MacMost: Numbers

Instead of using a range of cells, you can refer to an entire column of cells by using just the letter for the column. But you need to be aware of how header and footer rows work first.

When you copy and paste a formula in Numbers it doesn't just paste an exact duplicate of the formula. Instead, it adjusts the cell references based on the locations of the original and the new location. Learn why and how it does this, and how to modify this behavior to fir your needs.

Checkboxes are a useful tool in Numbers that allow you to simply indicate a true or false value. You can use that as data, to sort, filter or alter the outcome of formulas.

CSV files are plain text files that contain spreadsheet data. They are useful for importing or saving data regardless of the spreadsheet app you are using.

If you just want to print a portion of any document, you can jump from the Print Dialog to Preview very easily, select an area, crop or create a new document, and print that. You can also use this to share or save a portion of a document.

The new versions of Pages, Numbers and Keynote allow you to export the document and send it directly to someone else via email, AirDrop, Messages or other methods. This saves you the steps of needing to create an export file first and then attach it.

You can use Conditional Highlighting to make numbers stand out in your spreadsheets. If you combine them with functions like RANK, LARGE, SMALL and more you can see useful information in your tables at a glance.

In order to use Numbers to its fullest, first master these essential skills before worrying about functions.

You can use photos and other images in your Numbers spreadsheets, but not as values in cells. Learn how you can decorate a sheet with them, or use them in a clever way in a table to display a featured image.

If you have names, product IDs or some other words and need to translate those to number values you can do it with the IF, IFS, SWITCH or LOOKUP functions in Numbers. While the first functions are good for small limited lists of values, only the LOOKUP function works well with a large list that changes often.

Numbers comes with a variety of useful templates. You can use these in your daily life, or dissect them to learn how they work and learn some spreadsheet skills.

You can autofill cells in Numbers using copy and paste, a special autofill feature, and by simply adding new rows to a well-formed table. With the autofill feature, you can have values increase by 1, or using a pattern.

Learn how to calculate dates like the first or last day of a month, the first or last day-of-week of a month, or the nth day-of-week of a month.

You can use Conditional Highlighting in Numbers to make values stand out. You can also use alternatives like formulas in other columns or custom formats. Also learn how to have cells highlight based on the value of a different cell.

If Pivot Tables in Numbers seem intimidating, watch this tutorial to see how easy they are to use. You can get a lot of information without ever needing to using functions or formulas.

You can easily create a simple labels template to print a list of addresses to labels in Pages. The list can come from text or a Number spreadsheet. You can also modify pre-made labels templates to work better.

If you need to find the ranking of rows in Numbers, you can sort, use COUNTIF or use RANK. It gets a little more complex if you have to use multiple values for tie-breakers or rank within groups.

Learn how to get random numbers on your Mac using the Calculator app, the Numbers app, Siri, the Terminal and a custom Shortcut.

You can get the sum, average and perform other calculations on selected cells without needing to create a formula in another cell. The Quick Calculations appear at the bottom of the Numbers window whenever you have more than one cell selected. They also can be dragged-and-dropped to create permanent formulas and will obey filters.

A new action in Shortcuts for Mac allows you to add a row of data to a Numbers spreadsheet. You can prompt for information and then record a time and some data. Numbers version 12 is required. An older technique allows you to change existing data in a Numbers spreadsheet.