How to Filter in Excel

If you need to sort through large amounts of data and extract just the information you need, Excel’s filtering feature can save you time and effort. With filtering, you can display only the data that meets specific criteria, such as only showing items within a specific date range, or only displaying data that meets certain conditions. In this blog post, we will explore the different ways you can filter data in Excel, enabling you to quickly and easily extract the information you need.

What is Filtering?

Filtering in Excel is a useful feature that allows you to quickly sort through data and display only the information that meets specific conditions. It can help you to identify trends, analyze data, and extract relevant information from a large dataset.

How to Access Excel Filter Functionality

Excel offers two main ways to filter your data: the basic filtering and the advanced filtering. Basic filtering is a simple method that allows you to quickly filter your data, while the advanced filter provides more complex filtering options.

To access the basic filter functionality:

• Select the range of cells that you want to filter.
• Click on the “Data” tab from the menu bar at the top of the screen.
• Select “Filter” from the drop-down menu.

The filter drop-down arrows will appear on the right-hand side of each column header of your data range, indicating that filtering is now enabled for those columns.

Filtering Data with Basic Filters

Once you have enabled filtering, you can use the basic filters to sort the data according to your criteria. Here are the steps to filter your Excel data:

1. Click on the filter drop-down arrow of the column you want to filter.
2. Select the checkbox of the data that you want to display. You can also search for specific data by typing into the search bar box
3. Click OK to apply the filter.

Filtering for Dates/Hierarchy Values

Filtering for Dates/Hierarchy Values is not different from Basic Filtering. The only difference is that the drop-down will display dates/hierarchy values, which makes it easier to view by expanding and selecting the dates/hierarchy values that you require.

Advanced Filtering in Excel

If you need more advanced filtering options, Excel provides the Advanced Filter feature. This option allows you to use more complex criteria to filter your data. For instance, you can filter data with advanced filters, by date range or custom formulae.

Here are the steps to follow to use Advanced Filtering in Excel:

1. Select the range of cells that you want to apply the advanced filter to.
2. Click on the “Data” tab from the menu bar at the top of the screen.
3. Select “Advanced” from the drop-down menu, under the sorting and filtering section.
4. In the “Advanced Filter” dialog box, select the range of the list you want to filter.
5. Specify the criteria you want to apply in the “Criteria Range” field.
6. Click “OK” to apply the filter to your data.

Filtering is a powerful feature in Microsoft Excel that can save you valuable time and help you gain more insights from your data. Whether you use basic filtering or advanced filtering, Excel provides various ways to filter your data to meet your specific needs. This quick and simple guide should have provided a good starting point for anyone looking to filter in Excel and optimize their data analysis.

Best Practices When Using Filtering in Excel

Here are some best practices when using filtering in Excel:

• Ensure that your data is clean and without errors as filtering processes garbage data.
• As with all things Excel, ensure to save your document before you apply filtering to avoid data loss in case of anything.
• Ensure to expand the height of the row so that at a glance, you can split the data to avoid deleting/keeping the wrong data.

Filtering with Multiple Conditions

Filtering with multiple conditions is a great way to refine your data analysis. Here’s how to filter with multiple conditions:

1. Highlight the headers of the columns containing the data that you want to filter by.
2. Select the “Filter” option from the “Data” tab in the menu bar.
3. Enter your conditions in the filter drop-downs.
4. Select “OK” to apply your filter.

Conjunctions Continued

When filtering with multiple conditions, you should keep in mind the use of conjunctions: “OR” and “AND.” Use “OR” to pull data that matches any of the conditions and “AND” to narrow down your filter to data that match all the conditions.

Filtering Columns by Color

You can easily filter columns by color in Excel, which is useful when you want to filter data based on color codes. Follow these steps to filter columns by color:

1. Select the column you want to filter and click “Sort & Filter” tab.
2. Click on “Filter,” and then “Filter by Color.” You will then see the color options you can apply to filter the selected column.
3. Select the color you want to filter and click “OK.”

Excel will filter the column based on the chosen color, displaying only the data that matches the criteria.

Clearing Filters

To clear the filters from a dataset in Excel:

1. Select the drop-down arrow for the column you want to clear the filter for.
2. Select “Clear Filter from “

This will clear the filter for the selected column, returning all data to its original display.

FAQs

Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about filtering in Microsoft Excel:

Can I undo a filter selection or restore the data to the original state?

Yes, you can undo or clear a filter selection to restore your data to the original state. Select the column drop-down arrow and click “Clear Filter from “.

Can I filter by more than one criteria?

Yes, you can filter by more than one criteria, and it’s known as filtering with multiple conditions. Select the column headers of interest, click “Filter”, and then enter your criteria in the filter drop-downs. Use “OR” to pull data that matches any of the conditions, and “AND” to narrow down your filter to data that match all the conditions.

How do I filter based on other operations like greater than or less than?

You can use the “Filter by condition” option in Excel to filter based on greater, less than, or other mathematical operations. Click on the filter drop-down and select “Filter by condition,” then select “Greater than,” “Less than,” or another mathematical operation that best suits your filtering needs.

Can I filter using wildcards in Excel?

Yes, you can use wildcards to filter your data in Excel. Use an asterisk (*) to replace any number of characters or question mark symbol (?) to replace one character. For example, you can filter all names starting with “J” by entering “J*” in the filter dialog box.

Can I filter by cell color or font style in Excel?

Yes, you can use the “Filter by color” or “Filter by font color” options in Excel to filter by cell color or font style. Select the filter drop-down option for a column and choose the “Filter by color” or “Filter by font color” option.