2.1 AutoFill and Fill Series
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
Khup students ekach number (udaharanartha 1) type karun drag kartat aani mag sagle 1 ch yetat. Series havi asel tar don values (1, 2) select karun drag kara, kiwa Ctrl dharun drag kara. Drag kelyavar Auto Fill Options button nakki bagha.
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.