Navigation Pane – List Sheets, Workbooks, Columns, Names and insert auto text in Excel

If there are multiple open workbooks that include dozens of worksheets, switching between the workbooks and finding the specific worksheet will take much time. With the help of Kutools for Excel's Navigation Pane utility, you can quickly and conveniently view all the opened workbooks and their worksheets in the navigation pane at a glance. On the other hand, the range names of the active workbook and column titles of the active worksheet can also be listed in the pane. At the same time, the Navigation Pane provides the Auto Text feature to add your custom formulas, pictures, charts, ranges, and so on for reusing, as well as the Advanced Find and Replace feature to find and replace values in multiple worksheets and workbooks.

See what the Excel Navigation Pane can help:

• List all open workbooks: you can quickly click to navigate between all open workbooks (click for details);
• List all worksheets: almost 10 times faster to navigate between sheet tabs (click for details);
• Save and list custom formulas/pictures/charts/ranges as Auto Text entries for reusing by only one click (click for details);
• Find and replace values in multiple worksheets and multiple workbooks (click for details);
• List all columns (in active worksheet): you can click on the column letter to quickly go to the specific column in the active worksheet (click for details);
• List all names (in active workbook): click on the name, and you will be navigated to the exact position of the name (click for details);
• List numbers of worksheets: adding status bar for numbers of all sheets, visible sheets, and hidden sheets of the current workbook;
• Toggle Button: toggle all of the hidden sheets/columns to be visible and invisible;
• Display hidden worksheets in the Workbook & Sheet pane;
• Display hidden name ranges in Name Manager Pane;
• Preview Auto Text entries in the pane or in a floating preview pane;
• Apply the Find and Replace pane with shortcuts;
• Toggle between the two latest sheets button: switch between just two sheets back and forth;
• Refresh Button: refresh all the information of the navigation pane.;
• Scroll bar: makes it fluent to scroll the list from up to down; just as the way you do in browsing web pages;
• When you switch multiple sheets by using the sheet tab of Excel, you can also stay at the specific position of that sheet in the Navigation Pane;
• Easily jump from one sheet (workbook, column, or name range) to another by clicking the corresponding item in the pane;
• The more worksheets (columns) you work with, the faster the process can be when using the Navigation pane.

Click Kutools >> Navigation to enable the Navigation Pane, see screenshot:

Workbook & Sheet Tab: List all opened workbooks and their worksheets

With the Workbook & Sheet tab, you can quickly navigate between workbooks and worksheets.

You can use the Navigation pane as follows:

1. Click   the button to enable the Workbook & Sheet pane.

2. All open workbooks are listed here; click to navigate between them. You can click the button to close the workbook as you need.

3. Buttons above the list of opening workbooks:

• Sort Workbooks in Ascending Order: Pressing this button will sort all open workbooks in ascending order, and pressing again to restore the original sorting order.
• Sort Workbooks in Descending Order: Press this button to sort all open workbooks in descending order, and press again to recover the original sorting order.
• Workbook Tools: Click it to quickly access utilities in the Workbook group on the Kutools Plus tab.
• Refresh: It will refresh the information in the Navigation Pane.

4. All worksheets of the current workbook are listed here; click to navigate between worksheets.

5. Buttons above the list of worksheets:

•  Toggle between the two most recently used sheets.
• A Collection of Sheet Tools: Click it to quickly access utilities in the Workbook group on the Kutools Plus tab.
• This menu contains these functions: Make Hidden Worksheets Temporarily Visible/List Hidden Sheets in the Sheet List/Displays the Protection Status of the Worksheet in the Worksheet Pane.
•  Move the selected sheet(s) up.
•  Move the selected sheet(s) down.
•  Move the selected sheet(s) up one page or to the top.
•  Move the selected sheet(s) down one page or to the end.

6. You can search the worksheet by enabling the Search function and entering the sheet name as needed.

7. Displays the total number of all worksheets, visible sheets, and hidden sheets on the status bar.

8. Click   to change the visible status of the sheet; Click to protect or unprotect the sheet.

9. Right-click on any worksheet name to display the context menu of worksheets.

10. Click  to show more tools. 

To learn more about the Workbook & Sheet Pane, please refer to this article: Workbook & Sheet Tab: Instantly Find, Switch, and Organize Your Open Files and Sheets.

Other operations:

• In the Workbook List, support the right-click menu to do more operations.
  
• Support Ctrl key or Shift key to select workbooks or sheets in the pane.
• Support dragging the selected workbooks or sheets to adjust the order in the pane.

Resource Library Tab: Save custom formulas, pictures, charts, and so on for reusing

After clicking Kutools > Navigation to enable the Navigation pane, you can:

1. Click the tab to enable the Resource Library pane.

2. The groups and subgroups of the resource library are listed here. You can delete any group you don't need to use by clicking the related delete button . Click before a group name to expand this group, and click   before a group name to collapse this group.

3. Buttons above the list of groups:

• Add group: Click to add a new root group or a subgroup to the current selected group.
• Rename current resource library group: rename the selected group name of the resource library.
• Refresh: It will refresh the information of the Resource Library Pane.

4. Click   to show more tools, such as exporting the resource library and importing the resource library.

5. All of the resource library entries of the current group will be listed here; click them to insert into the current cell of the sheet.

6. Buttons above the list of resource library entries:

• Add selected content to Resource Library: Click this button to add currently selected content to the Resource Library pane.
• Show preview in Resource Library list: Click will display the custom resource library entries in the Resource Library pane.
• Show floating preview of Resource Library entry: Click to enable it, and then put the cursor at the resource library entry; the floating preview will appear for you to view more clearly.

7. You can search the resource library entries by enabling the Search checkbox and entering the resource library entry name as needed.

8. Right-click on the item, select the type you want to insert, and rename, delete it.

To learn more about the Resource Library pane, please refer to this article: Easily create and insert a Resource Library entry in Excel.

Other operations:

• Support dragging the selected groups to adjust the order in the pane.

Name Manager Tab: List all the range names of the current workbook and enable editing

With this Name Manager pane, all the range names of the active workbook are listed in the pane, and you can perform such operations: create a new name range, edit the named range, delete the name range, and so on.

After clicking Kutools > Navigation to enable the Navigation pane, you can:

1. Click this tab to open the Name manager pane.

2. All of the range names within the active workbook are listed here; click to navigate between names.

3. In this Edit Name section, you can rename the selected range name in the Name box to your need, and change the reference of the range name in the Refers To text box. Click  the button to cancel the changes, and click  the button to save the changes.

4. Buttons in this pane:

• Refresh: Refresh the information on the Name ranges. 
• Filter: Click this button to show the filter menu.
  
• Display hidden names: Pressing the button displays the hidden names and hides them again when the button bounces.
• Create names from selection: With it, you can quickly create multiple range names based on row or column labels. In this Edit Name box, you can rename the selected range name and change the cell reference of the range name.
• Add Name: Add a range name.
• Edit Name: Edit the selected range name as you want.
• Delete Name: Delete the selected range name as you want.
• Name Manager: Click this button to open the Name Manager dialog box.

5. You can search certain range name by enabling the Search function and entering the range names you need.

6. Right-click on any name range to show the right-click menu.

Here, I will introduce you to the usage of the Create names from selection feature in the Name manager pane.

Supposing you already have existing row and column labels in your worksheet, and now you want to create range names based on these labels, the Create names from selection feature can help you to create multiple range names quickly and easily.

Select your range for which you want to create range names for, and in the Name manager pane, please click  the button in the top ribbon, and in the Create Names from Selection dialog box, check the options that you want to use, see screenshot:

And then click OK to close this dialog, and the range names have been created based on the row and column labels in the Name manager pane, see screenshot:

To learn more about the Name Manager pane, please refer to this article: Create, edit, filter and delete named ranges in Excel using Kutools' Name Manager.

Other operations:

• Support Ctrl key or Shift key to select multiple range names for batch deleting.

Column List Tab: List the column names and titles of the current worksheet

The Column List pane in the Navigation pane can list the column names and titles of the current worksheet.

After clicking Kutools > Navigation to enable the Navigation pane, you can:

1. Click this tab to enable the Column List pane.

2. List all column titles of the current worksheet here. Clicking on the column list will navigate between columns. Click this button to show or hide the related column.

3. Buttons in this pane:

• Refresh: it will refresh the information in the Column List pane.
• Temporarily show hidden columns: one click will toggle all hidden columns to be visible, and clicking again will toggle all visible columns to be invisible.
• Move the selected column(s)up or down.
• Move the selected column(s) up to one page or to the top.
• Move the selected column(s) down to one page or to the end.

4. List specific columns in the selected range.

5. You can search the columns by ticking the Search checkbox and entering the column name as needed.

To learn more about the Column List pane, please refer to this article: Column List: Instantly View, Move, Hide & Show Any Column.

Other operations:

• Support Ctrl key or Shift key to select multiple columns for batch moving.

Advanced Find and Replace Tab: find and replace values in multiple worksheets and workbooks

After clicking Kutools > Navigation to enable the Navigation pane, you can:

1. Advanced Find and Replace Tab: click this button to enable the Advanced Find and Replace pane.

2. Switch between Find tab and Replace tab.

3. Type the search keywords (and replace with text if necessary) based on your needs.

4. Specify the finding or replacing scope: All workbook, Active workbook, Selected sheets, Active sheet, and Selection.

5. Select all or unselect all opening workbooks or worksheets.

6. Specify the search direction: By rows or By columns.

7. Specify the special search scope: formulas, cell values, comments, hyperlinks, or chart titles.

8. Tick the Match Case option to enable case-sensitive search.

9. Tick the Match Entire Cell option to enable exact search.

10. Find All: Click this button to find certain values in the specified searching scope.

11. Search results or replacement results are listed here.

12. Search results are grouped by worksheets and workbooks. Click   before a worksheet or workbook to collapse all search results in the worksheet or workbook, and click   to expand all search results in the worksheet or workbook.

13.   Delete: Clear all searching results.

14. Click to float the Advanced Find and Replace pane in the workspace, and click   to collapse the search fields.

To learn more about the Resource Library feature, please refer to this article: Easily find and replace in multiple worksheets and workbooks.

  Notes:

1. Stop automatically opening the Navigation Pane when launching Excel by clicking Kutools > Navigation.

2. Expand, minimize, or pin the Navigation Pane

After activating the Navigation pane, the navigation pane displays normally. Now you can click the  button to minimize the Navigation pane. When the Navigation pane minimizes, you can click the  button to expand it, and then click the  button to pin it.

3. Settings.

Please click the Navigation Options button to go to the Navigation Options dialog, see screenshot:

4. Share this feature with your friend or on social media.

You can click the share icon to share this Navigation Pane feature with your friend via email, or share it on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Weibo.

5. Move the Navigation pane anywhere you need.

Place the cursor on this button . The cursor will change to a cross icon; then, drag to anywhere you want the Navigation pane to be placed.

Demo: Navigation Pane: List all opened workbooks and their worksheets, range names at once:

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