# Excel: Applying a formula to an entire column **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 24, 2008, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-applying-a-formula-to-an-entire-column/434873 "2008-01-24T21:32:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-applying-a-formula-to-an-entire-column/434873/1 "2008-01-24T21:32:46Z")
How does one apply a formula to an entire column in Excel? Normally I’d put the formula in one cell and drag it to the bottom. But I have a file with 50,000+ records and that’s really slow. Is there a way to just tell it ‘Apply this formula to the whole column.’? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-applying-a-formula-to-an-entire-column/434873/2 "2008-01-24T21:38:10Z")
Select the first cell, scroll down, shift-click the last cell, and then select “copy down.” ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-applying-a-formula-to-an-entire-column/434873/3 "2008-01-24T21:42:18Z")
Double-click the little box that you’d use to drag the formula to the bottom. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-applying-a-formula-to-an-entire-column/434873/4 "2008-01-24T22:01:30Z")
[QUOTE=InvisibleWombat] Select the first cell, scroll down, shift-click the last cell, and then select “copy down.” [/QUOTE] Where is ‘copy down’? > [@Terminus Est](#): > > Double-click the little box that you’d use to drag the formula to the bottom. Double-clicking the little black box in the lower-right corner of the cell has no effect. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-applying-a-formula-to-an-entire-column/434873/5 "2008-01-24T22:06:45Z")
Copy the cell you want to paste. Select the next one down. Then use the scrollbar to get to the bottom. Shift-click the bottom cell. Paste. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-applying-a-formula-to-an-entire-column/434873/6 "2008-01-24T22:08:19Z")
How about copy-\>paste special-\>formulas? Pick up the formula in the first cell, do Ctrl-C, highlight all the cells you want to copy into, choose Paste special from the Edit menu, and click “Formulas.” ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-applying-a-formula-to-an-entire-column/434873/7 "2008-01-24T22:10:18Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] Double-clicking the little black box in the lower-right corner of the cell has no effect. [/QUOTE] It’ll only work if the adjacent column is filled in. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-applying-a-formula-to-an-entire-column/434873/8 "2008-01-24T22:10:56Z")
[QUOTE=Sal Ammoniac] How about copy-\>paste special-\>formulas? [/QUOTE] Aha! This worked. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2008, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-applying-a-formula-to-an-entire-column/434873/9 "2008-01-25T05:25:05Z")
[QUOTE=Terminus Est] It’ll only work if the adjacent column is filled in. YMMV. [/QUOTE] Double clicking only works if an adjacent column is filled and all cells in the column that are below the column are blank.