> + <a>.

The ‘a’ is to select and copy all folder names (sub-directories) within any folder Windows 10 – that is hold down the ‘control’ and tap the ‘A’ key for the letter ‘a’.

Alternatively, if you want a specific list of only a few of your sub-folder or folder names do this:

Press <Ctrl> and click on each individual folder to select just all the folder names you want. You can click again to deselect one.

I guess you get the picture and have your own preferred way (there are many more).

For the special case of having to select from a search of specific folders see this article using File Explorer search results.

Next we show how to copy the folder names (not the folders with their actual files contained within).

Step 2 Copy Names of Folders to Clipboard

We use a special way to copy your selected folders.

Press <Shift> + Right-Click.

To explain in painful detail, that means hold the <Shift> key and while still pressing it, you hover the mouse over any of your selected folder names (any folder will do if all folders are selected) and right click.

This shows pop up menu that has what we need.

In this menu options list scan down to find “Copy as Path” to copy selected folders. See below for an example. Your menu could be diffent and Copy as Path could seem a long way down the list.

Copy folder names into excel with Copy as Path.

It will be there if you have held down the shift key when you clicked the right button. Check the image or the screen copy for how it should look in Windows 10.

Note: In Windows 8 this pop-up menu will look a little different, but the shift right-click menu contains ‘Copy as Path’.

Note: In Windows 7 or Vista, the menu can look simpler, but the <Shift> and right-click combo will still contain ‘Copy as Path’.

To be clear, if you do not see ‘Copy as Path’ in your pop-up options, I remind you to hold <Shift> down when you click the right mouse button on a selected or highlighted folder.

TIP: If you find you didn’t have the <Shift> key held down, simply hold shift now and right-click on one of your already selected folder names (away from the menu that already popped up) so that your folder selection remains… well… selected! It could save having to select multiple file names again. Although minor, it’s a great tip because I found I forgot the first few times when I started to apply it. Believe me, it is a pain when you have painstakingly picked out several in a big list of folders!

So we have the folder names on the computer ‘clip board’, next how to copy this list of folders into excel, to complete our copy paste combo.

Step 3 Paste Folder information into Excel

I cover here how to copy all folder names into Microsoft Excel. But you can put them wherever you like, MS Word for example.

Select the Excel file and select where you want to paste. If starting a blank sheet, I suggest cell B2.

Warning: If you are not pasting into a blank Excel file, then be sure to avoid a location where you have other data etc.

Press <Ctrl> + <v>. 

Yup, you guessed it, hold down the control key and then press the letter ‘v’.

There are many other ways to paste.

For example, click the icon with the image of the clipboard (often with Paste written under it).

I often right click and then select paste.

More than just a List of Folder Names?

Note: each cell will show the full path to the folders, not just the final sub-folder names! 

We next clean that up to leave only the folder names. You can skip this if you want a full list of all folder names to each folder location.

Step 4 -Tidy up the list of Folder Names pasted into Excel

As you will now see, whether you have pasted a single folder or multiple folder names, they also come with the location of that folder.

If you don’t have a big list of folders, it is pretty easy to manually edit them. Yes it might take a little time, but you will have completed your task to copy and paste a list of file names into Excel.

Note that if you have a big list of folder names (or even a few and are a little lazy, or simply like to try new things) I have a brilliant secret formula that will cut out everything except the last part of the path leaving only the final (sub-) folder name. I’ll show that secret too!

You can click in the Formula bar at the top of each cell in turn, then delete the unwanted file path, leaving only the name.

Instead, I often use the function key <F2>.

For that shortcut Just press ‘F2’ near the top of your keyboard.

Or, you can double-click on the excel cell and edit the text in the cell.

Anyhow, you can select the unwanted part of the text before the file name itself, by clicking and dragging the mouse.

True, you can put the cursor where you need and tap delete, delete, repeat, repeat!

Special formula to Cut Pasted Folder names

This can work for you even if you are not familiar with Excel formulas.

In that case, to use the formula unchanged, pasted the folder list into Excel at cell B2. You can start a new Excel sheet so there is nothing else in there.

Copy from this website and Paste my PARTIAL formula below into Excel (I suggest Cell A1).

NOTE: If you don’t want to retype the formula, you can download a free file that has the formula so you can copy and paste it as you need. The link below takes you to the section that has the download.

Special formula to trim pasted filenames In Excel

=TRIM(RIGHT(SUBSTITUTE(B1,

Then continue to write the rest of the formula as

NOTE 1: The formula is shown this way because you need to be sure you get the MS Excel formula quote marks into the formula. A good way to have this is to type it direct into Excel. If you copy and paste, sometimes you get a version of quote marks which will break the formula!

NOTE 2: If you read both sections on how to copy file names into Excel and this one, you will see we can use this very same formula to get only the last part. I love this formula because you can get just the sub-folder name using the exact same formula!

As stated above, to use my formula without any alterations, you will need to have pasted your folder list with paths into cell B1.

If you are familiar with excel formulae, you can paste wherever you need and edit my formula to suit.

That will be easy if you have a basic understanding with Excel formula cell references.

Do not worry, you do not need to know much about formulas or understand this one in particular. Just paste it (preferred) or type it in (less preferred in case you mistype it).

The formula to paste into Cell A1 should look the same as in the following image.

This formula is key to cut to the last sub-directory to copy folder names into Excel.

Now you can copy and paste this formula next to every folder path in your list.

For example, you can hover the mouse over the bottom right hand corner of the first cell with the formula in it. When it changes to a little cross, double click and excel will auto-fill the formula all the way down.

Well, that is how to get a list of the folders in a directory in addition to how to extract folder names into Excel.

If you want to see a list of all sub-folders in a directory you will need to do a search (which includes sub-folders) to find the ones you want first, and we covered that above under ‘Selection’.

Translating from another language?

If you are translating this article from another language, please note the formula will not work in an Excel version other than English Excel.

For example, the Trim() function is different in other languages, such as SUPPRESPACE() in French.

There is a handy site which can translate the above excel formula into your language, and it is called the Excel Translator.

You can use this site to find the equivalent function for each item in the formula.

Just substitute them into your own formula.

What next – Pasting Values to all Excel cells.

You probably only want the fold names, not several cells with formulae and cells with paths there.

To remove those and just leave the folder names only, Copy and ‘Paste Values’ the cells that include the formulae. Select to paste in a new location or the first cell at the top of the formulae. Then you can delete all the unwanted cells.

To do this, click the paste button then ‘Paste Values’ (or right click on the first cell and select ‘Paste Values’ from the popup menu).

Summary

I’ve shown how to copy file names into Excel and how to copy folder names into Excel. Not only that, I included a neat Excel formula to cut down the entire path to only the filename or lowest level folder after exporting. Some FAQs follow.

The post Copy file and folder names into Excel (remove path automatically) appeared first on TheTechMentor.com.