In the latest version of Excel it has become your responsibility (if you choose to) to create your own toolbar, and in our basic Excel series we show you how.

The Quick Access Toolbar at the top of your screen begins with just the Save, Undo and Redo buttons. If you require fast access to any other Excel commands you are able to add them yourself. You can add almost any functionality to the toolbar including those not found on the Ribbon.

As part of our basic Excel series, this post explores 7 incredible additions to the toolbar that are sure to improve the way you work.

Excel was created for the use of calculating and analysing huge amounts of data. Because of this it has never been great for storing large amounts of text or pictures. Inserting images into a cell would make the spreadsheet even larger and more awkward in its daily use.

Comments are fantastic for leaving notes for other users, but they can also be used to store pictures. These pictures can then be made visible when required rather than permanently displayed on screen within a cell.

Following my Excel lottery number generator video I have had frequent requests for a Lotto 6/55 version. So here it is.

This spreadsheet demonstrates some fantastic Excel techniques, and as always the file is unprotected so that it can all be investigated.
The following Excel features are used:

• The RAND function is used to generate the random numbers
• The RANK and COUNTIF functions are used to rank the random numbers from 1 to 55 for retrieval of the balls
• The VLOOKUP function is used to retrieve the ball numbers
• Some VBA is used to perform the formula calculations when a button is clicked (Manual calculation has been chosen over automatic for the workbook)

Download the Lotto 6/55 number generator spreadsheet.

My wife and I are expecting our first child in just 5 days now. It’s a very exciting time in our household and it has taken a few months to get everything ready for the newborn.

To ensure I have everything I need, I made a checklist (in Excel of course) and worked my way through it.

If you want to learn Excel basics, this spreadsheet features a few fantastic tools that I thought you may be interested in seeing.

Download the new baby checklist.

1. Check boxes to make it easy for the user to mark of items as they go
2. Conditional Formatting to cross out the items with a strikethrough when it is checked
3. A Thermometer Chart to show progress through the list and how close it is to completion (See how to create a thermometer chart in Excel).
4. The COUNTIF function to count the items as they are checked off

The items in the checklist have come courtesy of www.newparent.com.