Quickly Find Set Criteria With Data Filters in Excel

There are many ways to filter and isolate data in Excel. Using data filters is one of the fastest ways to locate the data you seek under set criteria.

Say, you are looking at a list of sales records for a particular time period that includes multiple stores, sales associates, items and other information. You want a way to view an individual store’s sales and review only a handful of specific items.

Filtering allows you to isolate specific pieces of information for examination.

Apply a Data Filter to Your Sheet

1. Click any cell in the data group you want to filter.
2. Add filters to your data. You can do this a couple different ways.
   • On the Home tab, click the Sort & Filter button in the Editing group
     – OR –
   • On the Data tab, click the Filter button in the Sort & Filter
3. Click the dropdown arrows that appear at the top of each column to reveal filtering choices for that column of data.
4. Uncheck the Select All box and check the box(es) for the items you want to isolate.
5. Review your selection. A filter icon will appear by the dropdown arrows that are currently being filtered.
6. Click the Filter button again (see step 2) to turn filters off.

There are many options in Excel to narrow down results based on set criteria – this is just one!