How to use fill handle in excel

A fill handle in Excel is a small square located at the bottom-right corner of the active cell or selected range. It allows quick copying of cell content, extending sequences, or applying formulas across adjacent cells.

Steps to Use Fill Handle

1. Select the Cell
   Click on the cell containing the value, formula, or pattern you want to copy or extend.

2. Locate the Fill Handle
   The fill handle appears as a small square at the bottom-right corner of the selected cell.

3. Drag the Fill Handle

   1. Move your cursor over the fill handle until it changes into a small black cross.

   2. Click and hold the left mouse button.

   3. Drag the handle horizontally (left/right) or vertically (up/down) across the cells you want to fill.

4. Release the Mouse Button
   Excel will fill the selected cells based on the pattern or formula from the original cell.

Types of Fill Operations

1. Copying a Value
   Dragging the fill handle copies the same value to the selected cells. For example, dragging a cell with “10” fills all selected cells with “10.”

2. Filling a Series
   Excel automatically detects sequences like numbers, dates, or weekdays.

   • Example: Dragging a cell with “1” followed by “2” will continue the series “3, 4, 5…”

   • Dragging a date “Nov 28, 2025” extends the sequence by days, months, or years depending on the drag settings.

3. Copying a Formula
   Formulas automatically adjust relative references when dragged.

   • Example: Cell A1 contains =B1+C1. Dragging the fill handle down one row changes the formula in A2 to =B2+C2.

4. Using Auto Fill Options
   After releasing the mouse, a small Auto Fill Options button appears. You can choose:

   • Copy Cells

   • Fill Series

   • Fill Formatting Only

   • Fill Without Formatting

Differences Between Windows and Mac

• On Windows, the fill handle works by default when dragging. The small black cross appears immediately.

• On Mac, dragging sometimes requires enabling “Fill handle and cell drag-and-drop” in Excel Preferences → Edit → Drag-and-drop editing.

Tips

1. Double-clicking the fill handle automatically fills down the formula or value to match the length of adjacent columns.

2. Holding Ctrl while dragging on Windows toggles between copying the cell and filling a series.

3. To fill weekdays only, drag the handle, then select Fill Weekdays from the Auto Fill Options.

Using the fill handle speeds up repetitive tasks, reduces errors, and ensures formulas are applied consistently across your worksheet.