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Recover data from a corrupted workbook:

1. Add a new workbook, and save it using the name of the corrupted workbook, but in a different folder than the original.
2. Change the new sheet names to those in the corrupted workbook (try to remember all of them), and then save the workbook.
3. Add a new workbook. In cell A1 of the first sheet, insert a linked formula to cell A1 in the newly created workbook (steps 1 and 2).
4. Copy the formula to all cells covering the data area (as you remember it to be) in the first sheet of the corrupted workbook.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for all sheets, and then save and close the new workbook.
6. Change the linked source address. From the Edit menu, select Edit Links, and then click Change Source.
7. Locate the corrupted workbook, select it and then close the Edit Links dialog box.
8. Check the result. If the data appears in the new workbook, copy all cells in each sheet and paste them back as values.

Close all workbooks quickly:

If you find yourself with many workbooks open at the same time, you may be interested in a "hidden" command that will close all workbooks in one fell swoop.

The trick is to press Shift while you click the File menu. When you do so, the Close command turns into the Close All command. When you select this menu item, Excel will close all of the currently open workbooks. If any of them have not been saved, you'll get the standard prompt asking if you want to save your workbooks.

Making a worksheet very hidden:

You can use Excel's Format, Sheet, Hide to hide an entire worksheet. But unless you password-protect the workbook structure, anyone can select Format, Sheet, Unhide to see the hidden sheet.

If you use Excel 97 or later, here's another option:

Press Alt-F11 to display the Visual Basic Editor, in the Project window, double-click Microsoft Excel Objects and select the sheet to hide. Press F4 to display the Property box Set the sheet's Visible property to xlSheetVeryHidden.

To unhide the sheet, repeat these step, but set the Visible property to xlSheetVisible. You can control the line breaks for multiple-line headings or labels in your Microsoft Excel worksheet, just like you do in Microsoft Word.

Here's how to do it:

1. Click the cell where you want the label or heading to appear.
2. Type the first line of information.
3. Press ALT+ENTER.
4. Type the second line. Then repeat step 3 if you have additional lines to enter.
5. Press ENTER when you've finished typing.

When you create a formula in Excel, the formula can use relative cell references, which refer to cells relative to the position of the formula, or absolute references, which refer to cells in a specific location. Formulas can also contain a mix of relative and absolute references. An absolute reference is indicated by the $ symbol. For example, $B$1, is an absolute reference to column B, row 1.

When working with formulas, you can easily change column and row references from relative to absolute, and back again, using this handy shortcut:

1. Select the cell that contains the formula.
2. In the formula bar, select the reference you want to change.
3. Press F4 to toggle through the combinations.

Use This Shortcut to Insert Time/Date in Excel or Access

Here are a few keyboard shortcuts you can use to insert the current time and date in a Microsoft Access table or Excel spreadsheet.

1. Current date: Press CTRL+SEMICOLON
2. Current time: Press CTRL+SHIFT+ SEMICOLON
3. Current date and time: Press CTRL+ SEMICOLON then SPACE then CTRL+SHIFT+ SEMICOLON

Quickly Calculate a Person's Age in Excel:

The DATEDIF() function in Excel calculates the number of days, months, or years between two dates. So, this function makes it easy to calculate a person's age.

To try this tip:

In a blank worksheet, type the birth date in cell A1, using slashes to separate day, month, and year. In cell A2, type =DATEDIF(A1,TODAY(),"y") and press ENTER