What Is The Auto Filter in Excel? Absolute Guide with 4 Examples

Autofilter In Excel 1

Now you are regular Excel person and wonder filter world in this too. So, we wanted to share the subject of Auto Filter, a very common word in Excel tutorials. So, What is the auto filter in Excel? Yes we know Excel is not so easy but once you learn filtering, auto filter in excel is even simpler.

An auto filter can quickly and easily sort through data in a worksheet. These Excel tutorials will show you how to use this handy function. It can be large data set or just a few rows of data but sorting and filtering your data is a crucial part of working with Excel tutorials.

Auto Filter In Excel

Auto Filter in Excel: how to insert filter in excel

Firstly, if you want to use AutoFilter, you should select the cells containing the data. Then, you will click the Filter button on the Home tab of the ribbon.

A drop-down menu will appear for each column here. You can select the criteria you want to use to filter your data. For example, you could choose to only view rows where the value in the column is greater than 10.

excel automatic filters

You can also sort your data and if you wannado this, you can click the sort & Filter button on the Home tab. Then, you will click either Sort A to Z or Sort Z to A.

AutoFilter is a handy tool and best part, it can save you a lot of time when working with data in Excel. You should definetely give it a try the next time you need to sort or filter your data.



What is an auto filter in Excel and how do you use it ?

An AutoFilter in Excel is a way to filter out different desired data types in a data range or column. An inbuilt button is available in the Home tab in the editing section. We can also use the keyboard shortcut “CTRL + SHIFT + L.” This feature makes the work easier for any user as one can filter out the required data.

When we click on the AutoFilter button, little drop-down arrows appear next to each column heading in our data range. By clicking on one of these arrows, a menu can help you to filter by various criteria.

how to use autofilter in excel?

For example, we could filter by cells that contain specific text, numbers that are greater than or less than a certain value. Or, you may filter dates that are older or newer than a certain date. As well as, you can filter by cells that are blank or not blank.

We can also use the AutoFilter feature to create more complex filters. For example, we could filter our data range by multiple criteria. So that only cells that meet all of the criteria will show up. To do this, we would select the “Custom” option from the drop-down menu and then enter our multiple criteria there.

How to quickly and easily filter data in Excel using the auto filter in Excel tutorials

Auto filters are a quick way to filter data in Excel and you won’t need to create any formulas or use complex functions. Auto filters can filter your data by text, numbers, dates, colors and icons. It  can also create complex filters by combining multiple criteria.

AutoFilters can be a great way to quickly view and analyze specific subsets of data. However, it is important to note that AutoFilters only apply to the data in the worksheet. This means they do not filter out hidden data in other worksheets.

The benefits of using the auto filter in Excel

The AutoFilter feature in Excel is super handy for quickly filtering data without having to mess around with formulas or complicated functions. Plus, it lets you create more complex filters by combining different criteria.

The AutoFilter feature is also beneficial because it only applies the filter to the data in the worksheet. What we mean here, it does not filter out data in other sheets or hidden data.

How to use the AutoFilter feature in Excel

Using the AutoFilter feature in Excel is simple. To use AutoFilter, you will click on the “Home” tab and then click on the “AutoFilter” button in the “Editing” section. This will add little drop-down arrows next to each column heading. By clicking on one of arrows, it will allow you to filter by various criteria.

What is the AutoFilter function in Excel?

AF of Excel tutorials can also create complex filters by combining multiple criteria.

  • If you have a list of names, you can use AutoFilter to show some names or those that start with a certain letter. For example, you can be filtering names that start with A.
  • When working with sales figures, AutoFilter allows you to filter to show only numbers greater than a certain amount, like all sales above $1,000.
  • You can combine different criteria, like showing all sales made by a specific salesperson within a certain date range. This helps narrow down the data.
  • If you used color coding to categorize your data, AutoFilter can filter by cell color. This is useful for quickly viewing all items marked in red or green for example.

Examples of how to use the filter in Excel for various purposes:



  • AutoFilter in Excel is quite practical and you can filter whatever you want by using various criteria. Additionally, Auto Filter in Excel can  filter data by numbers. It will instantly narrow down results for numerical values.
  • For text type, this can filter your data based on specific words or phrases. What is better, you can even filter wildcard characters.

Using the Auto Filter in Excel helps you to skim your data and filter what you need. Because you can be looking for specific information or trying to analyze a large data set.

Are you looking to how to use the filter to your Excel charts?  if you want another article related to Excel, you can read 5 Tools to Help You Manage Your Business Data.

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