HOW TO: Use Speech Recognition to Select Cells, Rows, and Columns in Excel

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Summary

This step-by-step article explains how to use speech recognition in conjunction with the keyboard to select a range of cells, rows, and columns. This article shows you how to:

Select the current row.
Select the current column.
Select a specific range of cells by using the extend mode (F8).
Select the current region with the Go To command.
Select a named region with the Go To command.
Select other special types of cells with the Go To command.

Enable Speech Recognition

To perform the tasks listed later in this article, turn speech recognition on, and then click Voice Command on the Language bar. To turn speech recognition on, point to Speech on the Tools menu, and then click Speech Recognition.

Select the Current Column

Press and hold CTRL and say "Spacebar".

Select the Current Row

Press and hold SHIFT and say "Spacebar".

Select a Specific Range of Cells, Using the Extend Mode

Press F8 to turn extend mode on. In extend mode, EXT appears in the status line, and Excel extends the selection manually when you press an ARROW key or a combination of keys that move the active cell to a different location on your worksheet. You can extend the selection in the same way with speech recognition by using the following voice commands after you press F8:

ARROW keys (say "DOWN", or "RIGHT", or "UP", or "LEFT")
say "HOME"
say "END"
say "PAGE UP"
say "PAGE DOWN"

You can also change the effect of the voice commands by pressing and holding the CTRL key. The following table outlines selection options that are available after you press F8.

NOTE: CTRL+"HOME" indicates that you are to press and hold the CTRL key and say "HOME", after you press F8.

   Voice command,    Action
   or CTRL+
   voice command,
   or keyboard
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------
   arrow key        Extend the selection by one cell.

   CTRL+arrow key   Extend the selection to the last nonblank cell
                    in the same column or row as the active cell.

   "HOME"           Extend the selection to the beginning of the row. 

   CTRL+"HOME"      Extend the selection to the beginning of the 
                    worksheet.

   "END"            Extend the selection to the last of the row.

   CTRL+"END"       Extend the selection to the last used cell on the
                    worksheet (lower-right corner). 

   "PAGE DOWN"      Extend the selection down one screen. 

   "PAGE UP"        Extend the selection up one screen.

Select the Current Region

Say "Edit", say "Go To", say "Special", and then say "Current region". Say "OK" to accept your selection.

Select a Named Region

Say "Edit", say "Go To", and then say the name of any region that is defined in your workbook. Say "OK" to accept your selection. For example, to select the defined Print Area of your worksheet, say "Edit", say "Go To", say "Print Area", and then say "OK".

Select Other Special Types of Cells

Say "Edit", say "Go To", and then say "Special". In the Go To Special dialog box, you can use the following voice commands to make selections:

"Comments"
"Constants
"Formulas" (and then "Numbers", "Text", "Logicals", or "Errors")
"Blanks"
"Current region"
"Current array"
"Objects"
"Row difference"
"Column differences"
"Precedents"
"Dependents" (and then "Direct only" or "All levels")
"Last cell"
"Visible cells only"
"Conditional formats"
"Data validation" (and then "All" or "Same")

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