Clever Clogs tip # 758
1 September 2025


Keep what you type - stop fighting Excel's AutoComplete *

Hello and welcome to September's tip of the month. This month marks a big milestone... Microsoft Excel turns 40!

It was launched for the Macintosh on 30 September 1985 and since then it's become a powerful spreadsheet application that helps us organise, analyse and visualise data. So, in honour of Excel's birthday, this month's tip shines a light on a feature that tries to be helpful... AutoComplete.

Not to be confused with AutoFill (which extends patterns or copies data across cells) AutoComplete is the feature where Excel attempts to finish your text entry based on similar entries in the same column. It can be a real time-saver, but - in my opinion - it often gets in the way.

Yes, you can turn AutoComplete off entirely, but what if you just want Excel to leave your typing alone? For example, if I type this is a test in one cell, I don't want Excel to automatically repeat it in another cell in the same column when I start typing this.

Over the years I've tried all sorts of things to keep what I typed... pressing the Esc key gets rid of everything, so that's not what I want. F2 and backspace neither. But here's what works:

  • Press CTRL + DEL

This keeps the word(s) you typed and clears the remaining unwanted suggestion.

And for those who can't stand AutoComplete at all, you can turn it off entirely:

  1. Select File followed by Options. (On a laptop Options may be hidden under More at the bottom.)
  2. Select Advanced or type the letter A twice.
  3. Under Editing options, untick Enable AutoComplete for cell values.

From now on Excel will stop suggesting or completing text based on what you've already typed.

Hope this tip is helpful.

Related tips

  1. Autocomplete formulas including its open bracket: tip_545.php
  2. Turn off automatic completion of cell entries: tip_205.html
  3. Split first name and surnames into separate cells: tip_709.php
  4. Ten ways to work faster using the Esc(ape) key on your keyboard: tip_657.php
  5. Enable the F1 - F12 keys on a laptop: tip_710.php

K.

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PS If you're looking to sharpen your skills in Word, Excel and Outlook without breaking the bank, you might want to check out the five hands-on sessions I'm running at the iconic Corpus Christi College Cambridge in October and November. These sessions are open to everyone - you don't need to be a member of staff to join.


* Unless stated otherwise this tip is written for Microsoft 365 desktop apps and Windows 11 users, but might also be useful in Office 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019.