About This Shortcut
This shortcut allows you to display various lists within Excel without using a mouse.
With Alt + down arrow, you can access lists in 3 different contexts:
(1) Access autocomplete items when doing repetitive data entry in a column – previously entered values in cells above will be displayed when autocomplete is enabled.
(2) Access filter drop-down menus when working in a filtered list or table – unique values that appear in a list or column will be displayed with a checkbox to allow filtering.
(3) Access data validation lists when input is restricted by data validation – when a list is used for data validation, the items in that list are displayed.
About This Shortcut
In a new column next to existing data, enter a value that represents what you want to extract, combine, etc. Then, in the cell below, use this shortcut. Excel will try to apply the same pattern to all rows in the data. You can use Flash Fill with text, numbers, and dates.
Flash fill is a new feature added in Excel 2013.
