4) How to Expand the Recently Used File List

As you probably know, you can find a short list of workbooks you’ve recently opened at the bottom of the File menu. But if you work with lots of Excel files, it may be convenient to expand the listing:

1. Go to Tools-->Options and click the General tab.
2. Under Settings, go to the Recently used file list section. Use the arrows on the right to increase (or decrease) the number of files you want to see.
3. Click OK.

5) How to Save a Workspace

Users often work with several files at a time, arranged in various ways (i.e., tiled, horizontal, vertical, cascade). And many of them go through the tedious routine of closing the files at the end of the day, opening them up the next morning, and re-arranging them again. A more efficient method is to save the configuration of the spreadsheets as a workspace. Give this a try:

1. Save each of your files in the arrangement of your choice.
2. Go to File-->Save Workspace…
3. In the Save Workspace dialog box, enter the workspace name in the File name section.
4. Accept Workspaces as the default in the Save as type section.
5. Click Save.

To open your workspace, go to File-->Open. Double-click the name of your workspace and your workbooks will immediately open in their original configuration . If you want to get rid of a workspace, just delete it as you would any file. Only the arrangement will be erased, not the workbooks themselves.

These Excel tasks aren’t the hardest ones to master, but they’re certainly some of the most useful.