How Do I Select All The Same In Excel?

You can select all cells with the same value, formatting, or type in Excel using the Find and Replace dialog or the Go To Special feature. The most common method involves using the Find and Replace dialog to search for specific text, numbers, or formatting and then selecting all the results.

Method 1: Select cells with the same value using Find and Replace

This is the most direct way to select all cells containing the exact same text or number.

1. Open the Find dialog: Press Ctrl + F to open the "Find and Replace" dialog box.
2. Enter your criteria: In the "Find what" box, type the specific text, number, or other value you want to find.
3. Find all instances: Click the Find All button. A list of all cells containing your search criteria will appear at the bottom of the dialog box.
4. Select all results: Click anywhere within the list of results, then press Ctrl + A to select all of them.
5. Perform your action: All matching cells in your worksheet will now be selected, allowing you to format, delete, or copy them simultaneously.

Method 2: Select cells with the same formatting using Find and Replace

This method is ideal for selecting cells that share a specific format, such as the same background color, font, or border.

1. Open the Find dialog: Press Ctrl + F.
2. Access format options: Click the Options button to expand the dialog box, then click the Format... button.
3. Choose format from a cell: In the "Find Format" dialog box, click the arrow next to the Format button and select Choose Format From Cell.... Your cursor will turn into an eyedropper icon.
4. Select a sample cell: Click any cell in your worksheet that has the desired formatting. This will set the search criteria.
5. Find all matches: Click the Find All button. The list of results will display all cells with that exact formatting.
6. Select all results: Click inside the list and press Ctrl + A to select all the matching cells in the worksheet.

Method 3: Select cells with similar properties using Go To Special

The "Go To Special" feature allows you to select cells based on common properties, such as being part of a conditional format or containing a specific type of data validation.

1. Open the Go To Special dialog: Press Ctrl + G (or F5), then click the Special... button. Alternatively, navigate to Home > Find & Select > Go To Special.
2. Select your criteria: In the "Go To Special" dialog box, choose the specific property you want to match. Some common options include:
   • Conditional formats: Select All to find all cells with conditional formatting or Same to find cells with the same conditional formatting as the currently selected cell.
   • Data validation: Choose All or Same to select cells with data validation rules.
   • Objects: Use this to select all floating objects, such as shapes, charts, or images.
   • Formulas/Constants: Select all cells containing formulas or constant values, with options to narrow the search by data type (numbers, text, logicals, or errors).
3. Select matching cells: Click OK to instantly select all cells that meet your specified criteria.

Method 4: Select similar objects using the Selection Pane

This method is useful when you need to select multiple non-cell objects, such as images or shapes.

1. Open the Selection Pane: On the Home tab, go to Find & Select and click Selection Pane.
2. Select all objects: The Selection Pane will display a list of all objects on your sheet.
   • You can select multiple objects by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking on their names in the list.
   • To select all objects, you may first need to select a single object on your worksheet, then press Ctrl + A.
3. Perform your action: Once selected, you can delete or edit the objects as a group.

Method 5: Using filtering to select cells by color

If you want to work with cells of a certain background or font color and the color was applied manually (not with conditional formatting), filtering is an effective approach.

1. Apply a filter: Click any cell in your data, then go to the Data tab and click Filter.
2. Filter by color: Click the filter drop-down arrow in the column header that contains the colors. Select Filter by Color and choose the color you want.
3. Select filtered cells: After filtering, only the rows containing cells of that color will be visible. To select only the visible cells, press Alt + ; (the semicolon). This prevents you from selecting hidden rows.
4. Copy and paste: You can now copy the visible cells and paste them elsewhere.