Setting the Correct AutoCorrect Settings

The AutoCorrect options can save you a great deal of spell-checking time, especially if you go to the trouble of adding your own common typos to the ones that the feature is already set to take care of. When you first open the AutoCorrect dialog box (Tools → AutoCorrect Options) and select its AutoCorrect tab, Excel activates all the check box settings that dispose of many common typing errors such as typing with the Caps Lock key on or failing to capitalize the days of the week or the beginning of a sentence.

The program also selects the Replace Text As You Type check box that activates all the automatic corrections contained in the list box below. If you don't want to use one of these readymade corrections (such as automatically turning three periods in a row into a real live ellipsis), simply select the entry in the list box and then click the Delete button to get rid of it.

If you have a tendency to make a certain typo that's not already included on the list, you can add it by entering the typo in the Replace text box and the automatic replacement in the With text box and then clicking Add.

If you have certain abbreviations that shouldn't be capitalized or special terms with more than one capital letter at the beginning that you routinely use in your spreadsheets, instead of deactivating the AutoCorrect settings that otherwise change them, use the Exceptions button to add the particular abbreviations or terms to either the lists of First Letter or INitial CAps exceptions that the program then leaves alone.