How to Use Point and Click Method in Excel (3 Examples)

When you use the Point and Click Method to build a formula in Excel, the formula becomes errorless and the process saves you time. So, it is important to understand the whole process. In this article, we will demonstrate three suitable examples to use the point-and-click method in Excel. If you are also curious about it, download our practice workbook and follow us.


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3 Suitable Examples to Use Point and Click Method in Excel

By the term Point and Click in Excel, we mean pointing a cell reference by the mouse pointer (or by arrow keys) in Excel environment > To enter the cell into an Excel formula. When we work with a lot of data in Excel, data is more meaningful to us than the cell references that hold them (the data). So, it is a better and faster way to make an Excel formula than typing the cell references to build one (formula).

Excel formulas can be made in several ways:

  • Data and Formulas are in the same worksheet
  • Data and Formulas are in the different worksheets
  • Data and Formulas are in the different workbooks

I will show the point-and-click method for all types of Excel formulas. We have a dataset, where we have three numbers in the range of cells B5:B7.

📚 Note:

All the operations of this article are accomplished by using the Microsoft Office 365 application.


1. Point and Click Method for Same Excel Sheet

We will use the point-and-click method to sum three numbers in the same sheet.


1.1 Using Mouse Pointer

We will add the three numbers available in our dataset and show the result in cell C9. The steps of this process are given below:

📌 Steps:

  • First of all. select a cell (using the mouse pointer) where you want to input the formula. We select cell C9 to insert the formula.

Mouse Pointer

  • Input an ‘equal (=)’ sign.
  • Now, select cell B5 using your mouse pointer to enter it into the formula.

  • Use the operational operator (+, -, /, *, ^, (), etc.) or one or more than one Excel Function, or anything you feel necessary to build the formula. We input the ‘Plus (+)’ sign.
  • Then, select the next cell reference, B6.

Add Cell Reference of Value Consequently

  • Continue the process until the formula is finished.

=B5+B6+B7

  • Finally, press Enter when you’re done.

Point and Click Method for Same Excel Sheet by Mouse Pointer

  • You will get the result.

Thus, we can say that our method works perfectly, and we are able to use the point-and-click method in Excel.


1.2 Applying Arrow Keys

We are going to sum up the three numbers of our dataset and show the result in cell C9. The steps of this method are given as follows:

📌 Steps:

  • First, select a cell (using the Arrow Keys on your keyboard) where you want to input the formula. We select cell C9 to insert the formula.

keyboard arrow keys

  • Input an ‘equal (=)’ sign.
  • Now, navigate the Excel worksheet using the Right, Left, Up, or Down arrow keys to reach cell B5.

  • Then place an operator (+, -, /, *, ^, (), etc.) one or more Excel functions or anything you feel necessary to complete the formula. We input the ‘Plus (+)’ sign.
  • Select the next cell reference B6 using the above method (Navigate with Arrow keys).

Add Cell Reference of Value Consequently by Keyboard Key

  • And continue the process if necessary.

=B5+B6+B7

  • Press Enter when you’re done.

Point and Click Method for Same Excel Sheet by Arrow Key

  • You will get the result of the sum.

Hence, we can say that our procedure works effectively, and we are able to use the point-and-click method in Excel.

Read More: How to Apply Same Formula to Multiple Cells in Excel (7 Ways)


2. Point and Click Method for Different Worksheets

Here, we are going to use the point-and-click method to sum three numbers in the two different worksheets. To sum up the values, we will use the SUM function.


2.1 Utilizing Mouse Pointer

We will use our previous dataset of three numbers for the demonstration. The result will be shown in a new worksheet. The steps of this approach are shown below:

📌 Steps:

  • At first, select a cell using your mouse pointer where you want to input the formula in a new worksheet. We select cell C4 to insert the formula.
  • Then, input an ‘equal (=)’ sign.
  • Now, write down SUM and press the Tab key.

  • Select the worksheet where the data is, using the mouse pointer.
  • Finally, select the range of cell references B5:B7 (one by one) that hold data.

Add the cells though mouse pointer

The formula will be the following:

=SUM(Dataset!B5:B7)

  • Press Enter when you’re done.

Point and Click Method for Different Worksheets by Using Mouse

  • Excel will show us the result in the new worksheet.

Therefore, we can say that our method works precisely, and we are able to use the point-and-click method in Excel.


2.2 Using Arrow Keys

The steps of this process are shown below:

📌 Steps:

  • Firstly, select a cell using the arrow keys. In our case, We select cell C4 to insert the formula.
  • Afterward, input an ‘equal (=)’ sign.
  • Write down SUM and press the Tab key.

  • Then, navigate to another worksheet using the ‘Ctrl+Page Up’ or ‘Ctrl+Page Down’ Key.
  • Now, use the ‘Shift+Arrow keys’ to navigate the worksheet and select a cell or a range of cells B5:B7.

Insert all cells inside the formula to use point and click method

The formula is:

=SUM(Dataset!B5:B7)

  • Press Enter when you’re done.

Point and Click Method for Different Worksheets by Keyboard Arrow

  • The result will appear in front of you.

So, we can say that our process works successfully, and we are able to use the point-and-click method in Excel.

Read More: How to Apply Formula to Entire Column Without Dragging in Excel


3. Point and Click Method for Different Workbooks

In this example, we will use the point and click method to sum three numbers in the two different workbooks using the SUM function.


3.1 Applying Mouse Pointer

Here, we are going to use the mouse pointer to select the cell reference from different workbooks. The steps of this method are explained below:

📌 Steps:

  • First of all, select a cell using your mouse pointer where you want to input the formula. For demonstrating the process, we select cell C4.
  • After that, input an ‘equal (=)’ sign.

  • Next, write down SUM and press the Tab key.
  • Now, go to the main workbook which contains the dataset, and select the range of cells B5:B7.

Add the cells from a different workbook by mouse pointer

The formula will be the following:

=SUM('[Point and Click Method.xlsx]Dataset'!$B$5:$B$7)

  • Finally, press Enter.

Point and Click Method for Different Workbooks by Mouse Pointer

  • You will get the sum value.

At last, we can say that our process works perfectly, and we are able to use the point-and-click method in Excel.


3.2 Utilizing Arrow Keys

We are going to use the Arrow keys to sum the values available in a different workbook. The procedure is described below:

📌 Steps:

  • In the beginning, select a cell by using the arrow keys of your keyboard. We choose cell C4.
  • Now, input an ‘equal (=)’ sign.
  • Then, write down SUM and press the Tab key.

  • After that, press the ‘Ctrl+Tab key’ to navigate to another workbook that has the original workbook.
  • Next, press ‘Ctrl+Page Up’ or ‘Ctrl+Page Down’ to going the proper worksheet.
  • Now, use the Arrow keys to navigate the worksheet and press the ‘Shift+Arrow Keys’ to select the range of cells.

Insert all cells by using arrow keys

The formula will be the following:

=SUM('[Point and Click Method.xlsx]Dataset'!$B$5:$B$7)

  • Press Enter when you’re done.

Point and Click Method for Different Workbooks by Keyboard Arrow key

  • The result will be in our desired cell.

In the end, we can say that our process works effectively, and we are able to use the point-and-click method in Excel.

Read More: How to Insert Formula for Entire Column in Excel (6 Quick Ways)


Conclusion

That’s the end of this article. I hope that this article will be helpful for you and you will be able to use the point-and-click method in Excel. Please share any further queries or recommendations with us in the comments section below if you have any further questions or recommendations.

Don’t forget to check our website, ExcelDemy, for several Excel-related problems and solutions. Keep learning new methods and keep growing!


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Khan Muhammad Kawser

Khan Muhammad Kawser

Hello! Welcome to my Excel blog! It took me some time to be a fan of Excel. But now I am a die-hard fan of MS Excel. I learn new ways of doing things with Excel and share them here. Not only a how-to guide on Excel, but you will get also topics on Finance, Statistics, Data Analysis, and BI. Stay tuned! You can check out my courses at Udemy: udemy.com/user/exceldemy/

1 Comment
  1. Great, thanks

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